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Overview
The eyeFX 3D adapter works with existing
PS2 games, but, sorry to disappoint, it works not with all of them.
In the game collection I had available, only the Ace Combat 05 (The
Unsung War) worked. Splitfish has a list of games on their
site that work with the 3D
glasses. Games include: 007 Agent Under Fire, Ace Combat 04, Aero
Elite, Colosseum, DNA, DropShip, Half-Life, Kill Switch, Lara Croft
Tomb Raider, Star Wars Bounty Hunter, Thunder Strike, Timesplitters
1&2 and Top Gun. Lots of top Sony PS2 games are missing from the
list.
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Ace Combat in 3D shutter mode.
Left and Right view are displayed in sync. with the shutter
glasses resulting in a rather clean and stable 3D image. |
You would think the eyeFX 3D adapter
would plug in between your TV and the
Playstation 2 to generate the two views necessary for 3D vision.
But actually it plugs between the PS2 controller and the main unit.
a thin long cable connects from the adapter to the shutter glasses.
The 3D glasses only work on CRT TVs. I tested the glasses on a bit
advanced Philips CRT TV that had some digital picture improvement
features. It did not work there. The TV tried to 'fix' the image and
the 3D effect did not work. I tested the eyeFX 3D then on a simple
Daewoo CRT TV and it worked there without an issue. Splitfish will
provide an adapter for
Flatscreen TVs and projectors.
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The 3D shutter glasses are not
that stylish, but they are light. |
The view angle through the shutter
glasses is not that large (limited through the small size of the
shutter elements), so it is best to sit close to the TV.
Pressing the select button on the PS2 controller switches the 3D
adapter on and a blinking blue light indicates that the adapter is
in setup mode. Three profiles are available that can be fine tuned
by adjusting advanced modes, 3D depth and dead zone. The 5 advanced
modes are associated with how the games pans, rotates, strafes. This
is maybe also a hint on how the eyeFX 3D adapter is able to get a
standard game to display for 3D. I guess Splitfish is telling the
game to display two angles of the current scene alternately at a
certain frequency. It is amazing though that this works and the
games are playable as normal.
In some PS2 games I tested the game was displaying the front and the
back view at the same time. Looks interesting for a moment. Looking
through the shutter glasses you actually see in one eye the front
view and in one the back (e.g.
Grand Theft Auto). So this is maybe cool for hardcore gamers
that succeed in training their brain to play with the front and back
view at the same time. Or maybe not.
After hitting the X button in setup mode the adapter is in Game
mode. The 3D effect kicks in when the game starts. It is not visible
in menus or during video sequences. The 3D effect in Ace Combat 05
is nice. The HUD floats over the scene and when flying close to
mountains or skyscrapers the 3D effect is good visible. I am still
waiting to try the 3D glasses with
Half-Life. This should be more impressive as their are more
buildings and you can stand around to enjoy the scenery in 3D.
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Splitfish eyeFX 3D package.
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Conclusion
If you have one of the PS2 games above, the eyeFX
3D is a great accessory to add a new experience playing your games.
The big downside is of course the limited number of games it works
with. See also the Splitfish
site for additional details.
How to Buy
The suggested retail price for the
Splitfish eyeFX 3d game adapter is $69.95. In the UK I found one
store that sells it for £25.95 (~$44).
There is no major retailer yet carrying this cool PS2 accessory.
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