GamingNexus 3D gaming event with Optoma’s HD33 projector

by: Dan - posted: 9/7/2011 7:04:00 PM

Ordinarily I would do a solo post regarding my first impressions of a new piece of A/V hardware I was reviewing. However, I took the opportunity with Optoma’s HD33 3D Projector in the house to have a staff gaming event a couple of weekends ago to see what everyone else thought of 3D gaming on the big screen. I can’t print some of the initial reactions I heard due to colorful language (in a good way!), but they were similar to “wow!”, “Holy Crap” and so forth. What I did do is ask the staff that was here to give me a brief rundown on their thoughts of the projector, its glasses and the 3D gaming in general. A full review will be going up in the future, but here is what the others had to say:

Sean Cahill
“Overall, the Optoma outperformed my expectations for a 3D experience with a projector. The Playstation 3 games popped off the screen, especially Super Stardust HD. MLB The Show 11 had it's high points as well with the pitcher/batter interface and seeing a fastball coming at you in 3D. As for movies, Tron Legacy was also worth the experience as the 3D was very crisp. It felt very realistic. The glasses for the Optoma also worked exceptionally well for me. They weren't overly bulky and fit over my prescription glasses rather well. There was no feeling of dizziness or a headache coming on as I have experienced with other brands. The pricepoint also makes this one of the best purchases for 3D home theater.”

Russell Archey
"Before checking out the Optoma HD33, I had never done any gaming in 3D, so it was an interesting experience. I checked out two games: Super Stardust HD and Motorstorm Apocalypse, both on the Playstation 3. Super Stardust HD reminded me of Geometry Wars and looked pretty good in 3D, but when I checked out Motorstorm Apocalypse, I was blown away by how good the 3D looked. Granted I'm not that good at a lot of racing games, so a lot of the time I was running into things, but the 3D was simply amazing."

Jeremy Duff
"I have never been a “believer” in the movement for 3D gaming... until now. The few examples of the technology that I have seen in the past have been lackluster but after spending a couple of hours with the Optoma HD33 really swayed my opinion on the topic. I tested a wide array of games using the projector’s 3D capabilities and even those with lackluster 3D effects still looked good on the projector (that is a complaint with the games, not the projector). There were two games in particular that really stood out for me during the experience though: Super StarDust HD and Motorstorm Apocalypse. Both games had excellent 3D effects and the Optoma only made them better. Even details as minute as particle effects in both games literally popped off of the screen.

The included glasses with the Optoma were super comfortable and among the best fitting 3D glasses that I have experienced. They had a good “size” to them in terms of covering your visual range yet I could hardly feel them resting on my ears (lightweight). The image projection also seemed to have a very good range as I was able to view the effects with minimal distortion in the quality from numerous angles in the room both while I was playing and when I was spectating. I am extremely impressed with the HD33."

I didn't spend too much time with the projector this night (I will get plenty of time with it later), as it was all about the other GN Staff members getting a shot at some 3D gaming.  I will say that the Optoma HD33, with an MSRP of $1,499, provides an amazing gaming experience (3D or not) for the money.  Take a look at a few images of Super Stardust HD in 3D, projector and glasses.