Nvidia Corp. on Monday introduced new lower cost active shutter glasses that are compatible with the company's proprietary 3D Vision technology. The new glasses have USB cable and do not require batteries or IR transmitters. The relatively affordable glasses will help the company to boost popularity of stereo-3D technology.

Nvidia 3D Vision wired glasses include a 10-foot USB 2.0 cable for direct connection to a 3D Vision PC or notebook. The new cable is compatible with more than 65 different 3D Vision monitors, notebooks and projectors. The wired nature of the cable not only reduces its price to $99 (from $150 of wireless solutions), but also makes the glasses suitable for LAN gaming events and iCafe gaming centers, as it does not require batteries and the cable can easily be secured to a PC with an optional computer lock to minimize theft.

"3D fans have been waiting for more affordable glasses, and we are expecting our new 3D Vision wired glasses to hit the sweet spot for them," said Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision at Nvidia.

At present stereo-3D components, e.g. monitors or notebooks are still pretty expensive and reduction of the price of glasses to $99 will hardly boost popularity of the S3D technology substantially. Nonetheless, the introduction of wired glasses for $99 is a step in the right direction as glasses that do not need batteries are more convenient to use by gamers and with generally more affordable components, stereo-3D will also gradually gain adoption.

Nvidia3D Vision wired glasses are expected to be available beginning in late-June 2011 from the Nvidia's online store as well as from retailers and e-tailers.

Tags: Nvidia, Stereo 3D, Geforce, 3D Vision