Is the future surround gaming?

[Enak]

Many people have missed the point with the Parhelia... Surround gaming is the way forward and just like many important features in todays games, Matrox has brought this to the mass'!

While not everyone can afford to use the Parhelia to it's full potential some can... the experience is unique and I am sure that anyone who has experienced surround gaming will agree that 5-10 years from now you would be very suprised to find any serious gamer without it!

[[GDI]Raptor]

I haven't got Surround Faming my self, but I have tryed it on several ocations, and I think it's a future for it.

In alot of games it gives you a great gaming experience, and it looks like alot of gaming developers is developing for it!

[The PIT]

Not for a couple of years. In my case it would be useless as I've no desk space anyway.

[Enak]

Couldn't you wall mount some TFTs?

[The PIT]

Then I would have to move the entire room around and take a radiator out so I wouldn't get painful neck and a overheated tft.

[Guru]

Yes I think it is but not with 3 separate monitors but with 1!

[Chrono_Wanderer]

@Guru: too true. 3 monitors in one... a thing that is holding parhelia back is probably the borders across the monitors

[Enak]

Originally posted by Guru
Yes I think it is but not with 3 separate monitors but with 1!

I got a quote for a monitor with 3 TFT's built into it... about €25 000!

Originally posted by The PIT
Then I would have to move the entire room around and take a radiator out so I wouldn't get painful neck and a overheated tft.

Couldn't you just put the TFT's where your current monitor is? Why would you get a painful neck and overheated TFT's?

[Kruzin]

Moved to the Matrox Gaming forum.

[redgreenbluex3]

i brought a P for one reason only and that was surround gaming
i have 3x 19 inch flat crts to apreachiated it
and have voted YESS
the fact is they take more desktop than Lcd but are an afordable altrenative cost me $1600 aus about $700 US

[Eon]

Re: Is the future surround gaming?

Originally posted by Enak
Many people have missed the point with the Parhelia... Surround gaming is the way forward and just like many important features in todays games, Matrox has brought this to the mass'!

Unfortunately for companies, their clients don’t “miss the point” – as they are always right - but their marketing departments sometimes do.

While not everyone can afford to use the Parhelia to it's full potential some can... the experience is unique and I am sure that anyone who has experienced surround gaming will agree that 5-10 years from now you would be very suprised to find any serious gamer without it!

”surround gaming” or multiple screens gaming schemes in general (because it as been tried before) is a nice novelty but always tanked in the past because the vast majority of people usually can’t afford having multi monitors (whatever the technology), and/or have the physical space for them or don’t want to put up with whatever tradeoff comes with it.

Even though that yes it is cool when done “correctly” like no bezels between screens, powerful and problem-free graphics subsystems, perfect compatibility in games (ie. your status console or text doesn’t become tiny and/or quash as to become tiring), multiple-screen gaming will probably be a cool but novelty feature reserved for rich kids even in 5 years. Thus a restricted market, which means lack of R&D funds since the ROI will be very risky.

The Parhelia problem is that for most people when they factor its rather high price point combined with a surround gaming mode they probably will never use, its limited texture filtering capabilities, lack of raw performance, imperfect FAA-16x mechanism/algorithm, 3D banding…well they end up sticking with whatever they have and/or a getting another product.

At $200~$250 with its major sins fixed - 3D banding, competitive texture filtering capabilities and corrected FAA-16x algorithm – the Parhelia would be a way more popular product.

[redgreenbluex3]

Originally posted by Chrono_Wanderer
@Guru: too true. 3 monitors in one... a thing that is holding parhelia back is probably the borders across the monitors

have you actually try it
cause if you have you'd relise that it the boarders are not notaciable at all scince surround game is so imersive
the sorta just disapear (no really)

[borat]

yep its true the borders really do go unoticed in game play. i love surround gaming and hate playing ut2003 without it now. i think it will only be mass market when lcds are cheap enough for everybody though.

[redgreenbluex3]

Originally posted by borat
yep its true the borders really do go unoticed in game play. i love surround gaming and hate playing ut2003 without it now. i think it will only be mass market when lcds are cheap enough for everybody though.

A man of obvious inteligence

[3dfx]

I think it is a very noble idea that works if perhaps a little expensive for most gamers Though I see a good future for it tbh