Virtual Boy emulation and TV with Active Shutter 3D glasses

Pyjamarama

Hi all,

I was wondering whether there is a configuration to display Virtual Boy games to a 3D TV and get the effect with the provided active 3D glasses (it is a Samsung TV).

Also how do we configure which type of simple cheap 2-colour 3D cardboard glasses to use? I think I have magenta green and not the usual red/cyan.

Thank you

mediamogul

@Pyjamarama

The various anaglyph 3D options are the only form of 3d supported. It can be set by invoking the RetroArch menu while in a game by pressing 'select+x'. From there, navigate to 'Quick Menu' and then 'Options'.

Edit: I figure you know where the core options are, but for anyone new who happens along, the extra info won't hurt.

edmaul69

@mediamogul i wish i could do 3d. Unfortunately i have something called alternating strabismus. Visually it appears like having a lazy eye. But i can control which eye is dominate and which one is suppressed. Unlike most people with it i have had it my whole life. One of the down sides is i dont have stereoscopic vision. Upside, i can accurately aim two guns two different directions. :/ and i dont have to close one eye for something, like if i am looking through a scope since i can also look through two of them. The only time i saw something in 3d was pacquio/mayweather fight because my friends had it on two tv's that were angled from each other so my lazy eye was looking straight at a tv as well. It hurt to watch it. I had to close one eye because my brain didnt know how to process it. Anyways enough ranting. I would like to get some glasses and have it working for my friends.

mediamogul

@edmaul69

My brother has reduced vision in one eye that can't be corrected and he can't see 3D either.

I would like to get some glasses and have it working for my friends.

For most games it works pretty well. 'Virtual Boy Wario Land' is arguably the best game on the platform and the 3D works very well there.

edmaul69

@mediamogul since i dont have my pi's here yet i cant see what options there are but i assume red cyan is the best glasses option?

mediamogul

@edmaul69

While I haven't personally tested it here, the green/magenta glasses usually perform best for anaglyph in these situations. It's actually what the the Playstation 3 chose to use for it's 3D support outside of active and passive 3D televisions. I have a pair around here somewhere that I bought for my 'Three Stooges' collection that contains a very rare 3D print of one of their shorts. I'll see if I can't find them and compare it to my red/cyan glasses for this.

LS650

I have my emulator set to red-cyan. I find it works reasonably well, though after about 20 minutes I find it starts to bother my eyes and give me a bit of a headache.

It's odd, because getting eyestrain and headaches is one of the criticisms of the actual Virtual Boy's red LCD display, and yet I can play one of the real machines for hours without any issues.

mediamogul

@LS650

though after about 20 minutes I find it starts to bother my eyes and give me a bit of a headache.

This has been an issue with anaglyph 3D for over 150 years. The more recent color options have been better researched and are meant to alleviate eye strain, as well as increase the the overall 3D illusion. How well any of the color separation methods work is still highly subjective to the individual viewer, as none of them will ever be a perfect means of displaying three-dimensional images.

mediamogul

I just ran through the first level of 'Virtual Boy Wario Land' using red/blue, red/cyan, red/green and green/magenta glasses and I couldn't personally tell a difference in the quality of the 3D effect. However, it seemed to me that the one that should be avoided the most would be red/green as it renders everything in in yellow tones and after extended play sessions, that will likely disrupt the ability to perceive color in the real world for a good ten minutes to half an hour afterwards in a big way.