Nvidia drops 3D Vision support in GeForce Game Ready Drivers
Nvidia revealed in March 2019 that future GeForce Game Ready drivers will drop support for 3D Vision, a technology that enables stereoscopic vision for Direct3D video games.
Nvidia plans to release the last version of the GeForce Game Reader driver 418 in April 2019. Release 418 drivers will be the last release to support 3D Vision. Future drivers, release 419 and newer, won't release the technology and software anymore.
The company will support release 418 until April 2020 but only to address critical driver issues according to a new support page on the official Nvidia support website.
Nvidia plans to include the 3D gaming software 3DTV Play with the driver release and to remove the standalone download of 3DTV from its website following the release. 3DTV is used for 3D gaming on 3D capable TVs. The previously commercial software will be offered for free with the release of driver 418 in Apirl 2019.  The 3D Vision Video Player software remains available as a standalone download throughout 2019.
Nvidia customers who use 3D Vision should stay on Release 418 to use the technology until 2020.
Support will be dropped completely in April 2020 by Nvidia. While it is still possible to stay on the then-outdated and unsupported driver to continue using 3D Vision, it is not recommended to do so because of the lack of support.
Nvidia did not mention why it decided to end support for 3D Vision. The most likely explanation is that 3D never caught on in home entertainment let alone in gaming, and that demand likely dropped even further with the release of the first Virtual Reality headsets. While VR technology is facing an uphill battle to win over gamers and consumers in general as well, it has better chances than 3D technology especially since it is possible to use the technology to watch movies in 3D.
Gamers who use the default installation profile when they install Nvidia drivers will notice that 3D Vision won't be installed anymore once releases reach version 419. Less bloat for users who use the default installation profile.
Experienced users customize Nvidia driver installations or use third-party software like NVSlimmer to block any component that they don't require from installing on their devices to remove Nvidia Telemetry and other components that may start with Windows or run in the background.
I love 3D! got a 3D vision monitor just for 3D movies and games. I import all my 3D blu rays from EU just to have terminator 2 3D!!! I am NOT going back to 2D gaming or movies! I will never buy a 2D Monitor. I hate VR……I own Nvidia just for 3D!!!!…..
First Nvidia makes all drivers buggy, then they raise prices to
insane levels and now they drop 3D vision when AMD adds 3D support!????
looks like AMD is getting my business now…
Nvidia is going backwards. They are sadly not able to cut it anymore.
AMD 3D all the way. The FUTURE IS 3D, NOT VR!!!
It would suck to have to play Alien Isolation and Witcher 3 in shitty 2D…Trading 3D for hardware raytracing support is stupid. Cryengine can raytrace on ALL hardware and in 3D!!! Bring back 3D!!!!
At this time, May 2020, i am just seeing this. I think it sucks. People paid real hard earned cash for this product. and while we are few, we still use and enjoy it highly. Those that don’t use it are likely to be happy they don’t have to unchecked a box…..please. It’s like Microsoft dropping Kinect…..some people like it, kids love it. Such a shame companies make products and then drop support 100%. At least keep a small team available for support to those that do have such items and use it. So NOW i have a perfect set of unusable 3d game glasses. A pair I cant even sale to regain some of my wasted money.
I do almost cry when I see this news, all of my friends look like they find the heaven when I show them how their game look in my 3D vision moniteur!! I play only game that on the http://helixmod.blogspot.com/ games fixed list!
Nvidia sucks for doing this, our computer shop will no longer recommend their overpriced cards due to lack of competition. 3D gaming is awesome and now you decide us Nvidia users cant watch it anymore, scumbag company.
I played game with 55″ 3D screen just once, it was totally amazing. Didn’t like glasses thou. I think need of glasses killed 3D.
This is a MAJOR setback.
For those complaining about bloat… how small ARE your hard-drives? But I do agree with options, and NVIDIA should have provided an easy method to not disable unwanted modules.
The setback is that 3d Vision is not used only for gaming. I work in mapping, and our Photogrammetry Department makes heavy use of the 3d Vision its for precision mapping from stereo photography. For stability, we typically try NOT to update our NVIDIA drivers anyway… but I see a day coming when Windows10 itself will require an NVIDA update and force it upon us – and our stereo capability will turn off like a switch.
3d vision was a great tool that significantly lowered the cost of Stereo for the industry. AMD never did anything similar – so NVIDIA got all our business. VR is not an option for us currently in this field… some photogrammetry software developers started looking into it, but the resolution per eye was too low… its a big step back in its current form, and will take time to develop.
Our best option is likely stereo-mirror devices. They are high quality stereo, but do require some expensive equipment and a more complex setup.
Yeah I spent a ton of money of 3D and buy many BluRay 3D movies which I absolutely love watching on my 3d Vision monitor. I’m pissed. No more extra gadgets bought from them ever again since at their whim they can nullify a major investment on my part.
Anyone know where to download this last 418 driver with the included 3D gaming software 3DTV Play? I too just got a system to power my 3D projector, was looking forward to some sweet 3D gaming, but what’s this? No 3D driver support whatsoever now? NOOOOO! Was one of my reasons for going Nvidia! Damn.
f**k you nvidia why drop people who supported you and invested in monitors 3d glasses etc……
I agree with Constantin also. I had high hopes for VR, but 3d Vision was better looking and more widely compatible.
I agree with Constantin J,. I don’t even buy a game anymore unless it can be run in 3d. Bad decision nVidia.
Absolutely disgusting for Nvidia to drop support for such en expensive addition to a gaming rig. I hope the lack of confidence in support for future products bites them in the butt later. Stereoscopic 3D is a massive win for them. Apart from the sale of the equipment, you pretty well need SLI to get any decent frame rate out of it, meaning they also double up on GPU sales.
Thank goodness for Helixmod, hopefully they can come up with a full driver. They’ve done amazing work so far.
Everyone is going derp VR! but it’s more equipment to buy and you dont always want your spatial awareness confined to that little box… I often have a 3d game on one screen and a movie or show on the second monitor. You can’t do that in VR, or keep an eye out of the corner of your eye on kids etc. It’s just sad we don’t get both options because my preference was very much for the multi tasking 3d vision allowed. Sheesh what a waste of cash this makes a very expensive rig and monitor.
As for the “zomg I haz to untick checkbox!” crew well they could have been satisfied with a checkbox unticked by default and with 3d vision users having to tick it instead of them having to uncheck it.
Faith in Nvidia has been cratered here. I will not be fooled into another expensive add-on from them.
Terrible decision for those who bought in and half way through a 3D game! It looks amazing especially in surround vision. Very beautiful and adds extra depth to game play for single player games. No use for multiplayer mind, as laggy, but single player games are divine and worth playing with glasses, especially Tomb Raider and Metro games.
Are you fucking kidding me? I bought a capable monitor just yesterday and i held onto the 3d vision kit for over a year now. And now i can’t fucking use it anymore?
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/mortal-kombat-11-game-ready-driver/
Constantin J. You almost made me cry.
I am really sad too and can not believe we are heading towards 8K and still stereoscopy isn’t a given. It’s as if in the ’50 we developed the technology for UHD B&W movies before developing colour in films. It’s insane if you ask me. I too can no longer really enjoy any 2D game, it’s like living your life with one eye closed (non offence to people with one eye).
Why am I sad/dazed because of NVidia’s decision to stop the support for 3D Vision
If you have had the chance to see how any game looks in real 3D, I’m pretty sure you will find really difficult… no, impossible to go back to playing in flat 2D (not even if that 2D is 4K, 8K or even 180K).
I bought my first gaming 3D device sometime around 2000.
I remember the glasses looking very bulky. It didn’t matter.
It was a revelation!
For the first time, I was able to understand how lucky we are to have two eyes. With the help of the new 3D technology, I was inside the virtual worlds created by the game developers. I wasn’t anymore just looking at some moving flat images.
As games evolved and became nicer and nicer, the stereoscopic 3D made more and more sense. Volumetric fog, rain, snow, lights, shadows, transparency, all became worthy of being introduced in the games.
I bought my first Play Station 3 only because I was keen to play Avatar in 3D…
As for the VR, I pre-ordered my Oculus Rift when the commercial version was first available. Yes, it was cool in the beginning. But, the inferior resolution, the bulkiness of the heavily wired headset and the lack of full experiences made me use it less and less.
In its current state, the VR can’t yet beat the 3D Vision experience.
The enjoyment of playing games like the Witcher 2 and 3, Madmax, Fallout, Skyrim, Tomb Raider etc, etc, on a big screen 3D tv (together with a friend/friends, partner/wife) cannot be currently surpassed.
For this, I’m grateful to NVidia for making this possible.
I’m even more grateful to the guys at Helix Mod:http://helixmod.blogspot.com/
During many years, they have passionately used their own time and energy to keep the 3D alive. All this for free!
Dear NVidia,
Please, please don’t kill your most gorgeous child!
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1102231/geforce-drivers/nvidia-please-don-t-kill-3d-vision-/
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1101775/3d-vision/future-of-3d-vision-support-official-announcement-from-nvidia-/
3D is and will always be the future. The people who think otherwise have never gamed on a giant 3D projector or are stereoblind
I totally agree. I have been using 3D glasses since the early 90’s. About the only thing I do is racing and after all these years, I can’t even race in 2D. How many times have you watched a sporting event on TV, seen a ball come towards you, and it isn’t until it hits the ground that you realize it was really going away from you. That’s 2D at its worst and what driving in 2D is like. It is SO much more realistic in 3D when heading into a corner. And then there’s the dashboard with gauges, toggle switches and steering when literally sticking out at you.
I have Oculus Rift but the low resolution and not being able to see the keyboard make it almost impossible to race with.
I don’t even want to think about how many nVidia cards I have bought in the past, usually two of each for SLI, three expensive 3D screens and now it’s all useless. I guess I’ll have to stick to the old driver until it won’t work at all then then throw everything in the trash.
Very upset!
Well said !!!
Will the drivers really slim down in size? It takes half a gig to update the drivers these days!
“Experienced users customize Nvidia driver installations or use third-party software like NVSlimmer to block any component that they don’t require from installing on their devices to remove Nvidia Telemetry and other components that may start with Windows or run in the background.”
Nvidia is a very shitty company for never themselves providing a simple, silent means to update the drivers. They can easily do it but choose not to.
Sweet, one less box to un-tick every time I update the drivers. As far as the disabling telemetry app: every time I did that it broke Geforce Experience somehow, and it was a huge rigamarole to re-enable it and get the latest drivers.
Also, when done installing the latest drivers and rebooting, you can use Dism++ to remove the installer packages and old Nvidia drivers from your system, freeing a good chunk of your system SSD for other things. And it doesn’t break anything (but be very careful with Dism++ and don’t mess with the WinSxS option…
I found how to disable it.
When you download the driver, it’s usually one .exe that installs all kind of garbage, like GeForce experience. So I figured if I change .exe to .7z, I can extract only the installer for the driver.
But there is usually a folder called “nvTelemetry”. I tried deleting it, but that resulted in the installer giving me an error that it’s broken.
So I created a blank folder called “nvTelemetry” with nothing inside just to sit there and trick the installer to think that the integrity of everything is intact.
And it works – I delete the telemetry and install the driver and when I search the computer with Everything for “nvtelemetry” there are no results.
FINALLY! I’ve been sick of always unchecking those when installing new drivers…totally useless for us stereoblind people.