Determined to keep their impressive software breakthrough resume up to date, Metabyte has developed a technique that allows them to use a Glide and OpenGL "wrapper" to effectively translate almost any current popular game into one that can be used with the LCD glasses of independent company H3D. This is important for a few reasons, the most important one of which is true compatibility, right now. There's no need to wait for upcoming software developer support, or a fancy version of DirectX6 as with some new hardware developments. Thanks to the wrapper that Metabyte's people have created, a full 3D universe can be explored, deathmatched, and driven through, today.

After a session or two with the system, we have this to offer as far as a testimonial to the 3D prowess of the kit: The long castle hallways in Unreal seem more eerie than ever before. The onrush of a small aerial bridge that requires perfect driving technique to navigate never seemed so life threatening. The size of the final boss in Quake 2 never seemed so impressive in bulk, or nearly as scary as the first time you saw him.

These are all things that players will realize the very first time they sit down and use the H3D/Wicked3D combo set from Metabyte. Priced at either $299 (for the H3D glasses and a single Wicked3D Voodoo2) or at $499 (for a dreamy combo of the H3D glasses and two Wicked Voodoo2 boards for SLIing) the 3D-empowering that is delivered is everything it was rumored and written to be.

It starts when you open the kit up and see two boxes, the first carrying a self-logoed "H3D Transmitter" emblazoned on it, while the smaller second box lists "H3D Eyewear" as the definition of its contents.

Taking the components out reveals a very light, cordless black pair of sunglasses that have two small tinted windows where the user's eyes peer out from. The "Transmitter" is a typical infrared device, which when plugged in to PC owner's Wicked3D's VGA out port, will act as both a pass through device for the monitor's signal, and a link to the glasses for perfect 3D synchronization. The transmitter itself actually sits on top of the monitor, or within a direct line of sight to the glasses that the player will wear, in order to keep the signal from being blocked or impaired in some way.

The whole installation is simple, taking approximately ten minutes to complete from start to finish (including the installation of the Wicked3D card in the user's PC).

Once fired up, Win95/98 will detect the Wicked3D card or cards depending on which kit you bought, and will attempt to locate the appropriate drivers for them. The drivers that the cards need to operate properly are included with them or are available on the Metabyte website for download. Named "Re2Flex" for their ability to manipulate the in-game screen resolution to non-3Dfx standards (which we'll get to in a minute), these drivers are essential for H3D to work, and will not work on any other brand of Voodoo2 card.