The combination of 3D Lightboost technology and the new 3D Vision 2 glasses allowed me to have some of the most incredible 3D experiences of my life. If you think that 3D is only as good as what you see in the movie theatres, then you are mistaken. My first 3D experience on the VG278H was with Batman: Arkham City and I was hooked. The depth of detail of the environments was spectacular in even the darkest of alleys with almost no ghosting. Since Batman, I have found many delightful 3D experiences in all genres of games including Battlefield 3, Burnout Paradise City, Skyrim, and my personal favorite Trine 2.
Ignorance is bliss. My entire gaming life up until 6 years ago, every game looked amazing. That is until a friend pointed out Screen Tearing to me. If you have never noticed Screen Tearing then don’t look for it because as soon as I was made aware of the hideous lines that rip across the screen when the frame rate is off kilter, I saw them everywhere. You can enable V-sync to try to lock your frame rate at 60 and minimize this problem, but even with that I still found tears that bugged me.
This monitor comes with a refresh rate of 120 hertz that many people will see as a gimmick, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. At 120Hz, Screen Tearing became a thing of the past. Every image appeared so flawlessly on the screen and many times I didn’t have to enable V-sync to get these results.
Another feature that I must share with you is the Splendid function. On the display there is a button that when pushed will cycle through 5 different modes. What happens is that the monitor analyzes what is on your screen and adjusts the settings for optimal picture quality based on the task at hand. Other monitors have preset modes that simply adjust the contrast and brightness rations, but the Splendid button does so much more. With one simple click you can go from viewing scenery with brilliantly saturated blue skies to a vividly colored mode that enhances your movies. With one click you can go from looking at boring and dull spread sheets to a terrifying horror FPS that allows visibility in the darkest rooms without taking away from the depth of dark colors.
Now through your PC you must use the Dual-link DVI cable provided. You cannot use an HDMI cable with you PC and get 3D functionality. However, if you have a Playstation 3 and wish to try it out, the HDMI will work. I am not exactly sure why you can have 3D through HDMI on a Playstation but not on a PC. We didn’t test 3D with a Playstation for 2 reasons:
1) Because we don’t have a Playstation 3 in our satellite office.
2) Because even though I could have taken it to my neighbors house to test it, I was lost in the 3D fantasy world of Skyrim.
Verdict
I have used many monitors during my life and I can say with complete confidence that I would gladly choose the VG278H over any of them. After seeing what 3D can look like on this monitor, I have resolved to never see another 3D movie in theatres for the simple fact that it can’t compare with what I will experience at home. Even when not playing in 
3D, this Asus monitor has some of the brightest, sharpest, cleanest visuals on the market today. The price tag may seem a little steep, but when you consider that the 3D Vision 2 kit retails for $150, then the cost of the monitor doesn’t seem so overpriced. Rather, you pay a little more money for an immensely better picture quality. I would recommend that every gamer have one of their own, but at the very least, try this monitor out for themselves so that they can have the ultimate 3D experience available in the digital world.
Now if you will excuse me, I am going to quit typing and return to my 3D fantasy world!
This review is based on a retail version of the Asus VG278H supplied by Nvidia for review purposes.
