Widescreen Gaming Forum

THE MATROX – WIDESCREEN EVOLUTION

1. THE MATROX – WIDESCREEN EVOLUTION
2. Graphics eXpansion Module TripleHead2Go
3. Test Flight of MATROX TripleHead2Go
4. Microsoft Flight Simulator & TripleHead2Go
5. GAME OVER… GAME

The first thing that should be taken into account when analyzing the method of promoting of the TripleHead2Go video controller by MATROX, is that having decided to take a multimonitor section in the market of PC as an experienced fighter (and it is an experienced fighter in fact) the MATROX company did not make an attack to get in front attempting to catch up and leave behind ATI and nVIDIA in the field of 3D efficiency. Instead of it MATROX has elegantly bypassed videomarket leaders jolted by elbows, at that having used their own resources.
In fact they offer to the customer a decision permitting to use power of videocard already available for him.
Therefore MATROX has appeared in an absolutely non-risk position.

MATROX implementing three-monitor picture system gets all praises and all rebukes are addressed to the producers of videocards and that is naturally already happening.
Users of ATI videocards do their best to torment this company for "low" (only 2400 х600 ) resolution.
It is possible to guess only about how now ATI and nVIDIA bite their elbows because of confusion that they were not the first one who offered the multimonitor decision superjacent on a surface for users of PC in the market. Especially I would like to condole with which though has decided its financial problems by means of successfully being sold to AMD but, alas, nVIDIA looks better once again.

What are virtues of MATROX TripleHead2Go video controller?
The first and most important virtue is relevant to the shape of human’s vision field, a broad picture-size with support of high-resolution capability 3840 х1024.
Let's do following calculation - 3840 х 1024 = 3.932.160, while resolution on wide-form 16:9 Pure Vision Plasma TV 50-inch ($3240) - 1280 х 768 = 983.040.
Feel the difference between 3.932.160 and 983.040.
Certainly you can quite reasonably object saying that using TripleHead2Go it is impossible to watch a film, but it is not about watching films.
The MATROX TripleHead2Go is a broad format for computer games and besides you will not watch a plasma panel from the distance of 1 meter.
I advise to remember that even using a plasma panel of the last generation the GAME mode is restricted by 2 hours of operation.

The next serious advantage of TripleHead2Go is a rather solid list of supported games.
This is the main argument in the field of promoting in the market and the characteristic instance of it is victory of SimulEyes stereo glasses of StereoGraphics over 3D Max stereo glasses of Kasan Electronics Co in 1995.
In spite of the greater size of a lock and higher characteristics (100 Hz against 60 Hz) the user has selected for the benefit of SimulEyes only because of that the stereo glasses of StereoGraphics had 5 (on those days it was much) computer games in a set with built-in support of 3D stereo images. While 3D Max was not supported by game developers.
With an analogous situation, when the accelerator 3DFX of the same-named company subsequently purchased by nVIDIA came in the market, MATROX already confronted - and then … has lost.
To the moment of occurrence in the market the 3DFX 3D accelerator has been supported approximately in one hundred and fifty games.
That guaranteed its success.

Now working on promoting of TripleHead2Go intended for common user, remembering 3DFX the MATROX Company made necessary conclusions and as a result today TripleHead2Go is only officially supported by 162 computer games.
Though de facto as I have already mentioned their number is much greater. And to become convinced in that fact it is enough "come through" relevant forums.

Price of the PRODUCT.
It is a little bit difficult to solve this problem at once owing to the circumstances that in the market there are no analogous decisions from other developers.
Successfully having taken an empty market section of multimonitor decisions for the game community, at selecting broad "format" for PC MATROX has become №1 for PC users.
Consequently a customer is primely deprived not only to select but also to compare.
Nevertheless we shall try to look for escaping of this situation.

.... to read whole review please use the next link - .... THE MATROX – WIDESCREEN EVOLUTION

two words please format.

I can't even read that...

_________________
I still visit occasionally.

Yeah ... Vladimir ... as I said in the PM you need some paragraphs etc. to break it up a bit as it is very difficult to read the way it is at the moment.

Look here:
http://really.ru/eng/kb.php?mode=article&k=18

Yes ... that is the review he linked to in his post ...

Was not COmbat Flight SIm 3 limited to 1920x480 due DX restrictions?

Was not COmbat Flight SIm 3 limited to 1920x480 due DX restrictions?

No any resolution restriction to set 3840x1024. You can look for screenshot of Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3 – Battle for Europe here - http://really.ru/album_cat.php?cat_id=153

Was not COmbat Flight SIm 3 limited to 1920x480 due DX restrictions?

I believe CFS3 is a DX8 game. The 2048 limit only applies to DX7 and below.

Before buying my TH2G I read every review I could get my hands on. Mainly because it was a huge investment in money.

But what I want to know, is why none, of the reviews I found mention two factors that where rather important to me before buying?

#1 What happens when you play a 4:3 resolution game on the TH2G?
My fear was that it would automatically try to stretch the resolution across all three, and no one addressed the answer.
I am happy to say though, that if you play a 4:3 game, the side monitors turn off and the center operates normally.

#2 what happens when you maximize a window?
Once again, this has to do with the computer seeing these three monitors as one, and the annoyance of having to move/resize a window vs. the conveniace of just hitting the maximize button.
The answer to this one as well, is that Matrox was way ahead of me. The software included with the TH2G has a program that overrides the maximize function on all windows and will only maximize to the moinitor the window is in (by default).

I just thought that would be a couple of pieces of information for anyone that may be interested in buying the TH2G.

Before buying my TH2G I read every review I could get my hands on. Mainly because it was a huge investment in money.

But what I want to know, is why none, of the reviews I found mention two factors that where rather important to me before buying?

#1 What happens when you play a 4:3 resolution game on the TH2G?

I guess you didn't read the SimHQ review, then, because it answers that question on the second page: "If [single-screen resolutions] are selected as a Windows desktop resolution or are used by a full-screen application, they will display only on the center screen."