News Hands-On: Acer’s Predator Helios 300 3D Display Is a Neat Party Trick Until It Isn’t

[Admin]

We went hands-on with the Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition to get a preview of how the laptop will play games in 3D without any glasses.

Hands-On: Acer’s Predator Helios 300 3D Display Is a Neat Party Trick Until It Isn’t : Read more

 

[gg83]

Hey, great article! I really enjoy the authors writing style.

 

[hotaru.hino]

I was probably one of the few people who enjoyed the 3DS's gimmick, but I'll agree that stereoscopic 3D is more or less a gimmick because it breaks down the moment you try to move your head from the ideal view point. It breaks the illusion you're "looking into a window" as they probably sell it off to you.

Head tracking on the other hand...

 

[w_barath]

If they shifted the stereoscopic lens left to right with the position of your head, which is easily doable with just a webcam and a pair of fine-pitch linear actuators, then this would be a worthwhile purchase.

Without that, it's a $3500USD Crackerjack prize with guaranteed eye/neck strain.

It's also not for anyone who finds 3D in theatres annoying, for a variety of reasons.

Personally I find the theatres dial up the parallax to make the 3D effect "pop", but that makes everything feel closer and smaller than it is. It makes a bear charging you feel more like a menacing Chihuahua. So I'm glad they let you dial down the parallax in the app.

P.S. Seeing double when looking at stereograms can indicate a lazy eye or a sub-optimal near-vision prescription. Talk to your ophthalmologist.

 

[InvalidError]

Glasses-free 3D is nice, though remaining in the sweet spot for the thing to work properly can be somewhat of a chore. With the 3DS, that sweet spot is something like 1" in diameter, you really need to master maintaining nearly perfect alignment and distance for the 3D effect to be any fun.

 

[cryoburner]

Glasses-free 3D is nice, though remaining in the sweet spot for the thing to work properly can be somewhat of a chore. With the 3DS, that sweet spot is something like 1" in diameter, you really need to master maintaining nearly perfect alignment and distance for the 3D effect to be any fun.

Of course, one advantage of the 3DS is that you're holding the screen, making it easier to keep it positioned correctly. Though you have to keep the screen positioned a bit farther away than would be ideal for such a small display.

In the case of this laptop though, you have to make sure you sit stationary in the perfect position without moving around to keep the 3D active, which seems even less comfortable. I can't help but think that playing these games in a VR headset on a projected virtual screen would produce a better effect, and probably cost a lot less.

 

[InvalidError]

Of course, one advantage of the 3DS is that you're holding the screen, making it easier to keep it positioned correctly.

Not sure I would call it an advantage: maintaining the right relative position between your eyes and the screen within about 1" while holding the thing gets pretty tiring over 10-20 minutes and can promote some quite unergonomic positions. I was quite sore by the time I finished A Link Between Worlds in 3D-mode in ~1h increments.