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There is a huge gulf between the dreamy notion of glasses-free 3D – further visible depth with none clunky eye-wear! – and the truth: fuzzy imagery, buggy execution, and complications. Oh, the complications. So it goes with Acer’s Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Version, outfitted with the corporate’s glasses-free 3D display. It is meant to unlock a completely new dimension of gameplay in titles like God of Warfare and Forza Horizon 5 – and it does, to a level. But it surely’s additionally obscenely costly, beginning at $3,499, and its 3D performance is not price shedding the upper refresh charges and higher high quality screens you discover on most different gaming laptops.
Gallery: Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Version | 6 Pictures
Gallery: Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Version | 6 Pictures
Once I’ve demoed glasses-free 3D prior to now, it is all the time appeared like a doubtlessly helpful function for deep-pocketed professionals, individuals who might need to try their 3D fashions with out slapping on a VR headset. That might very properly be true, however the Helios 300 SpatialLabs Version satisfied me that it serves virtually no function within the gaming world, the place gamers are sometimes aiming to inject as many frames of their eyeballs as doable.
Professionals
- Distinctive glasses-free 3D display works properly for some video games
- Highly effective {hardware}
- Loads of ports
Cons
- Too costly in comparison with 2D gaming laptops
- Low refresh charge ofr gaming
- Small library of 3D video games
- No assist for on-line shooters
- Common keyboard and trackpad
That is simply not doable with this laptop, because it’s restricted to a 15.6-inch 4K panel (which scales right down to 1080p per eye in 3D mode) working at 60Hz. So at finest, this gaming laptop computer is restricted to 60fps at a time when even funds machines can ship sufficient energy to fill 120Hz and 144Hz screens. The tradeoff for glasses-free 3D, finally, is responsiveness whereas gaming. The upper the refresh charge, the extra silky easy a sport can seem. And in the case of fast-paced shooters, it may make all of the distinction between a clutch headshot and digital oblivion.
Now if Acer’s 3D expertise was really groundbreaking, maybe that would not matter a lot. However whereas it may well look good, it is a mere curiosity. Acer’s TrueGame app helps you to play a choose handful of video games in two completely different modes: 3D+, which shifts depth buffer pixels to ship a imprecise depth impact, and 3D Extremely, which makes use of a digital second digital camera to create a much more immersive sense of area. Eye monitoring sensors above the display assist to direct two completely different units of photographs to your eyes, a way that is typical for glasses-free 3D shows, however that additionally means just one individual can truly use the 3D function. As for sport assist, there are solely 9 video games utilizing 3D Extremely in the meanwhile, together with God of Warfare, Psychonauts 2 and A Plague Story: Innocence. Acer says around 65 titles, largely older video games, work with 3D+.
Aggressive on-line shooters aren’t supported in any respect – Acer claims their anti-cheat software program prevents its 3D expertise from being utilized. That is a disgrace for those who have been hoping a little bit of depth would make your Warzone or Apex Legends matches extra rewarding. Actually, you would not need to play these in 3D both, because the expertise usually makes video games look much less sharp. You possibly can blame the marginally decrease decision for that, in addition to the inherent haziness from having your eyes modify to a 3D display on the fly.
PCMark 10 |
3DMark (TimeSpy Excessive) |
Geekbench 5 |
Cinebench R23 |
|
Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Version (2022, Intel i9-12900H, NVIDIA RTX 3080) |
7,441 |
5 ,996 |
1,800/13,098 |
1,896/16,272 |
Acer Predator Triton 500 SE (2022, Intel i9-12900H, NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti) |
6,779 |
4,887 |
1,736/11,382 |
1,774/17,329 |
Razer Blade 15 (2022, Intel i7-12800H, NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti) |
7,085 |
4,798 |
1,795/9,529 |
1661/10,464 |
ASUS Zephyrus G14 (2022, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Radeon RX 6800S) |
7,170 |
3,821 |
1,543/9,839 |
1,521/12,212 |
Enjoying Forza Horizon 5 in 3D+ was virtually like taking a look at a Magic Eye puzzle – I needed to be in simply the precise spot to detect any depth. And if my eyes shifted a bit, I’d generally lose the impact fully. God of Warfare fared higher in 3D Extremely Mode, with a convincing sense of immersion much like what you’d count on from a 3D movie. Throwing Kratos’s axe had the uncanny impact of going past the display in my workplace, and at instances the Helios 300 SL felt like a portal into one other world.
Nonetheless, enjoying God of Warfare in 3D virtually immediately made my eyes drained. 3D Extremely depends in your mind always making sense of two completely different digital camera views. I generally felt movement sick whereas I used to be strolling across the sport, particularly if I glanced over to my unmoving, clutter-filled desk. It was virtually like enjoying the sport in VR, sans the cumbersome headset. I discovered myself resting my eyes each half-hour or so, similar to I do with VR headsets.
You may, in fact, play any PC title in 2D on the Helios 300 SL, however why would you purchase a $3,500 glass-free 3D laptop computer for that? Our overview unit was outfitted with an RTX 3080 and Intel Core i9-12900H CPU (an up to date mannequin with a 40-series GPU is coming in a number of months). It was definitely beefy sufficient for any sport I threw at it, particularly because the show is restricted to 60Hz. However enjoying Halo Infinite or Overwatch 2 simply did not really feel practically as easy because it did on the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE I reviewed final 12 months. That $2,300 machine featured a stunning 240Hz 1,440p display, which helped me line up sniper pictures with ease.