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After visiting Asus's office, I immediately went home and played Super Mario 3D World before looking for my Nintendo 3DS XL. After using the new ProArt Studiobook 16, a notebook that lets you see the content in three dimensions without the need for special glasses, for a brief period of time, I couldn't tell you how badly I wanted to play a game in three dimensions. I've always been fascinated by 3D technology, but my hands-on experience with the Asus 3D laptop showed it to be more convincing and realistic, giving me hope that the world is finally ready to embrace it.
Asus has provided me with the following early takeaways from the return of 3D technology:
To be honest, when I walked into the Asus office, I was not particularly thrilled to see a laptop with 3D technology. Over the years, I've seen 3D on televisions at various tech shows. However, as time went on, third-dimension technology's popularity began to wane, and the format became impractical to the point where manufacturers completely abandoned it. Now, the only way to experience this technology is to watch a movie in 3D in a theater, but doing so necessitates wearing passive glasses, which I find uncomfortable.
However, even though I only used the Asus 3D laptop for a short period of time and in a controlled environment, I was beyond satisfied. When I first watched a clip from James Cameron's Avatar on the ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED, the images expanded into three dimensions, giving the impression of an imaginary and magical experience without the need for glasses. In 3D space, images appear to be either suspended in the air or standing on a nearby desk. Although it's difficult to put into words, I can tell you that the characters and objects that were shown on the screen give the impression of being real. I was completely taken away from my current reality and transported to Cameron's world for a brief moment.
The notebook's eye-tracking technology and 3D OLED panel made this possible, allowing users to view content in the third dimension without having to wear bulky glasses. This technology is known as "Spatial Vision" by Asus. A lenticular lens and cutting-edge eye-tracking camera technology are used to create the glasses-free 3D effect. Just above the screen, there are two cameras, one for each eye. The display then creates interlaced images for each eye to fool your brain into thinking the images are three-dimensional.
I can inform you of this: Technology for 3D without glasses is not a gimmick. It works and is real. However, this does not mean that Asus' Spatial Vision technology is flawless. I noticed some issues with the ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED's eye-tracking during my limited time with it. The camera took some time to locate my eyes because the screen of the notebook was slightly distorted. I was informed by an Asus representative who flew down from Singapore to demonstrate the device that a user must be within a certain distance of the laptop, roughly 45 degrees away from the display's center, for eye-tracking to function properly. However, once calibrated, the tracking performed surprisingly well, and even when I tilted my head in various directions, the image remained sharp enough without lag or headache-inducing blurriness. Due to the 120Hz refresh rate of the screen, I believe the visuals were also smooth. The laptop can be quickly and easily switched back to 3D and 2D at any time.
During hands-on sessions and early demos, a number of brands have boasted about their cutting-edge technologies. In the case of the ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED, glasses-free 3D technology is not new; however, Asus looked at the space that already existed and developed and improved it to produce a superior version. A step forward, but not a game-changer, is the incorporation of glasses-free 3D technology into laptops. At least not yet.
The Studiobook is not intended for common users like me. The notebook, on the other hand, is intended for people who work on 3D visuals and are interested in 3D modeling, printing, and design. After all, the laptop is touted as the first mobile 3D OLED workstation for creators in the world. It is a high-end laptop with top-of-the-line features like an Intel Core i9-13980HX processor from the 13th generation, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPU, up to 64 GB of memory that can be upgraded, and lightning-fast storage.
I could already envision the metaverse's potential for a 3D laptop, with developers and creators serving as the Studiobook's primary market. However, I'm also excited to play games and watch movies in 3D without glasses. I recall the epic launch of the Nintendo 3DS XL several years ago. However, I hope that Asus' Studiobook will change the narrative and open a new market for 3D laptops, as 3D technology still seems a long way from realizing the medium's promise.
The Studiobook isn't expected to hit retail shelves until the second quarter of 2023, but Asus expects a premium for a 3D laptop when it does. As soon as I receive the laptop for review, I will thoroughly examine the device.