Remember 3DTVs, the now-extinct format that promised to bring Avatar into your home? For a fleeting moment, 3D laptops were also a thing. Dell and Alienware were most noted for using stereoscopic 3D technology as an option in the XPS 17 and Alienware m17 R3, but MSI, Sony, HP, Origin, and Asus also gave it a try.
Most 3D laptops used Nvidia’s 3D Vision platform, which some reviewers considered to be better than the stuff in 3DTVs. It didn’t, however, solve the goofy glasses problem. Worse yet, most of these laptops needed a kit that was often sold separately for more than $100.
3D technology was pretty limited back then and only worked with certain games and Blu-ray discs, and yet, not everyone hated the 3D effect. Sure, it caused frame rates to drop in games, and playing for long sessions led to eye strain, but daring adopters of this budding tech generally liked the 3D aspect. In the end, chunky, expensive glasses and limited support were reasons why 3D laptops went the way of 3DTVs.
Maybe we’ll see a comeback with newer, glassesless models like the latest Asus ProArt Studiobook.
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