In its search for another technology to excite us, the consumer electronics industry is reaching deep — into the third dimension. The big push for 3-D TV won’t happen until next year, but already we can get a taste of 3-D in the home — on laptops.
AsusTek Computer Inc. and Acer Inc. both have new models with screens that can show both games and movies in true 3-D, if you’re willing to wear glasses.
Testing these has been fun. Many games work with 3-D screens, and if you fire up “Batman: Arkham Asylum” on the Asus unit the caped crusader will look so solid that it’s tempting to try to reach through the screen to grab his neoprene-covered abs.
But the effect doesn’t make the game seem more realistic. If anything, Batman looks more like an action figure than he does in 2-D. Seeing in 3-D on these small screens makes me feel like I’m peering into a dollhouse.
Such limitations to the technology make it hard to see 3-D screens as something that will provide long-term enjoyment, or become a must-have feature. Three-dimensional movie projection has come and gone in waves since the 1950s, and more than 50 years before that, people ogled 3-D photographs. Neither has had staying power.
These aren’t the first 3-D laptops either. Sharp Inc. started selling one six years ago. The fact that you probably haven’t heard of it is a good indicator of how successful it was.
What’s new is that 3-D is now cheaper. While the Sharp model cost $3,300, the new Acer Aspire 5738DG has a list price of $780. The Asus G51JD lists for $1,700, but it’s a powerful gaming laptop. Either model is only slightly more than an equivalent non-3-D model, so trying 3-D is no longer a big commitment. Both models have 15.6-inch…