Asus took the spotlight on Thursday at the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where it debuts the ProArt Studiobook 16 with a 3D display. The Taiwanese PC giant said the notebook is designed to offer a glasses-free 3D experience, opening new uses for professional users. Its rival, Acer, is doing the same with the Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition.
Glasses-free, 3D monitors and televisions were a rage in the late 2010s but they struggled to get acceptance due to low-resolution panels and lack of use case. Later on, manufacturers demonstrated glasses-free 3D displays through various prototypes and concepts but they never made it commercially.
The most successful attempt at creating a glasses-free 3D display mainstream has come from Nintendo. Its 3DS portable game console sported two displays, with the system’s top screen displaying three-dimensional effects. The tech used by the 3DS filtered two images through a display layer called a parallax barrier. This barrier essentially controlled the angle of the image, reaching consumers’ eyes to create a 3D image. On top of that, the device used cameras that detected the user’s eyes and adjust the image automatically.
To promise eye-popping images, Asus takes advantage of its Spatial Vision technology and an eye-tracking camera to create a 3D effect. The idea is the same as what Nintendo implemented with the 3DS, but the difference lies in resolution and different computing power.
The ProArt Studiobook 16 uses a 16-inch 3D OLED 120Hz panel with a resolution of 3200 x 2000. It also adds a software technique that converts full-screen 2D to stereophonic 3D content. Asus is pitching the new Studiobook 16 to creators who can now generate content in stereophonic 3D by importing and converting existing assets. 3D gaming is another big use case to buy Asus’ glasses-free 3D laptop, although Asus didn’t reveal which games are supported.
In terms of specs, the ProArt Studiobook 16 features Intel’s 13th Gen Core HX, next-generation Nvidia RTX GPU, up to 8TB PCLe 4.0 SSD storage with two upgradable M.2 slots, up to 64GB DDR5 4,800Mhz with two upgradable SO-DIMM slots, and a physical dial to control apps. It also comes with Windows 11, two Thunderbolt 4, and HDMI 2.1.
Asus hasn’t revealed the price or availability of the laptop. However, going by its features and specifications, it won’t be cheap.
