I tested Acer's Predator SpatialLabs monitor and I'm not sold on glasses-free 3D

Price When Reviewed

$1,999.99

Best Prices Today: Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27

$1999.99

The glasses-free 3D dream is sort of right here. Just give it one other yr.

This, it appears, has been expertise’s promise for not less than twenty years. I first noticed glasses-free visible puzzles in my youth; then the Nintendo 3DS gave it an actual shot at mainstream adoption; and a smattering of start-ups have since tried (and failed) to make it a factor in house theater.

Acer joined the glasses-free 3D campaign in 2022 with the debut of its Acer ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs laptops. It now has a number of choices together with the monitor on the desk right this moment: the Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 (PSV27-2). It’s a 27-inch 4K monitor with glasses-free 3D and a refresh fee of as much as 160Hz. It’s actually alluring at first look, because it delivers essentially the most practical and interesting glasses-free 3D I’ve seen to this point.  

But the extra I used it the extra I discovered that, but once more, glasses-free 3D wants one other yr.

Read on to be taught extra, then see our roundup of the best gaming monitors for comparability.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 specs and options

At its core, the Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 is an honest 4K gaming monitor. It has a pointy, vibrant LCD show and a refresh fee of as much as 160Hz. It additionally helps AMD FreeSync Premium, although it doesn’t assist HDR.

• Display measurement: 27-inch 16:9 facet ratio
• Native decision: 3840×2160
• Panel kind: VA LCD
• Refresh fee: Up to 160Hz
• Adaptive sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync Premium
• HDR: None
• Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB Type-C upstream with DisplayPort, 2x USB-A downstream
• Audio: 2x 5-watt audio system
• Additional options: Glasses-free 3D through lenticular lens
• Price: $1,999.99 MSRP

But, after all, the actual headliner is the monitor’s glasses-free 3D. The function is enabled with a lenticular lens and a digicam system that adjusts the lens based mostly on the place of the person’s eyes. It’s one among simply two gaming screens that presently provide the function, the opposite being Samsung’s Odyssey 3D G90XF.  

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 design

The Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 makes an odd impression when unboxed. It’s cumbersome for a 27-inch show, with thick bezels on all sides of the show panel, a large stand, and a thick housing on the rear that comprises the ports and different vital {hardware}.

The result’s a monitor that appears archaic. If you’d advised me the SpatialLabs View 27 was launched in 2015, I’d’ve believed you. Samsung’s extra elegant and futuristic Odyssey 3D G90XF additionally struggles with thickness, however it higher emulates the look of Samsung’s different trendy shows.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

It’s not all dangerous information, nevertheless. The SpatialLabs View 27’s thick design supplies a sturdy really feel. I doubt that interprets to something significant; all screens are fragile. Still, it does assist the monitor really feel extra premium in-hand.

As talked about, the SpatialLabs View 27 has a large stand. It’s not flat, both, so it takes up fairly a little bit of desk area. By distinction, the Samsung Odyssey 3D G90XF has a smaller, flat stand that retains the area it occupies comparatively usable. The stand has an excellent vary of ergonomic adjustment with assist for top, tilt, and swivel. The display doesn’t rotate 90 levels into portrait mode, however that’s wonderful, because the 3D impact wouldn’t work in that orientation.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 connectivity

The Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 has three video inputs; one HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C with DisplayPort. However, the SpatialLabs software program requires a USB-A to USB-C connection to make use of the monitor’s glasses-free 3D function. So, the USB-C video enter might not be an possibility, relying on the gadgets you propose to attach.

The monitor additionally has two downstream USB-A ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. That’s an okay vary of connectivity however nothing particular for a monitor that retails at $1,999.99.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 menus and options

Much just like the monitor’s total design, the Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27’s menu system feels outdated. It supplies a joystick for menu navigation, however a number of buttons round the precise flank provide fast entry to particular choices, like brightness.

The buttons are tough to make use of as a result of they’re not seen. The on-screen menu supplies visible indicators to indicate the place the buttons are situated, however I nonetheless hit the wrong button as usually as not. The menu can be a bit small, when it comes to font measurement and format, which makes it arduous to learn.

However, the menu system supplies an honest vary of choices. It features a gamma adjustment that targets exact values. Color temperature can be adjustable, although it solely supplies obscure labels (comparable to “warm”). The monitor’s RGB Gains and Bias are adjustable, too.

There are a number of gaming options, too. The monitor has a darkish stabilizer, right here known as Advanced Black Boost, which may enhance the brightness of darkish scenes to make foes extra seen. The monitor additionally has an on-screen crosshair, sniper mode, and ultra-low latency mode.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 Glasses-free 3D

Okay, let’s get to the meat of the evaluation. The Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 hinges on the standard of the glasses-free 3D expertise. So, is it any good?

Sometimes, sure. But principally, no.

I’ll begin with my most optimistic expertise, which I discovered in Bethesda’s basic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This is a recreation I nonetheless hearth up for not less than 20 or 30 hours yearly, so I used to be thrilled to see it in 3D. And, largely, it seemed beautiful. The glasses-free 3D impact was remarkably convincing; the depth felt immersive, applicable, and alluring. A fast take a look at changed into a for much longer session as I marveled at how the monitor gave me a brand new perspective on a basic recreation I already knew by coronary heart.

Still, there have been just a few points. The depth of textual content and sure visible results, like hearth, didn’t really feel proper. The begin menu seemed fallacious, too. I believe I might play the sport for hours because it stands, however it nonetheless feels a bit hacky.

Unfortunately, Skyrim was the perfect of the video games I examined.

Alan Wake: Remastered, one other outdated favourite, seemed promising at first. The recreation’s interface renders at an odd depth, however is commonly stored out of sight, so it’s livable. And the 3D impact was an excellent match for the sport’s darkish, surreal setting. However, the expertise was soured by a bug: the 3D depth data for gameplay simply previous to a cutscene was retained within the cutscene, warping the picture.

The different video games I attempted all had visible distractions and bugs to various levels. Borderlands 2 was principally okay, however interface visuals have been warped after they overlaid 3D objects, and the same warping impact surrounded many characters. Problems like this have been constant throughout many video games I examined.

I additionally encountered just a few arduous failures. Palworld is included on the listing of supported video games however, in my testing, the sport fully freaked out, capturing jagged, incomplete triangles throughout the display. No Man’s Sky, one other formally supported recreation, didn’t render menus appropriately, inflicting a double-image impact that was painful to take a look at.

Failures like these are painful given the short list of supported games. My expertise leaves me uncertain of the sport helps listing. Does Baldur’s Gate 3 actually work? What about The Witcher 3? Given that greater than half of the video games I examined had a noticeable problem, I can’t say with confidence that any of the video games listed will show pleasurable, and even playable.

It’s a bummer as a result of, as my expertise with Skyrim proved, the glasses-free 3D impact will be wonderful. But my expertise left me with the impression that implementing assist is tough, and that the certification course of for supported video games leaves loads to be desired.

I’ve different nitpicks, too.

The 3D impact depends on a digicam to regulate the place of the lenticular show’s two views, creating the 3D impact. That means two individuals can’t view the 3D impact directly. The impact can fail when you’re too shut or removed from the show, or when you use the monitor in a darkish room. Finally, the 3D impact softens the picture and introduces a “screen door effect” that, whereas not too distracting, was noticeable.

Collectively, these points underscore why glasses-free 3D all the time feels simply across the nook. The expertise works, and it’s spectacular. But it has tough edges, and video games have to be up to date to offer correct assist.

It’s a catch-22. The recreation assist is unlikely to enhance until glasses-free 3D is extra common, however glasses-free 3D received’t be common until extra video games assist it.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 audio

Acer tries to match the immersive glasses-free 3D expertise with improved audio. To obtain that, the monitor has a pair of five-watt audio system. They straight face the person and may perform with Acer’s Immersive Audio software program, which claims to enhance the audio expertise with “AI-driven precision.”

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I’m not so certain in regards to the spatial audio function, as I didn’t discover the speaker’s sound staging convincing, and particulars of the function are skinny. Though apparently created in partnership with an organization known as Audioscenic, the monitor’s person guide doesn’t listing the function or present suggestions for how you can set it up. Acer supplies software program for the function, however it failed to put in on both PC I used with the monitor (my Windows desktop and an MSI Raider A18 laptop computer I had in for evaluation).

While Acer’s Immersive Audio is a bust, the audio system are nonetheless first rate. They pack good quantity, first rate stereo separation, and crisp sound even with the amount up. The monitor doesn’t have a built-in woofer, so bass-heavy content material is skinny, however the audio system are higher than the overwhelming majority of PC monitor audio and wonderful for conditions the place you simply don’t really feel like utilizing a headset.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 SDR picture high quality

Glasses-free 3D apart, the Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 delivers picture high quality on par with a mid-range LCD gaming monitor. It performs properly sufficient in SDR however suffers in distinction. Because of that, the monitor falls properly behind OLED opponents in standard 2D viewing.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The SpatialLabs View 27 delivers a powerful most brightness of 523 nits in SDR. As the graph exhibits, that’s a wonderful stage of brightness and exceeds most screens bought right this moment. The monitor will stay usable even in vibrant rooms.

However, the monitor’s brightness efficiency is hampered by the show’s shiny end. It’s nearly mirror-like, with clear and crisp reflections. Because of that, I can solely suggest utilizing the monitor in a room the place you will have wonderful management over lighting all through the day.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Contrast is a standard weak level for LCD shows, and the SpatialLabs View 27 isn’t any exception. I measured a most distinction of 1080:1 at 50 p.c of the monitor’s whole brightness which, because the graph exhibits, isn’t an important outcome. And that outcome was constant throughout different brightness settings.

The low distinction ratio is because of elevated black ranges. Dark scenes present a definite “glow” that makes the picture look boring, flat, and unrealistic.

To the monitor’s credit score, my real-world impression of the distinction was not as dangerous because the take a look at outcomes indicated. I anticipate that’s due to the monitor’s brightness and intensely shiny end, which helps vibrant, colourful scenes pop. But when you wish to play video games with a darker colour palette, like Diablo IV, the monitor’s restricted distinction can be apparent.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The SpatialLabs View 27 places in an honest present with regards to colour efficiency. It has a colour gamut that spans 100 p.c of sRGB, 92 p.c of DCI-P3, and 86 p.c of AdobeRGB. Those are strong outcomes, and the monitor appears vibrant when displaying vibrant, colourful video games.

However, it’s not tough to seek out screens with a a lot wider colour gamut. LCD screens with Quantum Dots can show a wider vary of colours. So can OLED screens, whether or not they have Quantum Dots or not.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

It’s the same story in colour accuracy. The SpatialLabs View 27 has a low colour error and appears practical in most conditions, however suffers some inaccuracy, most noticeably in cyan and grayscale hues. Most individuals are unlikely to note it however, at this value, patrons can select from shows with top-notch colour accuracy efficiency.

The SpatialLabs View 27 posts okay scores in gamma and colour temperature. It hit a gamma curve of two.3, which is barely off the goal of two.2, and signifies content material can look a tad darker than it ought to. The colour temperature got here in at 6600Ok, once more barely off the goal of 6500Ok, which suggests the picture can seem too cool. Both deviations are minor.

Sharpness is a perk, because the SpatialLabs PSV27-2 supplies a 27-inch panel with 4K (3840×2160) decision. That works out to be about 163 pixels per inch. By comparability, a 27-inch 1440p monitor has about 110 pixels per inch. Games look tack-sharp and small fonts look easy.

One necessary be aware: While the monitor helps 4K decision, the decision is minimize to 1920×2160 when glasses-free 3D is in use. That’s as a result of the monitor in reality shows two barely offset variations of the identical scene, creating the 3D impact. The discount in sharpness is noticeable, although, for my part, an inexpensive trade-off.

The Acer Predator SpatialLabs PSV27-2’s total SDR picture high quality is first rate. It has a vibrant, sharp panel that appears good when displaying colourful content material. It’s not as saturated as an OLED monitor, nevertheless, and struggles with a restricted distinction ratio that results in a boring, washed-out picture. The monitor’s total SDR picture high quality in 2D content material is roughly on par with a $400 gaming monitor, which suggests you’re paying loads for glasses-free 3D.

Acer Predator SpatialLabs PSV27-2 HDR picture high quality

The Acer Predator SpatialLabs PSV27-2 doesn’t assist HDR. Virtually all screens in the identical value bracket have HDR assist, so its absence is an issue. Samsung’s Odyssey 3D G90XF, which is Acer’s closest competitor, consists of HDR assist.