Acer now has a 3D camera for its glasses-free 3D laptops
Acer isn’t a brand that you’d typically associate with photography, but its new camera offering comes with an interesting twist — the ability to snap pictures and video in stereoscopic 3D. Announced ahead of next week’s Computex event, the SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera also allows users to livestream 3D content to YouTube, and make 3D video calls on Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet.
Acer says the SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera will be available in Q3 this year starting at $549. It fully integrates with Acer’s lineup of SpatialLabs 3D devices — such as the Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition laptop — which have wowed us with their impressive ability to display glasses-free 3D content. Images and video recorded on the SpatialLabs camera can also be viewed on other 3D-capable displays, 3D projectors, VR headsets, or on the camera itself.
Support for 3D livestreaming and conference calls is a niche feature, but it’s nice to see Acer expanding its SpatialLabs 3D tech. The 3D experience Acer provides really needs to be experienced firsthand to understand how visually mind blowing it is to see things reaching out at you without the assistance of glasses. It’s far superior (and more pleasant to view) than older glasses-free 3D offerings like Nintendo’s 3DS handheld, and the SpatialLabs camera makes filming such content more accessible to those without expansive videography knowledge.
The SpatialLabs camera is compact, weighing 220 grams (0.4 pounds) and measuring in at 4 x 2.5 x 0.9 inches. It has a resolution of 8 megapixels per eye, a built-in “selfie mirror,” and a smattering of familiar photography features — like Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) and the ability to manually adjust ISO, white balance, and shutter speed settings. The camera also has a 1500mAh battery capacity, a microSD card slot to expand storage, and a 2.4-inch touchscreen contained in a “weatherproof” casing.
Livestreaming to YouTube will require the latest version of Acer’s SpatialLabs Player, while 3D video conferencing support — which also comes with “customizable depth features” — will be enabled via the incoming SpatialLabs video call widget which is also launching sometime in Q3.
