Dell's 3D Laptops: Yes, They Can Play Crysis 2

This year's CES is all about tablets and 3D. Everything is going 3D, and the latest to jump on the bandwagon is Dell. The company today announced that its high-end Sandy Bridge 17-inch laptops would be getting the option of 120Hz 3D 1080p LCDs.

The XPS 17 laptop with the 3D display comes equipped with the Nvidia GeForce GT 555M graphics card, but if you want 3D, you'll have to buy the NVision 3D glasses separately.

We chose to go hands-on with the even higher-end option with the refreshed Alienware M17x, the line's first 3D-capable gaming laptop. Unlike the XPS system, this one includes a set of 3D glasses, which should be expected with a starting price of $1,499.

The demonstration material that we got to see was Crysis 2, which we suppose answers the question about the Alienware M17x – Yes, it can play Crysis 2… in 3D.

Of course, Crytek has worked hard to make Crysis 2 scalable to a wider range of hardware, this time including consoles, so more machines ever can play Crysis 2. The impressive part is that the machine was rendering it with 3D on with all the settings on high. Frame rate appeared to be very smooth and the 3D graphics were gorgeous.

The one unfortunate thing is that the machine would get hot enough running Crysis 2 that the temperature control would kick in and it would throttle the chips, leading to noticeable slowdown. If you plan to be gaming on this 10lbs gaming laptop, then you're going to need some kind of laptop cooler.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • Von Death
    Get this if you are
    1.) On the go constantly
    2.) A LAN party addict
    3.) Don't believe in upgrades
    4.) Get dizzy without 3D
    5.) One of those people who have cutting edge everything regardless of need
    Reply
  • joytech22
    von deathGet this if you are1.) On the go constantly2.) A LAN party addict3.) Don't believe in upgrades4.) Get dizzy without 3D5.) One of those people who have cutting edge everything regardless of need
    You forgot about:

    6.) Have $8000 to spend on a laptop

    This makes me want one even more, because when I'm on the go for weeks at a time sometimes I wish my laptop could deliver, sure it can play Crysis but only at a low resolution..

    This is the kind of power I need, but at such a high cost i think it's cheaper to build a portable desktop.
    Reply
  • dimar
    120Hz LCD is great at 2D too. Very smooth gaming.
    Reply
  • KingArcher
    The title will keep people from asking the obvious question :)
    Reply
  • Maziar
    According to some "hands-on" on other websites,M17x comes with GTX 460M/HD 6850M and there is no word about SLI or CF,if that's true,then it will be a huge disappointment IMO.
    Reply
  • alyoshka
    I wonder if they'd give the Laptop free with a Crysis 2 Disc... :)
    Reply
  • darkchazz
    Not surprised in can play C2 in 3d , since Crytek has made their own 3d method that doesn't lower the frame rate at all.

    But I believe this shit will struggle with nvidia's 3d vision.
    Reply
  • utengineer
    But can it play Ms. Pac Man?
    Reply
  • th_at
    If it overheats (and throttles) under what should be considered intended usage of the machine, it is faulty design. If they sell it for thousands of dollars, they should get sued.
    Reply
  • jcb82
    th_atIf it overheats (and throttles) under what should be considered intended usage of the machine, it is faulty design. If they sell it for thousands of dollars, they should get sued.
    I totally agree.
    Reply