Acer is a familiar name in the PC realm, and the company has always impressed us with its gaming monitors. Today, the company has announced two new gaming monitors -- the Predator XB273K LV and the Nitro XV272U -- that have the potential to land on ourbest gaming monitors list. In addition, Acer also announced the expansion of its SpatialLabs lineup of portable, glasses-free stereoscopic 3D displays.
Starting with the gaming monitors, we have the Predator XB273K LV, which squeezes UHD resolution (3840 x 2160) into a 27-inch display. Most 4K displays maxed out at a 144Hz refresh rateuntil recently. Acer bumps that figure slightly to 160Hz with the Predator XB273K LV while boastingAMD FreeSync Premium support. The response time for the HDMI 2.1 monitor is listed at 0.5ms, and is DisplayHDR 600 certified.
(Image credit: Acer)
Moving along to the Nitro XV272U, this is another 27-inch display, as its name suggests. Acer steps down the resolution to WQHD (2560 x 1440) while supporting a maximum overclocked refresh rate of 170Hz and FreeSync Premium. Acer claims that the Nitro XV272U is DisplayHDR 400 certified and covers 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.
Next, we switch over to the stereoscopic 3D displays aimed at two distinct markets. The SpatialLabs View is targeted at the consumer market for entertainment purposes, while the SpatialLabs View Pro is geared towards the commercial audience. We should mention that both monitors have a 15.6-inch 4K form factor and weigh just 3.3 pounds. Likewise, Acer says they cover 100 percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut while being spec’d at 400 nits brightness.
(Image credit: Acer)
What sets the two apart are their respective software packages. The SpatialLabs View leverages the TrueGame application, which transforms existing games into a stereoscopic 3D format with the need for separate 3D glasses. “This is possible because games are mostly created with three dimensions in mind: developers include information about depth into each scene and object they build,” Acer writes. “SpatialLabs leverages this already-existing information in order to present the games in stereoscopic 3D.”
According to the company, each game will need a pre-configured 3D profile to provide a “seamless” experience. At launch, over 50 “modern and classic” games will support TrueGame. Users will simply open the TrueGame app, then select the game they wish to play in stereoscopic 3D.
(Image credit: Acer)
Given the target market for the SpatialLabs View Pro, Acer is pairing that monitor with the SpatialLabs Model Viewer. It supports Datasmith (plugin support for Cinema 4D, Revit, Solidworks) and Sketchfab. Acer says it designed the entire experience, from hardware to software, to cater specifically to creators. “[A] creation can be taken from the 3D software and launched in SpatialLabs Model Viewer with just one click,” Acer adds. “In addition, Maya and Blender users can connect and edit on a 2D screen while observing their changes being rendered into stereoscopic 3D on the Acer SpatialLabs View Pro — all simultaneously and in real-time.”
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(Image credit: Acer)
Acer says that the Predator XB273K LV and the Nitro XV272U will launch in North America in Q3, priced at $999 and $449, respectively. The SpatialLabs View is coming to the North American market this summer, but pricing has not yet been announced. Pricing and availability for the SpatialLabs View Pro is not yet available.
Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.
