If you’d like to indulge in some virtual reality (VR) games, but you don’t love the bulky feeling of a VR headset, Dimenco has a solution for you — a 3D monitor that dials up the immersion to a much higher level.
Equipped with a set of tools that help achieve the 3D effect, Dimenco’s new product doesn’t even require a pair of 3D glasses, let alone a whole VR headset. However, the price is certainly going to be a huge roadblock — it costs well over $10,000.
If you’re familiar with the 3D effect provided by a Nintendo 3DS, you probably already kind of know what to expect from Dimenco’s innovative 32-inch monitor. Officially dubbed the SR-Pro-Display, referring to simulated reality (SR), the display comes decked out with a lot of different tech that helps it achieve that 3D immersion. This includes proprietary image processing technologies, eye tracking capabilities, and special lenticular lenses.
The new SR monitor arrives in a single 32-inch configuration sporting an 8K resolution. Unlike many monitors, you’ll need a reasonably beefy computer to support this screen. Dimenco recommends at least an Intel Core i7 processor from the 10th generation or newer as well as an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card. However, you might need even better hardware depending on your game of choice.
Dimenco’s new product was first introduced during CES 2022 alongside a host of other impressive monitors, such as the enormous Samsung Odyssey Ark. It then reappeared at Siggraph 2022, where TechRadar’s Hamish Hector was able to see it and take it out for a spin in Project Cars 2. Hector praised the display’s ability to crank up the immersion, comparing it to that of a VR headset and saying that it improved his gameplay by a considerable margin.
On the other hand, it wasn’t quite as powerful as a VR headset, nor should it be — after all, you don’t need any extra hardware, only your own pair of eyes. Hector also talked about the fact that being unable to interact with the screen using your own hands feels weird. It’s still a regular monitor, which means that when you play a game, you’ll be using your keyboard and mouse or perhaps a controller. In VR, your hands play a big part and that affects how real it all feels.
Whether it’s intensely realistic or not, it’s still a good middle ground for those of us who can’t, or don’t want to, use a VR headset instead. However, the pricing of this monitor is quite hard to swallow. You can now buy it directly from Dimenco for a whopping sum of $11,690. At that price, even those who might be interested in trying out this technology may be put off.
