Asus G51J 3D

How far would you go for the ultimate gaming experience? Would you run the risk of looking silly and wear 3D glasses? I would! I have recently come across the reviews for the Asus G51J 3D and I am so excited and ready to try out the new technology. At $1,699 this laptop has a 120Hz LCD panel, an Intel Core i7 CPU, a high-end Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M GPU, and comes bundled with a pair of Nvidia's active glasses and the USB-powered IR emitter required to make the glasses work. Yes it may be a bit pricey but well worth the price and still cheaper then it's competition Alienware. The great look of the G51J 3D extends to the keyboard, with a white back light this gives each key a nice soft glow that can be brightened or dimmed by pressing the F3 and F4 key. Because they dropped the ball a bit the layout does not reach to the edges,some keys are small, like the right Shift key and the numbers on the number pad. On a good note the island-style keys are springy, which gives you a solid typing experience. Because this is a gaming laptop there are a few specific game icons highlighted across the keyboard: Arrows highlight the WASD keys ( movement keys), the 1 -6 keys are highlighted with white circles, making it easy quickly tap whatever number you need to switch between weapons.

Above the keyboard are the Altec Lansing stereo speakers, and buttons that let you cycle through visual modes and power settings. The speakers deliver excellent sound when tested but not when put against bass heavy music the audio was kind of muddy. Volume will not be a problem unless you plan on blasting then the speakers will disappoint you.Sadly this laptop does lacks a full HD screen but it still exhibits great colors and definition. Pretty good views from 90 degree angles except when you tilt the screen too far back. The screen tends to wash out.

Several ports and slots are available for connecting peripherals. The right side of the notebook hold the 8X DVD±RW drive, two USB 2.0 ports, dual headphone jacks, and a microphone jack.
The left side have two more USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400, eSATA, HDMI, VGA, and a ExpressCard/54 slot. The back holds an Ethernet port, while the front contains a Wi-Fi on/off switch and a 6-in-1 memory reader.

Now for the best part...the G51J 3D is capable of displaying 3D images and videos because of Nvidia’s 3D Vision technology. The G51J 3D uses powered shutter glasses that receive a signal from an infrared emitter that’s attached to your laptop’s USB port. Add this to a display that has a refresh rate of 120 Hz it makes the 3D images pop more than those of lesser system. The glasses themselves are a bit heavier then those of other laptops but not noticible for most and instead of a nose clip add on for those who wear glasses these will fit over your glasses with little problems.The top left side of the shades have a power button, along with a mini USB port on the bottom to recharge them. They should last about 40 hours. There are over 400 games avaiable for 3D gaming so even a picky person should find something they would enjoy.
This 3D screen isn’t just for playing games, you can also use it for watching 3D movies and pictures. Too bad this is more limited then the game Video or photos that have not been shot in 3D can’t be easily optimized for 3D. Videos and photos that were filmed in 3D are bright and have great depth to them. The extra dimension enhances your viewing pleasure. Sorry to all you Blue ray owners because this model does not come with a bay for blue rays...maybe the next model will, I guess you can't have it all.

I give this laptop 5 stars even with the small amount of cons I mentioned. Anyone who is lucky enough to own one will not be disappointed.



For reviews check the links below

http://promos.asus.com/US/PR_2009/G51J_Worlds_First_Notebook/Index.html
http://www.engadget.com
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10400144-1.html
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-g51j-3d.aspx