(FORTUNE Magazine) – Notebooks can finally provide the 3-D video power punch that serious gamers demand, thanks to nVidia's recently released GeForce2 Go 3-D graphics chip.

The latest contender: Gateway's Solo 9550. Starting at $1,799, the Solo 9550's nVidia chip has 32 megabytes dedicated to crunching 3-D imagery on the radiant 15-inch screen. It works with such games as Max Payne, the first first-person shooter to offer a slow-motion feature that looks and feels like you're inside a John Woo action flick.

At the Solo's heart is a 933MHz Pentium III with 128MB RAM, a 10-gigabyte hard drive, Ethernet, and a standard CD drive with buttons to play tunes without having to turn on the computer. It comes with a free upgrade to Windows XP.

Whip out your wallet for options like a faster 1.13GHz chip, an astonishing 15.7-inch screen, 30GB of storage, and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive to watch movies or burn CDs. The coolest add-on: A $159 Wi-Fi 802.11b module that comes bundled with 90 days of free access to the MobileStar wireless service, which offers site-based wireless net access in hotels, airports, and Starbucks in major cities. (After the trial, the service costs $30 a month.) With a battery that lasts up to 3.5 hours, the Solo is ready to serve up a spontaneous multiplayer showdown of Quake Arena once you've downed that second latte. But bring headphones, a mouse for better aiming, and a few Advils. The Solo won't cramp your style, but at seven-plus pounds it may cramp your shoulders.

--Joe Hutsko