Spacetop Offers A Vast Virtual Workspace Right In Front Of your Eyes

In 2023, tech startup Sightful introduced an innovative system that combined hardware and software to project a massive virtual screen in front of the user’s eyes. Now, the company has decided to phase out the hardware component and adapt its platform to work with AI-powered laptops.

Advances in AI Make Dedicated Hardware Obsolete

According to Sightful, the rapid progress in computers with integrated neural processors has made dedicated hardware unnecessary. This shift has allowed the company to focus entirely on software development.

As a result, the newly released Spacetop for Windows is compatible with laptops built on an architecture that combines NPU, CPU, and GPU – such as the Microsoft Surface Laptop for Business, Lenovo Yoga Slim, HP Elitebook, and Acer’s Swift Go 14. This is not an exhaustive list, and the number of compatible devices is expected to grow rapidly. Canalys estimates that by 2027, 60% of PCs will be AI-capable.

As with the original version, users will still need to wear augmented reality glasses to view the 100-inch virtual display. The new $899 bundle includes the lightweight (83 g) XReal Air Ultra 2 glasses and a one-year Spacetop subscription (after which the service will cost $200 per year). Optical lens inserts are also available: single-vision lenses for $50 and progressive lenses for $150.

A Seamless Virtual Workspace Experience

To use the system, users must either own or purchase a modern laptop that supports spatial computing. In return, they gain access to an expansive virtual workspace capable of handling multiple windows at once. The platform delivers a natural operating system experience and uses intuitive keyboard shortcuts that allow users to move windows or push them deeper into the virtual space.

The software is compatible with everyday productivity apps for both personal and business use on Windows. Sightful also highlights that the system delivers bright and sharp visuals both indoors and outdoors, while offering private, immersive sessions shielded from prying eyes. A Travel Mode allows users to save their virtual workspace for use on the go.

A Milestone for Sightful and AR Workspaces

We created AI PCs to enable innovations like Spacetop – and Spacetop fully unlocks the potential of this architecture,” said Tamir Berliner, co-founder and CEO of Sightful. “For four years, as we developed Spacetop, users and businesses constantly asked us, ‘When will it come to Windows?’ Today, we’re finally delivering on that request.The rise of AI laptops not only accelerated our mission to scale through software, but also unlocked incredible new possibilities for what an AR workspace can achieve when combined with the power of AI.”

Spacetop for Windows is now available, with the bundle including AR glasses and a 12-month subscription for $899. For the first time, the system is also launching outside the United States, beginning in Germany in partnership with Deutsche Telekom. Check out the video below for more.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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