Back in 2023, tech startup Sightful developed a hardware/software system that put a huge virtual computer screen in front of your eyes. Now the company has dropped the hardware component and tweaked the software to work with AI laptops.
Sightful says that due to the rapid development of computer systems with built-in neural processing, the Spacetop system no longer requires a dedicated hardware component – allowing the company to focus its attention on the software.
As such, the newly-launched Spacetop for Windows will work with laptops designed around a NPU/CPU/GPU architecture – such as the Microsoft Surface Laptop for Business, Lenovo's Yoga Slim, the HP Elitebook and the Swift Go 14 from Acer. That's by no means a comprehensive list, and compatible units are expected to grow quickly – with Canalys reportedly suggesting that 60% of all PCs will be AI-capable by 2027.
Like the original package, users will still need to don a pair of AR glasses to see the 100-inch display area in front of their eyes. But this latest US$899 bundle includes XReal's 83-g (3-oz) Air Ultra 2 wearable plus a year's Spacetop subscription thrown in (after which it will cost $200 per annum). Optical lenses can be optioned in too: single-vision lens inserts are priced at $50, while progressive-vision inserts cost $150.
So yes, you'll need to already own a modern AI laptop that supports spatial computing, or such a device will need to be acquired in order to make use of this system. You'll be rewarded with an expansive virtual workspace that can accommodate multi-window visuals, and is designed to offer a "natural OS experience" while "intuitive keystrokes" on the host laptop's keyboard can move windows around, or push them back and forth in the virtual workspace.
The software is reported compatible with "consumer and business apps that power productivity every day for Windows users." Sightful is promising bright and clear visuals indoors or out, and users benefit from private immersive sessions locked away from prying eyes. The workspace can also be saved for productivity on the go via a Travel Mode.
"Spacetop is exactly why AI PCs were designed – it unlocks the true power of the architecture," company co-founder and CEO, Tamir Berliner. "For four years while we developed Spacetop, the number one request from users and businesses was ‘When is it coming to Windows?’ Today is that day. The rise of AI laptops not only accelerated our mission to use software to reach scale but unlocked huge new possibilities for what an AR workspace can do when combined with the power of AI.”
Spacetop for Windows launches today, and the software is bundled with a pair of AR glasses and a 12-month Spacetop subscription for $899. The system is also being made available outside the US for the first time, starting with Germany in partnership with Deutsche Telekom. The video below has more.
Source: Sightful