Spacetop Review: Working in Augmented Reality Strained My Eyes
I was first introduced to Spacetop when the company making it still believed laptops could be different. Sightful, the creators of the $1,900 Spacetop G1 promised the next evolution in laptop design wouldn't sport a screen at all. Instead, the laptop would use a pair of augmented reality glasses and a custom operating system to navigate an ultrawide AR space for your apps. It was perfunctory—and its OS seemed barebones—but I couldn't help but admire the gumption of trying something truly new in the laptop space.
It's been one year since then, and Sightful—which was established by a few ex-Magic Leap developers—claims lightweight 'AI PCs' are now good enough they can support AR software natively. Whether that's true or not, and as much as I miss the self-contained G1 AR laptop, Spacetop is now a software solution. Sightful proposes AR aficionados should buy a $900 app and Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses combo that runs on regular old Windows 11 (there's no Mac version yet). The software package offers a year's subscription to a kind of virtual pegboard in AR space where you can individually place all your windows and apps. Your laptop display will still show your desktop, but all your apps now appear in front of your eyes in AR space.
Spacetop
If all you wanted was a quick and dirty AR environment for your PC, it works, but eyestrain remains a lingering issue.
Pros The software with Xreal glasses are good enough to read text
The software with Xreal glasses are good enough to read text Software makes it easy to move around windows in AR environment
Software makes it easy to move around windows in AR environment Far more innocuous than a VR headset
Far more innocuous than a VR headset
Cons Eyestrain becomes a big problem very quickly
Eyestrain becomes a big problem very quickly Limited FOV forces you to look around more than other VR setups
Limited FOV forces you to look around more than other VR setups Occasional glitches mar a seamless experience
Occasional glitches mar a seamless experience Yearly subscriptions only
In effect, the virtual desktop can become whatever your preferred monitor setup is. If you're somebody who codes on three vertically-oriented screens at once or prefers an ultrawide display to house multiple browsers in landscape, you can do it with Spacetop. The real question is: would you want to do it on Spacetop? If I had the choice, I would sooner work on a single monitor than strain against a screen an inch from my eyes.
For review, Spacetop provided me with a preconfigured HP laptop and a pair of Xreal glasses. The software currently only supports Intel Core Ultra Series 1 or 2 CPUs, and you need at least 16GB of RAM and access to a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 USB-C port. The big problem is immediately apparent as soon as you put on the bundled Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses. The 52-degree field of view on the glasses' micro-OLED panels is so minuscule that it forces you to turn your head completely to look at any one of your apps at a time. I can't just glance at my emails on another browser like normal; I have to wheel my noggin around, feeling like a submarine captain staring through the narrow view of a periscope hunting for the one app I need.
While in the office, I do most of my work on a MacBook Pro connected to a 34-inch ultrawide monitor. Two screens are enough for my Slack feed, two large browsers, plus any other extraneous apps I need. I tried to recreate the same layout on Spacetop at home, and after two hours the inevitable eyestrain set in. I sit 30 inches away from a computer for nine hours every Monday through Friday, and I still felt more fatigue in just two hours of doing the same amount of work with Spacetop. The Xreal Air 2 Ultra allows for single-click image dimming, but nothing could fully eliminate the pressure building between my eyes.
It's a typical downside of having a display right in front of your eyeballs. It's the same issue I have when trying to work in a mixed reality headset like the Apple Vision Pro. Apple's $3,500 'spatial computer' has an FOV of around 100 degrees, twice that of the Xreal Air 2 Ultra. While it's better for multitasking when you can see more of your apps at once, it will still inevitably result in eye fatigue. The Vision Pro has the capability to mirror a Mac screen in an ultrawide format that can stretch from one end of the room to the other. The Xreal glasses are much lighter and more comfortable, but still I found I would need to put them down at around the same point my head would get tired supporting a Vision Pro or Meta Quest.
The benefit of Sightful's solution is it is far more innocuous than a Vision Pro when you're in a public space (although you'll be looking around so much you'll look like you're tracking a flying insect only you can see). Spacetop has other smaller issues that make it far more annoying to use than it needs to be. Every time I open up a new window—such as when I open a photo—I have to go fishing for it when it randomly appears in an open space at the top of the AR view. When I hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, I encountered a glitch where the new window appeared on the desktop view rather than in its own window, which also made the mouse cursor disappear. Hopefully, these problems will be ironed out in future updates.
Spacetop could be just another solution that's looking for a problem, but as it stands, AR is still better off for mirroring a single screen at a time. I find the Xreal Air 2 Ultra's displays are high quality enough that I had no problem reading text, and it would be a fine time watching any streaming content from the comfort of a couch. I could imagine a person on the go, whether on a train or plane, could make use of a wider canvas for their apps and browsers. Let's get even spicier. A person at work who really doesn't want their boss watching them play video games on their PC may find safety in the world of AR. I didn't have the opportunity to test how much the AR environment impacted PC performance, but you would still need a hefty GPU to run both the AR environment alongside any other graphically intensive apps.
Sightful promotes some laptops like the 2024 Dell XPS or an Asus Zenbook S14 with Intel Lunar Lake chips that would work well with Spacetop. While the Xreal glasses themselves cost $700 individually, the actual software and glasses bundle costs $900, and it comes packed with a $200 12-month subscription to the Spacetop software. There is no option for a monthly subscription, though Sightful told me they were hoping to add that in the future. The lack of a cheaper subscription is a hard pill to swallow. There's less of a chance for a refund if you don't like Spacetop, and it implies there's less guarantee you'll recoup your money if the app's services ever go down.
I still trust that AR glasses will improve, and perhaps with a different type of display, Spacetop's eye strain may improve. Spacetop does what it sets out to do, but in a way that leaves me desperate for a typical multi-screen experience. This could be the solution for on-the-go workers, but perhaps there's a time and place for buckling down on that work project. Perhaps you should leave the grindset at home and take that travel time to relax. The screens aren't going anywhere.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
11 hours ago
- Gizmodo
The First Prime Day Deal Has Landed: New HP Laptop (Touch, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, Win 11 Pro) Is 70% Off
HP laptops tend to cost over $1,000 (occasionally much more) so it's not common to come across a offer that grabs the attention. But Amazon just launched a Prime Day preview and this offer is available to everyone – not just Prime members. The HP 2025 touchscreen laptop (i3, 2TB SSD, 64GB RAM, Windows 11 Pro, Office lifetime + 4-in-1 USB-A adapter) is an amazingly robust bit of kit that would usually send the price well beyond most individuals' budget. Currently available for only $769, this laptop comes at a whopping discount from its normal cost of $2,600. This all-time low makes it one of the most affordable high-spec laptops on the market, especially considering the generous storage and memory included. See at Amazon At its core is a 13th gen Intel i3-1315U processor which is capable of turboing up to 4.5GHz and features six cores and eight threads. This setup ensures smooth multitasking and efficient processing of business applications and even light gaming. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics offers smooth 4K streaming and executes graphics-intensive activities like a pro. The 15.6-inch HD touchscreen display with 1366 x 768 resolution and 250 nits brightness offers easy control and responsive use. It has a massive which is significantly more than what most student or business laptops offer, even at much higher price ranges. This ensures that multitasking is seamless, and you can have multiple heavy-duty programs running simultaneously without lag. The 2TB SSD provides ample space for files, photos, videos, and programs and boasts fast boot and load times. The HP laptop incorporates a Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth connectivity for speedy and secure wireless connections for streaming. It also includes an array of ports that consists of HDMI 1.4, USB-C 3.0, two USB-A 3.0 ports and a headphone/microphone combo port. The inclusion of a numeric keypad is also a bonus for business people and students who often have to work with numbers. It is one of the priciest add-ons, the pre-installed lifetime license of Microsoft Office. That's where you have full access to Office Pro straight out of the box, no subscription or trial required. Copilot for Windows 11, an AI productivity assistant for managing projects and staying creative, also comes with it. Windows 11 Pro is pre-installed with its sophisticated security, multitasking, and connectivity features. If you're in the market for a new laptop, this Prime Day sneak peek is one of the best deals you'll find all year. See at Amazon
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Nvidia RTX 5050 GPU leaks suggest a generational leap at a budget price
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The RTX 5050 Mobile is Nvidia's upcoming entry-level GPU for laptops. Based on new leaks, this GPU looks far more capable than its 'budget' tier would suggest. Though Nvidia hasn't officially announced its specs, the chip has already appeared in product pages from Acer, HP, and Lenovo, with models like the Acer Nitro 5, HP Victus 16, and Lenovo Legion 5i all slated to include it. The RTX 5050 Mobile is built on the new Blackwell architecture, marking a clean break from the RTX 4050 Mobile's Ada Lovelace foundation. While the RTX 5050 shares the same CUDA ("Compute Unified Device Architecture") core count as its predecessor (2,560), everything else -- from the memory configuration to the clock speeds -- suggests this new chip represents a generational leap in capability. And this generational jump is available for an affordable price. The specs were accidentally leaked by the German IT company Kiebel (via momomo_us). Those specs point to two distinct RTX 5050 Mobile variants. Most laptops will ship with an 8GB GDDR6 configuration running at up to 100W TGP. However, a second version reportedly pairs the same core GPU with 8GB of faster GDDR7 memory. This version appears in a handful of higher-end laptops, including the Asus ROG Strix G16 and Lenovo Legion 5 Pro engineering builds. It may allow for improved bandwidth and power efficiency in demanding workloads, but for now, take all that with a pinch of salt. According to the leaked specs, which surfaced in a retailer listing, the RTX 5050 is expected to include 20 RT cores, 80 Tensor cores, 8GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, and clock speeds up to 2.52GHz. Power draw ranges from 60W to 100W, depending on the chassis. It also gains access to Nvidia's latest Max-Q 4.0 power optimization stack. That's the same efficiency-boosting tech used in the higher-end 5070 and 5090 mobile chips. The 50-class tier has traditionally been where Nvidia cuts corners, often stripping memory, limiting bus widths, and dialing down RT performance. That made previous 'entry-level' GPUs like the RTX 3050 or 4050 tough sells, especially for gamers looking to push modern titles with ray tracing enabled or DLSS turned on. But the RTX 5050 changes that equation. Thanks to Blackwell's improved power management and architectural upgrades, Nvidia is delivering more performance in the same power envelope, or less. It's a smarter GPU, not just a faster one. Thanks to Blackwell's improved power management and architectural upgrades, Nvidia is delivering more performance in the same power envelope, or less. Early analysis suggests the 5050 offers a ~45% uplift over the 4050 in raw FP32 compute power, aided by its wider memory bus (128-bit vs 96-bit), higher clock speeds, and more VRAM. With 8GB of GDDR6, it avoids the memory bottlenecks that hampered the 6GB RTX 4050 in some games and creative apps. More importantly, Blackwell's efficiency translates into real-world advantages. Frame generation, DLSS 4, ray-traced lighting, and AI-assisted game logic all benefit from the updated Tensor cores and 4th-gen RT units, even in a chip this size. While we don't have official benchmarks yet, we know enough to put the RTX 5050 Mobile in context. It's faster than the RTX 4050 Mobile in nearly every metric that matters. It runs cooler, clocks higher, and offers significantly better bandwidth. Thanks to DLSS 4 and increased memory headroom, games that struggled to hold 60 fps at 1080p on the 4050, especially with ray tracing enabled, should fare far better on the 5050. In some cases, it could even approach RTX 4060 Mobile performance levels, especially in thin-and-light laptops where the 4060 is power-constrained. When configured at 100W in larger machines like the Legion 5 or Nitro 18, the 5050 may even outperform a 4060 running at 65W. GPU Architecture Cores Memory Bus TGP RTX 4050 Mobile Ada Lovelace 2560 6GB GDDR6 96-bit 35–65W RTX 5050 G6 Mobile Blackwell 2560 8GB GDDR6 128-bit 60–100W RTX 4060 G7 Mobile Blackwell 2560 8GB GDDR7 128-bit 80–115W RTX 4060 Mobile Ada Lovelace 3072 8GB GDDR6 128-bit 60–115W That's not to say it's a 4060 killer — it isn't. The 4060 still has more CUDA cores (3,072 vs. 2,560) and a higher theoretical ceiling. However, the gap is much smaller than the model numbers imply. And in real-world gaming at 1080p, especially with DLSS and frame generation, the 5050 could close that gap further. This is where the RTX 5050 gets interesting. OEMs aren't treating this like a bargain-bin GPU. Acer, HP, and Lenovo have all listed RTX 5050 configurations in laptops that span midrange to premium territory. That includes gaming-focused machines like the Nitro 5, Legion 5i, and Victus 16, but also prosumer ultrabooks like the LG Gram Pro 16 and IdeaPad Pro 5. These systems will mostly use the standard GDDR6 version, but we expect higher-tier designs to quietly adopt the GDDR7 variant as a performance differentiator. Acer's Nitro line-up confirms multiple RTX 5050 configurations, with some using a 60W TGP and others going as high as 100W. That's a critical detail. The 5050's performance will vary significantly depending on how much power it's allowed to draw. A 60W version will struggle to match a 4060. A 100W version might trade blows with it. Expect pricing in the $1,199 to $1,499 range at launch, though GDDR7-equipped models could push closer to the $1,600–$1,700 mark depending on CPU and chassis pairing. The RTX 5050 Mobile isn't a cut-down afterthought. It's not a recycled 4050. It's a thoughtfully tuned, architecture-first evolution that delivers next-gen features in laptops that won't require a second mortgage. Thanks to Blackwell's efficiency gains and smarter feature integration, Nvidia has finally given the 50-class a reason to exist beyond marketing. The RTX 5050 offers legitimate 1080p gaming chops, full ray tracing and DLSS 4 support, and enough VRAM to future-proof budget laptops. And with the GDDR7 variant waiting in the wings, this might be the most dynamic 50-class release Nvidia has ever shipped. Buyers will still need to shop carefully. Not every RTX 5050 laptop will unlock its full potential, and some may be priced too close to 5060 models for comfort. But in the right system, the RTX 5050 Mobile could be the best value GPU of 2025. The Nvidia GPU you actually want could launch next month AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme just brought AI to handhelds — should the competition be worried? I used the Asus ROG Strix G16 for a week, and it may be the best value in gaming laptops right now
CNET
a day ago
- CNET
Unwanted Photos Keep Showing Up On My iPhone. What Gives?
I've definitely opened my iPhone just to be hit in the face with photos of people or times that I'd just rather forget. Apple wants to remind you of the good times you've had with featured photos and memories, but this trip down nostalgia lane can backfire. These two iPhone features work together to create "featured content," to highlight the moments you want to remember. Unfortunately, along with your favorite vacation with friends, you might also end up looking at photos of your ex. The worst part is that featured content isn't exclusive to the Photos app. Featured content appears across your device, like in the search page and on widgets on your home screen. Don't miss: How to Download iOS 26 Right Now Having these unexpected photos randomly show up on your iPhone, especially if you're showing something on your phone to someone, or someone else is using your phone, can become a headache... that you can luckily avoid. If you want to stop unwanted photos from randomly appearing across your iPhone, here's how to stop it. While you're here, check out all the new features coming on iOS 26 and how to disable the most annoying Apple Intelligence feature. You can show a person less frequently or not at all If someone is featured pretty prominently across your photo library, iOS will consider them an important person in your life. That person will definitely show up in your memories and featured photos across your device. For most, it's a joyous experience, reliving precious memories with your favorite people. If things are not so precious anymore and you no longer talk to that person, you probably don't want to see their face randomly pop up on your phone. Sure, you could go through your camera roll and scrub every photo and video with that person in it, but that's a lot of work. Fortunately, there's an easy way to hide photos with a specific person. To feature a person less frequently or not at all in memories, features photos and widgets, open the Photos app, find a photo or video with the person you want to show less often, tap the three-dot menu button in the top-right and then hit Feature This Person Less. You can now choose from two options: Feature This Person Less : You won't see any individual photos or videos of this person in memories or featured photos, but if this person is in a group photo, those may still appear. : You won't see any individual photos or videos of this person in memories or featured photos, but if this person is in a group photo, those may still appear. Never Feature This Person: You won't see any photos or videos with this person, including group photos. If you still want to see group photos featured across your device, choose the first option, but if you really don't want to see that person, choose the second. Nelson Aguilar/CNET You can also completely disable memories and featured photos Now, not everyone's unexpected photo is going to be of an ex-spouse or former friend. An embarrassing photo of yourself or something borderline inappropriate might pop up on your phone somewhere, and if you're worried about that happening, you might just want to get rid of memories and feature photos completely. In the Settings app, go to Apps > Photos and toggle off Show Featured Content. This will stop all featured content across your device, including albums in the Photos app, widgets on your home screen and photos in search. Instead of seeing memories and featured photos, you'll see a grey box that says "Featured Content is Turned Off." Nelson Aguilar/CNET Other tips you can follow to prevent unexpected photos from showing up What I've detailed above is a great start to prevent certain photos from appearing across your device, but you can do more, especially if the two tips don't really do it for you. Remove photos widgets from your lock and home screen. There is a photos widget that only shows featured photos, and that may end up being embarrassing or unwanted photos. Simply remove them from your phone, or choose a photo widget that isn't a "featured" one. There is a photos widget that only shows featured photos, and that may end up being embarrassing or unwanted photos. Simply remove them from your phone, or choose a photo widget that isn't a "featured" one. Hide collections in the Photos app . Starting with iOS 18, you can now hide certain collections that may preview photos you don't want to necessarily see. In Photos , go to Customize & Reorder and check off the collections you want to hide. These collections include Recent Days , People & Pets , Trips and more. If you have featured content disabled, you'll notice that some collections are greyed out. . Starting with iOS 18, you can now hide certain collections that may preview photos you don't want to necessarily see. In , go to and check off the collections you want to hide. These collections include , , and more. If you have featured content disabled, you'll notice that some collections are greyed out. Turn off holiday memories . If you don't want to see memories of recent holiday events, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, you can go to Settings > Apps > Photos and toggle off Show Holiday Events . . If you don't want to see memories of recent holiday events, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, you can go to > > and toggle off . Stop photos from appearing in search . If you type something into search, you may see photos appear. You can stop this from happening by going to Settings > Apps > Photos and toggling off Show App in Search and Show Content in Search. . If you type something into search, you may see photos appear. You can stop this from happening by going to > > and toggling off and Don't choose a featured wallpaper on your lock screen. On iOS 18, you can have featured photos appear as your lock screen, changing through the day. Choose any other wallpaper than the featured photos wallpaper to avoid unwanted photos from appearing on your lock screen. Now Playing: I'm Impressed With iOS 26. Apple Just Made iPhones Better 05:40 If you want to learn more about iOS, check out how to get more iPhone storage with these two tips and why the iPhone 16 camera control button is also a secret action button.
