As technology becomes more compact, trendsetters start researching ways to improve multi-sensory experience. Keypads have been replaced by touchscreens. CRT TVs have been replaced by nearly flat, lightweight, large (and sometimes curved) OLED displays. But what’s next for 3D display technology? We thought it was dead but, sans special glasses, perhaps there’s life to it. If so, Sony’s new (soon to be available) Spatial Reality Display is one to keep an eye on.
Spatial Reality is the New 3D Display
The Spatial Reality Display’s greatest feature is the ability to look around and interact with visuals on its 3,840 x 2,160 UHD display. A built-in, high-speed vision sensor tracks your pupil movements in real-time down to the millisecond, adjusting images accordingly to their X, Y, and Z coordinates. With this, a headset is no longer required to view an image from multiple directions as you would a real object.
A micro optical lens positioned over the 15.6-inch LCD display divides what you see through your left and right eyes. This is what allows the Spatial Reality Display to deliver a stereoscopic view without the need for any head-mounted ocular peripherals.
You may already see some of the limitations though. You are obviously limited to what fits on/in the screen space. So while you have 3D viewing capability, you won’t be able to stand and walk around to view the object at every conceivable angle. On top of this, the Spatial Reality Display’s eye-tracking only senses one pair of eyes. When more than one person uses the screen, they won’t have the same interactive experience as someone who is directly in front of the screen. With this in mind, the Spatial Reality system allows multiple displays to be connected for simultaneous viewing.
The Spatial Reality Display is launching with compatibility for Unity and Unreal Engine 4 game engines along with easy export options for 3D files that use Sony’s Software Development Kit (SDK). There isn’t a specified date for when the Spatial Reality Display will launch, but the Sony webpage lists it as “Available Soon”.
With a price tag of $4,999.99 USD one, much less multiple, may not put them in your price range quite yet but as eye-tracking and multi-layer light-field displays advance, we may see these images hoping off the screen within the next decade. You can find more on the Spatial Reality Display’s specs and features on the Sony webpage.
