Lenovo is testing glasses-free computers with a ring controller.
www.theverge.com
Lenovo’s new ThinkBook 3D Laptop Concept and Hybrid Dimensional 34-inch Curved Monitor Concept, announced at Mobile World Congress 2025, use directional backlighting and head tracking to simultaneously show 2D and 3D content without glasses. An accompanying AI Ring concept can be worn to control them with gesture-based spatial controls. It sounds like Leia’s tech, but Lenovo reps would not confirm during my short demo. Maybe 3D is coming back? (I doubt it.) [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/257550_Lenovo_MWC_2025_laptop_preview_ADiBenedetto_0012.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/257550_Lenovo_MWC_2025_laptop_preview_ADiBenedetto_0013.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/257550_Lenovo_MWC_2025_laptop_preview_ADiBenedetto_0015.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/257550_Lenovo_MWC_2025_laptop_preview_ADiBenedetto_0014.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/257550_Lenovo_MWC_2025_laptop_preview_ADiBenedetto_0019.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/7-ThinkBook-3D-Laptop-Concept.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/257550_Lenovo_MWC_AJohnson_0005.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/5-AI-Ring.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
  • HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com
    7·
    2 months ago

    this was working well in a research lab in the aughts. Surprised its not more common as by now I would think any laptop camera should be able to do eye tracking pretty decently.

    • MudMan@fedia.io
      6·
      2 months ago

      If a 3DS was able to pull this off flawlessly I’m pretty sure any potato laptop or phone can as well.

      The challenge is the display and the software. There is no real contemporary stereoscopy support anymore beyond dedicated VR apps. Nvidia’s driver level support has been deprecated, I believe.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
        1·
        2 months ago

        Firstly the 3DS couldn’t pull it off. Secondly this is a completely different technology. Basically it’s just tracking your eyes and Parallax mapping the screen effects.

        It’s still a 2D display in reality.

        • MudMan@fedia.io
          52·
          2 months ago

          Yeah, no, the 3DS did eye tracking starting with the New 3DS.

          Have people memory holed this? The New 3DS could adjust its parallax via eye tracking to a much wider effective tracking angle. It took a fraction of a second to adjust if you moved too quickly, but it was seamsless most of the time.

          • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
            11·
            2 months ago

            Have people memory holed this?

            I have no idea what you mean. I’ve never heard of a new 3DS when did it come out?

            • MudMan@fedia.io
              3·
              2 months ago
              1. It had a bigger screen, eye tracking for the stereo 3D, a built-in second stick nub thingy and a bit more performance. It came in two sizes, to match the OG and XL versions of the base model.

              Kinda nuts that this fell through the cracks for some people. The improvements to the stereo tracking were dramatic.

              • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
                2·
                1 month ago

                It’s rather telling though isn’t it that Nintendo then abandoned the technology as soon as they went over to their next console. If it had been popular they would have included it on the switch.

                • MudMan@fedia.io
                  11·
                  1 month ago

                  They abandoned many things when transitioning to the Switch. Most notably home consoles. I wouldn’t extract too many conclusions from that train of thought.

                  But yeah, I’m not saying the 3DS stereo display was hugely popular, even if the console itself did pretty well. Clearly a bunch of people were very hostile to it (and to every other variant of 3D display) right off the bat and never looked back. If the meme of “I switched the 3D slider down and never touched it again” popular at the time didn’t show that this thread seems to be good proof.

                  I’m saying people were extremely wrong about that and I’m surprised that the massive improvement in the New 3DS flew under the radar enough for some people to not even be aware that it happened. The tech absolutely works, and the two iterations Nintendo did absolutely show that it can be implemented very effectively for cheap.

        • HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com
          1·
          2 months ago

          im not sure how the 3ds did it but if this is what I think the screen will still require physical lines to work off of that will be so thing that they should barely be visible or assuming its done better two screens on top of each other where the first screen throws up the lines and could likely be something like eink.

          • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
            1·
            1 month ago

            I have no idea how it works I’m not sure if Lenovo have released that information.

            It was at CEX but all the footage of it is mostly of people going “it’s really interesting but it doesn’t show up on camera”. So is anyone’s guess how good this will be.

            I’m inclined to feel like it’s a gimmick though. Does anyone want 3D displays?