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Unlike many of my colleagues at CNET, I’m not a gamer. But an immersive experience Consumer Electronics Show 2026 She almost convinced me to become one.
“I feel like I’m hallucinating,” I said, standing in front of what appeared to be a normal desktop screen, controller in my hand. When I moved my character through a series of tunnels, it seemed as if the 3D images were pulling me inside.
I never felt drawn to the digital world, and I didn’t even wear a headset. How did this even happen?
The demo that blew me away was powered by a feature called Immersionfrom the 3D rendering company Leia, which uses Spatial artificial intelligence programs Combined with Devices It can switch between standard view and stereoscopic depth projection. On-screen images on your phone, tablet, monitor or laptop appear to jump out at the viewer, no glasses required. This includes video games, movies, YouTube or social media posts, and even medical images such as CT scans.
I was able to see many of these applications firsthand at Leah’s demo in Las Vegas, and the impressions remain.
Unlike 3D immersion using a headset or glasses, Leia’s technology works by tracking your face with cameras, sending a left view of the on-screen content to your left eye and a right view to your right eye. You then see the screen in stereoscopic view, similar to how you view the real world. This means that if someone is standing next to you (or recording the experience on camera), they won’t necessarily get the full 3D effect, because it’s meant for the person sitting in front of the screen.
Along with the gaming experience, I watched a nature video on YouTube that switches from 2D to 3D with the click of a button, making animals stand out against lush backgrounds. I joined a video call where I could seemingly connect with the person I was talking to and give each other a shout out. (He – she Remind me to try Google beam 3D video call.) And I watched a snippet of the movie Avatar in 3D, without having to wear IMAX glasses.
Glasses-free 3D displays are nothing new. Leia, the company that created the immersion feature, was notably prominent Behind 3D displays In reed Hydrogen One phone Released in 2018. Phone lukewarm reception Resulted in it being fast to stopas some reviewers noted that the stereoscopic display was so-so Faded.
But Immersity’s capabilities and wide-ranging applications look more promising, and its impact has impressed me much more than I expected.
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A lot of 3D technology can feel weird, as it’s difficult for people to jump off the screen. The immersion felt truly immersive. The layered effect was attractive and vibrant in a way I didn’t know was possible without glasses.
The 3D technology is already available on a few devices you can buy today, including the Red Magic 16-inch laptop and the Samsung Odyssey 3D monitor. Products like zSpace Inspire and Onsor AMAD can be used for educational purposes such as obtaining a 3D view of diagrams or molecular structures, and Barco Eonis 3D can make decoding medical images easier.
Immersion can also shake Virtual reality games. Leah teamed up with a company called PortalVRwhich allows you to play any SteamVR game on your PC without a headset. Connect a Meta Quest or Pico VR via USB and use controllers to play, leaving bulky head-mounted equipment on the table. Immersion takes this experience one step further by making the images on your screen appear in front of you, much like what you see with a headset. By looking Meta VR Sale This week, a program like Leia may be an alternative to some apps.
Personally, I’m not sure how practical or necessary 3D is when I’m scrolling through TikTok or watching dramas, but there’s something to be said about raising the bar for display technology that has been stagnant for too long.
It’s nice to see a real-world feature that looks like it was pulled from a sci-fi flick. Although I’m not sure which displays or monitors I own would work with it, I saw the appeal right away.
I walked away from Leia’s demo in awe and with a new resolution: “I’m going to start playing just for this.” Although I may need to wait until the technology becomes a little more widely available.