Looking Glass unveiled its Looking Glass 27-inch holographic light field display with 5K 3D graphics.
The 27-inch is the company’s most powerful 3D display to date and it is optimized for delivering immersive 3D experiences to groups simultaneously, all without headsets, glasses, or special gear.
It can be powered directly off an iPad, providing a smaller footprint and a lower cost of operation to businesses needing better ways to entertain audiences or communicate ideas and concepts. Pre-orders are now open at a 20% discount off of regional pricing.
The Looking Glass 27-inch marks a milestone in the company’s mission to free 3D from the confines of headsets and single-user limits. With 5K fidelity in a thin format (just 1” thick), but producing 16 inches of virtual depth, the 27-inch display unlocks multi-user 3D experiences, whether in research, training or live activations. The 27-inch screen comes in vertical or horizontal orientations.
Recent software breakthroughs even enable the displays to be powered by iPads, delivering a roughly 35% system-level cost reduction over its predecessor.
“This is a breakthrough moment for 3D,” said Shawn Frayne, CEO of Looking Glass, in a statement. “With the new 27-inch display, we’ve combined major hardware and software advances to cut system costs and dramatically reduce compute requirements. It’s never been easier for developers and enterprises to build, test, and then deploy applications for their audiences in 3D.”
The display can project 45 to 100 perspectives simultaneously, creating seamless 3D within a 53-degree view cone so groups can experience 3D together. The 5K visual fidelity replicates depth, material characteristics, translucency, and lighting effects as they appear in the real world.g.
The company said it built with the display with developers and enterprises in mind. Devs can create in Unity on the PC and deploy on iPad for seamless cross-device compatibility. It integrates with WebXR and major 3D content pipelines for expanded development flexibility.
It has a new ultra-thin one-inch design and flexible VESA mounting or desk stand simplify deployment and setup anywhere, even in high foot-traffic areas.
The company said 3D content is managed through applications deployed on TestFlight and the App Store, just like any iOS application.
Looking Glass said brands, research labs, and innovators are building headset-free 3D experiences across industries with Looking Glass.
The aim is to enhance engagement with stakeholders and explore complex spatial concepts in engineering, biotech, and design. And Looking Glass wants to accelerate understanding and comprehension of complex 3D topics across disciplines.
And it wants to deliver immersive 3D experiences that captivate audiences in high-traffic locations for retailers and entertainment.
The 27-inch display sells for $10,000 with a pre-order price of $8,000 through April 30. Shipments begin in June 2025. For additional localized pricing, the company directs folks to its reseller page.
Those who want to get started today rather than wait until June can order the Looking Glass 16” for $4,000. A 25% discount applies to all orders made before April 30, 2025 while supplies last.
Rob Kodadek, COO of Looking Glass, said in a message to GamesBeat, “Early demand has been the strongest we’ve seen. The new systems tackle two major requests from our customers: lower overall system cost and a much easier path to getting content onto the display.”
He added, “At the same time, we’ve kept all the power and flexibility needed for displaying full real-time applications and experimental content workflows in 3D. Visual fidelity is improved, deployment is simpler, and the systems run on much more accessible hardware. We don’t share exact sales figures, but it’s clear the response reflects just how well this new line aligns with what customers are looking for.”
How it works
Light field displays (LFDs) are a type of 3D display technology that projects a “field” of light rays with depth and directionality from multiple angles. This field of light rays is what allows viewers to see the 3D image without glasses.
Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY with additional operations in Hong Kong. It has 40 employees now. Back in 2018, Looking Glass launched the world’s first desktop holographic dev kit. In 2020, it launched Looking Glass Portrait, the first personal holographic display.
And during the summer of 2022 Looking Glass announced the world’s largest holographic display, the Looking Glass 65-inch and the first way to share holograms on the internet on the Looking Glass Blocks platform. The team hasn’t disclosed its funding history and it has 40 employees.
“Yeah, we really love holograms,” the company said.
The primary difference between a normal 5K display and the 5K light field display is the depth: 16 inches of perceived depth.
