Napster View is a 3D holographic second screen for AI companions

Napster View is a small 2.1-inch secondary display using 3D holographic imagery to allow you to interact with AI companions on desktop.

I don’t use AI tools that much. I’ll spare everyone the speech, or the reasons why, but as a creative, I’m not a fan of the backend technologies and how they handle data collection, among other things. But there’s no denying how popular they are. There are AI companions for cooking help, shopping, conversations, research, you name it. What if you could visualize what those companions look like? Like actually see the “individual” you’re talking to? Napster, yes, that Napster, has created something called the Napster View that’s meant to be used alongside AI companions. It does precisely that. It’s a 3D holographic device that streams your video chat on a separate screen, mainly to talk to AI.

It’s a small 2.1-inch display, surrounded in anodized aluminum that weighs just 65 grams. It clips onto your monitor and keeps everything out of the way, so you get your full traditional screen real estate as well. It pairs with the Napster Companion app for macOS, and works with Apple silicon desktops and laptops from M1 models up. I’m not an AI or an Apple guy, so I’m out, but it’s still a cool device to talk about.

What is Napster View and the Napster Companion App?

They’re meant to work together, so it doesn’t really make sense to talk about one and not the other. The Napster Companion app, and connected service, is a “network of embodied, video-based AI agents” that you can talk to that purportedly “understand” and react with empathy, expertise and personality. Imagine thousands of AI-powered online or digital companions that you can talk to, for just about any subject known to humankind. AI psychologists, travel consultants, financial planners, nutritionists, fashion designers, life coaches, career strategists. There are a few others that are a bit concerning, like a child development specialist, but hey, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. You can also chat live with digital twins of personal contacts.

The point of Napster View is to keep you connected to those companions on your desktop. But it provides a secondary screen, small, unobtrusive and out of the way so that your AI companion isn’t taking up your primary workspace. Summon “anything your Napster Companion can do” with a mere tap.