Category: Virtual Reality
Virtual Worlds Week: Five companies who SHOULD launch virtual worlds
The metaverse is an increasingly crowded place, given the number of startups keen to take a slice of Second Life’s hype and revenues. We’ll be profiling some of the main rivals later this week, as well as taking a look at the hot young guns showing their worlds off at the Virtual Worlds Forum Europe conference.
But what about companies who should be launching their own virtual worlds, but haven’t yet? I’ve had a think, and come up with five firms for whom it’d make sense to go virtual. Starting with…
Virtual Worlds Week: Second Life gets Facebook application
It was only a matter of time before Second Life was sucked into the parallel world of Facebook applications. Second Life Link is a new app that lets you show off your SL avatar on your Facebook profile, and show which of your Facebook friends are online in Second Life.
There’s also an option to specify your home or favourite SL location, allowing friends to teleport straight there from within Facebook. Makers Fire Centaur say privacy hasn’t been forgotten, so users can choose from several settings to decide whether or not their friends can see their online/offline status.
Virtual Worlds Week: Second Life gets new Google-powered search engine
Linden Lab has announced a new in-world search engine for Second Life, which aims to make it easier to find cool places and products within the world.
It’s using Google Search Appliances for indexing and search results, although before you get excited, that just means Linden has bought a licence to use Google’s technology – it’s not an actual partnership between the two firms.
Welcome to Virtual Worlds Week on Tech Digest
Meatspace? Schmeatspace! This week, it’s all about virtual reality here on Tech Digest. To be specific, we’re going to be focusing on all things virtual world related, from Second Life and PlayStation Home to the many startups angling for a slice of your avatar.
Watch out for a bunch of stories looking at the latest virtual world developments, while on Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be liveblogging from the Virtual Worlds Forum Europe conference, where the biggest companies in the area will be showing off their new developments and talking about the latest trends.
Cancer charity holding 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning' in Second Life
At last, a reason to log back into Second Life that doesn’t involve getting spammed by a brand. UK charity Macmillan Cancer Support is holding what it says is the ‘World’s Largest Coffee Morning’ this Friday within the virtual world, at its new virtual cancer information centre.
It’s been created for Macmillan by Second Life creative firms New Business Horizons and Phoenix Film & Television. Visitors to the centre will be served virtual coffee all day, while giant coffee cups are being placed around the Second Life world to attract donations, with every donor getting a free virtual t-shirt by way of thanks.
Is Google planning to launch its own virtual world?
Okay, so Google already has a virtual world: it’s called Google Earth. But I’m talking a Second Life style virtual world, with avatars and community features and big furry-penised love machines all over the shop. Well, maybe not that last one.
The rumour’s come from Arizona State University, where students have been asked to sign up to beta test a new product from “a major internet company”, with the signup form mentioning 3D modelling, gaming and avatars, and asking specifically if they have a Gmail account. The university has strong ties with Google in other areas.
Forget Second Life: Metaplace lets you make your OWN virtual world
Now this is seriously cool. Metaplace is a new online service that lets you create your own virtual world in just 30 seconds, then embed it on your blog or social networking profile.
There’s a slick graphical user interface for regular users to get their 3D environment up and running, while programming whizzes can get stuck in to actual coding to create and customise their world. The service claims to be platform-agnostic, so its worlds should be able to run on PCs, games consoles and mobile phones.
Rumour: PS3 Home virtual world set for 11th October launch
Sony’s Home virtual world is still one of the more intriguing aspects of PS3, in that it could turn out to be a monster success or an utter flop. Which in my view makes it a brave and laudable thing to launch. Not that it’s launched yet: Home is still in beta.
However, Sony’s latest release dates announcement has Home pegged in for a “tentative” release date of 11th October on the PlayStation Network. The beta must have gone well, because that fits in with Sony’s original roadmap for its virtual world.
World Wildlife Fund sets up Conservation Island on Second Life
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has today set up a virtual island on Second Life, designed to allow residents to live in harmony with its friendly wild animal population.
“Conservation Island” includes Mr Tangee, an orangutan with an ice-cream van (exactly how wild is that supposed to be?), and guide pandas who show people around the wind-powered town.
“WWF set up the island as a way to help people learn about conservation issues and the need to live sustainably. We want to be able to show people that WWF has solutions to the real environmental issues affecting their ‘first life’,” said WWF’s David Cole.
UCAS provides A-level advice on virtual island in Second Life
One of the latest organisations to create a presence for itself on Second Life is UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Having created their own virtual island, they’ll be offering free advice from professional advisers about the clearing and application processes.
It’s supposed to be a pressure-free environment where those who’ve just got their A-level results can find out what happens next. The island features a series of bio-domes, each containing useful information.
