Category: Virtual Reality
MWC 2008: Second Life now runs on… an iPhone?!
No, your eyes aren't kidding you. That really is the processor-shredding Second Life virtual world running on an iPhone. But how? And why is it so slow? Well, the answer is that it's a concept demo produced by mobile technology firm Comverse.
The hot new thing in Second Life? Bouncy breasts
It's not unreasonable to assume that whenever you meet someone in a virtual world or MMO with enormous, gravity-defying breasts, they're probably a man in real-life. But it seems that in Second Life, female users are flocking to a virtual store called Smashing Prims that's selling realistically bouncing breasts for their avatars.
Lancia to launch its Delta car in Second Life before real world
The hype around virtual world Second Life has died down a bit in recent months, and some companies have shut down their branded zones within it after visitor numbers didn’t match up to the press column inches when they launched. However, by contrast other brands are coming into Second Life.
Hitler explains Second Life
I think the headline says it all really: just watch and learn. And laugh.
JFK assassination to be recreated in Second Life
I still think the Martians killed President Kennedy. It makes sense if you think about it: maybe they did possess magic bullets capable of zinging around right angles and defying the laws of physics. And if the shots came from space, that would explain why they couldn’t be traced. Really, it makes perfect sense. I’m writing a book about it. But in the meantime, conspiracy theorists wanting a new spin on the Kennedy assassination can now visit a virtual version of Dealey Plaza in Second Life.
LogiCity: the edugame that's a greener spin on Sim City
The planet is going to the dogs, and judging by the apocalyptic predictions on Look East last week, Norfolk will be the first to be submerged when the floods come. If it helps Norwich City stay clear of relegation, I'm all for it. But climate change isn't an excuse for silly football jokes, kids. It's a serious business.
Call the cops! Thieves are loose in Habbo Hotel…
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are real thieves going about their nefarious business within virtual worlds. It’s inevitable once people start spending real money on virtual items for their avatar or room. If those items can be stolen, then there’ll surely be people trying to steal them. Such is the case in Habbo Hotel, where a group of Dutch teenagers has been accused of nicking more than 4,000 Euros worth of virtual furniture from other users.
Dilbert creator Scott Adams appears in Second Life for nut-kicking extravaganza
The latest celebrity to venture into Second Life is Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip. He was promoting his new book by fielding questions from SL users (including one Dogbert avatar), and allowing guests to, er, kick him in the nuts. You wouldn’t get that at a Waterstones signing.
20 trends defining virtual worlds in 2007
So, I spent two days soaking up presentations, viewing demos and talking to people at the Virtual Worlds Forum Europe conference in London last week. I’d label myself as an interested participant – I’m enthusiastic about the potential of virtual worlds – but nowhere near as steeped in their culture as most of the other attendees.
With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of 20 trends and ideas that I picked up at the conference, which seem to be the most important and/or interesting ones affecting the development of virtual worlds right now. They’re entirely subjective, of course, but I think they’re all valid points. See what you think…
1. Shedloads of virtual worlds will be launched in 2008. Although the conference saw a lot of discussion about Second Life, Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin and other existing virtual worlds, there’s clearly more where they came from. There’s a number of virtual worlds in closed beta, or still effectively technological demos, but they all seem to be targeting next year for launch.
Second Life is coming to your phone… in Japan
I tried to run the Second Life application on my much-loved Mac Mini the other day: you could practically hear its gears grinding. And I didn’t even know it had gears. It’s fair to say that you need a fairly ninja computer to get the most out of Linden Lab’s virtual world.
However, not for much longer: it appears someone’s working on a mobile phone SL browser. Check this on the TokyoZERO website. Yes, it’s entirely in Japanese, but you should be able to make out that a.) it concerns Second Life running on a phone, b.) Sun is involved (the people behind J2ME), and c.) it’s got something to do with mobile operator NTT DoCoMo too.
