Synergies between people in virtual environments. Extremely interesting prospects appear to be the combination of social networking with the "resurrection" of virtual reality (VR), which seems to have returned dynamically after its brief "emergence" in the 1990s.
According to an article in the MIT Technology Review, while Facebook, which has bought the now famous Oculus VR, is considering its options, an ambitious startup, the altspace VR, is already moving in the field of social networking through virtual reality.
Η Altspace VR δημιουργεί κοινωνικά εικονικά περιβάλλοντα, που μπορεί να ποικίλλουν, από έναν ιαπωνικού τύπου κήπο μέχρι ένα αμφιθέατρο ή ένα κομψό σαλόνι. Ο στόχος είναι χρήστες με κατάλληλο εξοπλισμό να συναναστρέφονται ο ένας τον άλλον μέσα σε αυτά τα περιβάλλοντα, υπό τη μορφή «άβαταρ» που επιδεικνύουν πραγματική γλώσσα σώματος, χάρη σε αισθητήρες κίνησης, και κάνουν μαζί διάφορα πράγματα, όπως η παρακολούθηση ταινιών, παιχνίδια, ψώνια κ.α., μέσω της χρήσης ενός διαμοιραζόμενου, virtual Web Browser.
Η company it also hopes developers will use its software development kit to create a wide range of applications, from oversized chess games to 3-D model viewers.
Altspace VR is one of a growing number of companies trying to figure out how and to what extent all the virtual reality devices and technologies currently being developed by big names in the tech industry, such as Oculus, VR, can be utilized. Sony, HTC and Samsung. It is noted that gaming applications are expected to be large, as expected, with Philip Rosedale, creator of the popular online game Second Life, being in the process of creating a virtual reality world called High Fidelity.
Altspace VR's goal, according to founder Eric Romo, is to develop ways for them to interact better people who are actually far away from each other, better than video chatting, texting or talking on the phone. Currently, its technology is being tested in weekend "sessions" with groups of users who engage in activities within such virtual spaces. Romo hopes for an open beta test in the coming months, alongside the release of the software development kit. The company hopes to have a commercial product ready around the same time the HTC Vice is expected to be released. So far, it has raised about $5,5 million in funding from investors including Google Ventures.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
