While I stopped playing WoW, can’t help but being amazed by this use of Vollee (previously featured as bringing Second Life to an iPhone & N95). Seems like Vollee and OnLive are heading in the same direction proposing cloud-based game rendering.

The VR-WEAR modification of the Second Life client never intended to be commercial, and as such we decided to release our modification as a patch to let others contribute to our work.
The modification relies on the integration of the OpenCV library plus a pile of custom filters enabling us to detect specific motions on the user’s head by monitoring the computer’s webcam.
The amazing feedback and the pile of request to release the code are now fulfilled, let me know if you wish to help so we can coordinate the next steps of the project.
The patches for both windows and OSX can be found on the dedicated blog.

3D web is an amazing playground for me. While we are really early stage in terms of usage and adoption, we already have a lot of pretty amazing implementations of 3DWeb environments and while the initial hype we witnessed in 2006/2007 is now over real use cases are starting to happen.
Also it’s getting harder and harder to make a difference between an online 3D game (MMORPG) such as World of Warcraft and a 3DWeb environment such as Second Life. Indeed while the latter misses NPCs and objectives and allows user generated contents, both are place where users/players seek each other to spend a time “together” around a common objective shared within that world, wether it’s talking about how to convince the curmudgeon on a role playing session or take down Malygos in WoW.

First Prediction : Most first-tier businesses will be carrying out experiments about the use of 3Dweb within their organization as a powerful brainstorming / meeting tool and will be seeking for ROI not press coverage – those experiments will mostly remain under the hood and private.

Second Prediction : Bots and NPCs will become common thing within 3Dweb environments and IA will be able to start showing its full potential. Those bots will enable a persistent presence within virtual worlds and will try to fight the “alone” effect you get when entering Second Life at random times.

Third Prediction : Accessories especially designed to engage in 3D web will roll out and the one already on the market will strongly develop. We can think here about Logitech’s 3DConnexion or VR-WEAR‘s devices and SL-viewer (a webcam *is* a device after all).

Fourth Prediction : 3Dweb will get mobile and to the games consoles. 2009 will see reference implementations of major 3Dwebs on non-PC communicating platforms. While console makers are working on their own 3Dweb software (Playstation Home, and Xbox’s avatars and soon to be virtual world) market leaders will have to move to this market.

Fifth Prediction : 3Dweb will interconnect seamlessly with 2Dweb communication tools. First experiments were witnessed through tools such as SL-Messenger enabling msn/gtalk/aim/yahoochat/twitter/visualbookmarking from Second Life which will evolve as interconnection platforms for 3Dweb communities and common web communities.

Congrats to PO Carles and his RIL Shopping launch, first experiment of real goods shopping in SL, I attended today the yummy Bagatelle sale and it’s really fun to see all those virtual basket getting filled with real goods.

This video has been out on the web for a couple of days and while I got no clue who is at its origins, it’s a great illustration of where we are heading to with Virtual Worlds. With the improved graphics available now in any low cost PC around, along with FTTH technologies, we could reach this degree of realism within years. Add to this a bunch of cool immersion devices, and Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash” gets real !