beta
Originally uploaded by Vivian Oblivion

Set on Flickr ^^^^

Hey, Karan - give this a try and tell me how you get on.
Elucidation: Don't click Join Now! - sometimes there's a beta sign up with a field for an email address. Refresh the page and you should get it.

Cloud
Second Life has a new cloud-based version that allows casual explorers to dip a toe in the virtual world. It's on *Gaikai, which is like OnLive one supposes (I did the OnLive beta so that's my touchstone). The interface is stripped-down and there are limits as one would expect, in most things - it's for new people, and is trying to deliver the goods but not overface. No map, for instance, no inventory (not needed), no search.

I dunno how it runs on normal hardware as I don't have normal hardware - well, I would hope it is zippy on normal gear. Your bandwidth is the crucial thing, though. There's a storm making my power flicker at the moment so I hardly had the best conditions yet it ran fine.

Great:

• Click an avatar picture in the interface and become that avatar
• Spiffy pictures
• Simple and clear
• Limited destinations but choices seem varied and good overall

I chose the rocker girl and it took a while to appear, but it looked fine. I went to a place I'd never been before and almost immediately fell down a crack into an oubliette, but truthfully I'd've paid more attention to signs had I really been new. The destinations need to choose their estate time VERY CAREFULLY as it was a bit dark in some places.

Bad:

• Ixnay on the invisiprims
  

LL, well done. I think this is a useful lead-in to SL proper.

*Gaikai is a cloud-based gaming technology that allows users to play major PC and console games like Call Of Duty or World Of Warcraft instantly, with one click. No download or install required.

Can somebody compare Spoon to this using normal hardware?
This is considerably lighter as far as data streamed.

Labels: Cloud