Linden Lab is looking for an innovative mobile app engineer to deliver a compelling, responsive mobile interface into Second Life. If you’re passionate about the latest cross platform mobile technologies and would be psyched to wake up every morning knowing that your efforts will enhance the largest, most successful virtual world on the Internet then we want to hear from you!
Among the knowledge and skills needed for the position is "Experience developing consumer-oriented mobile applications for Android and IOS." This would suggest that Linden Lab is getting back into making a viewer for mobile devices, possibly for Android phones and iPhones, but at least for Android-run tablets and iPads.
Inara Pey reminded her readers that Ebbe Linden talked about the issue during the SL15B, saying the Lab was "seeking the right approach for investment in a mobile solution ... we're thinking hard about mobile." Oz and Grumpity Linden did as well, saying "The potential for some kind of mobile solution for Second Life is being discussed." Grumpity had also mentioned the cost to users was a concern, saying the Lab didn't want a moble viewer that would require charging it's viewers a lot. When New World Notes brought up the issue, Will Burns responded in the comments that he had asked Ebbe Linden in his visit to Linden Lab why they didn't buy up OnLive themselves, and stated the answer was that "At the time ... Linden Lab didn't get hands-on with the process. ... it would seem at least *something* I said up there sunk in during my visit." New World Notes would also speculate, " If they're only hiring a Senior Mobile Engineer now, it's probably going to be at least 8-12 months before we see an Alpha version of a mobile viewer for SL."
Bill Glover, the founder of Bright Canopy, credited Inara Pey's post on her blog, about SL GO's shutdown and suggestion that someone else could provide it's service, for his decision to post a survey asking if anyone would be interested in helping him start such a streaming service. The response was the founder of a company handling streaming for some of the largest companies in the world, Nikola Bozinovic, offering to help him out, and "over one hundred SL and OpenSim residents ... offering to help with testing, docomentation, bug tracking, and even development. ... With a team like that, it's no wonder we had the core features, working in beta in less than seven days."
The monthly fee, at least for the first 90 days, will be $17 a month, "Our early bird price is going to be an experiment for 90 days. If
you’ve been following the blog, you know we’ve seen price fluctuations
on the back end, and we still need to watch actual usage of the service.
$17 is a sustainable price if the instance costs return to their
typical, historical values. It is not a sustainable price with the
current spike in instance price. We may need to get creative with how we
split instances, or we may need to raise prices. We intend to remain
transparent as always and will keep you posted. Our goal is to continue
to maintain a sustainable, affordable service."
The company plans to soon have an "East Coast Cloud" for faster ping rates for users on the eastern time zone of the US, and is offering free time for those whom have friends sign up. They are also planning a release party.
Like SL GO, the company says Bright Canopy will improve the Second Life experience on older computers.
After five years of uninterrupted service, the OnLive Game Service will be coming to an end. Sony is acquiring important parts of OnLive, and their plans don’t include a continuation of the game service in its current form. Your service should continue uninterrupted until April 30, 2015. No further subscription fees will be charged, and you can continue to play all of your games until that date.
As the first-ever game streaming service of its kind, everyone who has ever played a game using OnLive has contributed to the technology and its evolution in some way. We’re immensely proud of what’s been achieved and extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for being a part of the OnLive Game Service.
Onlive had their own message for users of SLGo, saying they would continue the service until April 30, and they would no longer charge for their services, "no further subscription fees will be charged."
In our year of SL Go service, we have become quite close to the Second Life® community. Thanks to your patronage and constructive feedback, SL Go became one of OnLive’s most successful services. We know how important SL Go is for many of you, and it saddens us to bring the service to a close. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for being a part of “SL Go by OnLive” and wish you all the best.
So why did OnLive fail as a company? Kyle Orland, the senior gaming editor of Ars Technica, wrote, "Looking back, it seems OnLive was just a little bit too far ahead of the
curve, both in terms of market readiness and the Internet
infrastructure necessary for streaming games. As low-latency bandwidth
continues to become cheaper and more accessible around the world, it
seems likely someone will nail the correct combination of business
model, game selection, and easy-to-use interface to become the
industry's answer to Netflix. That company will owe a debt to OnLive for
getting the ball rolling and proving that streaming gaming was
something that was worth trying in the first place."
Of SL Go closing down, Inara Pey wrote, "This is and unfortunate end, not just for SL Go, but also for everyone
at OnLive, a company which had come through a lot to provide a unique
on-line gaming service and which has tried to enter a very unique
environment with SL Go, and has done so by providing a very successful
approach to providing Second Life to people while on the move through
their delivery to Android and iPad devices, and to those using older,
lower-specification hardware.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to be somewhat closely involved in SL Go,
initially being offered the opportunity to help beta the product, and
then in helping to report on and promote the service, and (hopefully)
provide OnLive, through Dennis and his team with useful feedback,
support and advice.
As such, I’d like to take this opportunity to offer Dennis, Jeff,
Shae, Jersey, Robby and everyone else at OnLive involved in SL Go –
including Jane Anderson in the US and Mark Bevan here in the UK, my
thanks and my heartfelt best wishes for the future. I do, however hope
that we’ll continue to able to see one another in-world, at the very
least."
Hamlet Au commented, " I once consulted for OnLive, and SL Go was a media partner, but now
that the company is ceasing operations, I can say without even having to
make a full disclosure that SL Go was just about the best thing to
happen to Second Life in a long time, and I'm sorry to see it go." He did suggest there was a possibility that Sony might enable Playstation owners to stream Second Life from their consoles.
Draxtor Despress' latest video in which he goes out in to real life with his tablet and SL GO, "A wise man named Torley once said: 'Where ever you SL GO, there you are!' And
boy was he right: SL GO streams Second Life from the cloud to your
mobile device in the highest possible fidelity over 4G or WiFi. SL GO works on iPads, iPhones, Android tablets, PCs and Macs. In other words: it might finally be safe to leave that basement...
"Give SL GO a trial run by signing up for FREE at http://slgo.onlive.com/drax and remind your fellow residents: NOW is the time to SL GO and play outside!"
************
Credits:
Written, directed & edited by Bernhard Drax Cinematographer & video post production: Debra Schaffner Location sound: Kaleo P. Drax Music by b/d
"Special
thanks to John from Grove Market, Rhett from Wave Street Studios, Paul
from Pavel's Backerei and a very special super thxxx to Lola, Sean,
Blake & Kaleo for great patience and fabulous acting! Oh and Torley of course without whom nothing really happens around here!
"In world locations visited: Insilico
Mars, MadPea's UNIA, The Sea of Cubic Dreams, Racer Island, Landscapes
Unlimited, Binemist, Baja Norte, Off the Wall, The Vortex, The Secret
Store, 1920s Berlin
The official Second Life blog from Linden Lab has been a bit active lately. Last week, it was announced that SLGo, the viewer that allowed Second Life to be played from tablets was now available for the iPad.
With SL Go, you can now access Second Life on your iPad using Wi-Fi or
4G LTE and enjoy a high-fidelity experience with great graphics quality,
full shaders, shadows, and full motion capability. SL Go gives you
access to the full Second Life Viewer interface, including edit menus,
inventory, preference settings and chat management, adding intuitive
touch controls.
The new hardware offers an even more immersive experience when used
with Second Life - there’s less likelihood of feeling motion sick thanks
to the motion-tracking features, and less of the “screen-door effect”
on the visuals, thanks to higher resolution and brighter display.
... We’ve integrated the DK2 with Second Life, and today are releasing a
new Project Viewer so that virtual reality enthusiasts with the DK2 can
use it anywhere in Second Life ...
Linden Lab stated the viewer still has some bugs and glitches, but was working to smooth them out.
There was also a "Tools and Technology" update, the "HTTP Project Recap."
But the most recent update on the Linden blog (aside from the latest Destination Guide highlights) was about what might be called "Halloween Treats for Everyone." To begin with, the price for the first three months of Premium membership after signing up for quarterly payments has been temporarily cut in half, to $11.25 US dollars (the second quarterly payment will be the normal $22.50). Besides the 1000L signup bonus and 300L weekly allowance, the Linden home, and other perks, Premium members also get some limited edition premium gifts
Just in time for Halloween, we have some new gifts for Premium
subscribers - the bag of treats includes jack o'lanterns, witches’
brooms and more - including a bone-shaking skeleton avatar to haunt your
favorite spooky spots in. Go Premium, then pick up your gifts at the inworld Gift Kiosks.
If you’re a Premium member, you won't want to miss the latest gifts
included with your membership! Show your inner self with a spooky
skeleton avatar or terrify your neighbors with exclusive Halloween
decorations. Who needs costumes when everyone’s got bones?
Linden Lab was also touting a special Halloween ride at LR Portal Park1 (113, 126, 23), The Haunted Halloween Tour.
There’s also a special treat for everyone! Come visit the Haunted Halloween Tour and ride through a terrifying gauntlet of thrills and chills! For those who dare, step through the Halloween path from the Portal Park. If you have an Oculus Rift, you can check out the tour’s VR option - just grab the latest Project Viewer to get started.
What will you do this Halloween. Help children with a sugar fix? Buy overpriced masks from big-box stores? Do something different, something frightening and fun. Linden Lab is pround to present the Haunted Halloween Tour. Strap in and prepare to experience haunts, ghouls, death, scares, and a descent through madness itself. It's definately not for the faint of heart!
Finally there's a screenshot contest being held by Linden Lab, the "Fa-BOO-lous Snapshot Contest." The top prize is 10,000 Lindens with smaller cash prizes for runners up.
Last, but certainly not least - we know how much you love to dress up
and show off your seasonal side this time of year - so why not join us
on the forums for Second Life’s Fa-BOO-lous Snapshot Contest. Your frightful and delightful snapshots could win you L$10,000, L$5,000, L$3,000, or L$1,000!
x
To see the list of entries already submitted, Click Here.
SL Go, the application that allows Second Life users to access the virtual world via a tablet, had been offering users a trial period to allow residents to use it for free to see if they liked it. But at 20 minutes, people complained it was far too short. Beginning on June 3, residents would have much more time to figure it out. The trial period had been expanded to seven days.
Onlive, the company that cooperated with Linden Lab in making and running SL Go, made a statement through it's senior product manager Dennis Harper, "Onlive will now be offering new SL Go users a 7-Day Fre Trial with sign up for an 'unlimited access subscription package. A valuable piece of feedback from the Second Life community has been that the 20 minute free trial is not sufficient to get a true experience of SL Go. Now new users can try SL Go free for an entire week, experiencing Second Life on their Androis tablets or seeing how SL Go can render ultra-high graphics even on a lower powered laptop computer. Impressions of SL Go from the Second Life community have been brilliant so far, and this new 7-day Free Trial will hopefully encourage even more players to check it out."
Last month, Linden Lab and Onlive announced the launch of "SL Go," its new application which allows Second Life to be played on tablets, as well as enabling fast rezzing on older computers. Those trying it out liked it, but there was one problem: the price. At $3 US dollars an hour, most were saying they wouldn't use it if they had to pay that much, or do so only for emergencies.
A few days ago, Linden Lab announced the price was going down, a lot.
Since launching the beta of SL Go
about a month ago, OnLive reports they’ve seen a very positive response
to the Second Life® Viewer for Android™ that allows users to access
Second Life over wifi or 4G LTE4G LTE on tablets and laptops. Today, OnLive has updated the SL Go beta with new pricing ...
Users had the choice of paying 1 US dollar an hour, or paying $9.95 a month for unlimited use. The 20 minute free trial remains. SL Go is also available in more countries, much more of Europe, plus Canada, Russia, Turkey, Cyprus, and Israel.
Jo Yardley also had a few things to say about the price cut ( link). There was also this thread in the official forums (link). The SL Universe forum thread began discussing the price drop here (link).
It was Wednesday March 5th that Linden Labs announced the release of SL Go, it's new application which allows users to access Second Life via a tablet. Since then, a number of people have tried the product. Some like it, some have reservations.
Inara Pey gave a little history of the app on her blog. She stated the idea first came not from Linden Lab or then CEO Rod Humble, but cloud computing and gaming company Onlive and it's chairman Gary Lauder, "Lauder made his approach because third-person adventure games have been
particularly successful for OnLive. As such, Second Life was seen as a
logical choice for extending OnLive’s reach into more immersive
environments while at the same time potentially offering Linden Lab
with a solution for providing SL to tablet devices and to low-end
desktop and laptop systems." Among those working on it's development were Nick Barsetti, whom was "a former Linden Lab employee (Scout Linden) and a long-time
Second Life resident who has been actively engaged ... for
seven years, notably as a community leader in a Star Wars role-play
group." The SL Go service is "provided entirely by OnLive," Inara felt this may have been one of the reasons for Linden Lab's controversial change in it's terms of service in regards to content creation.
For now, SL Go is designed to run on tablets powered by Android, though plans are in the works to include the iPad. Of the display, "for convenience, the log-in fields are displayed at the top of the
viewer’s splash screen. Tapping the Username field will display the
tablet’s on-screen keyboard (note you can also use a suitable bluetooth
keyboard as well), allowing you to enter your avatar name. Tap the
Password field to enter your avatar’s account password, then tap Log In
to log-in to SL.
The Tablet overlay provides a means of carrying out routine
interactions with the viewer – walking, turning, flying, jumping, camera
movement and zoom, closing floaters, and so on."
"According to the supplied reviewer notes, double-tapping the avatar
icon in the middle of the movement keys is supposed to enter flight
mode; however, this consistently didn’t work for me, and I found flight
could be enabled much as when using the viewer on a computer – tap and
hold the Jump icon. Movement can be achieved either by using just the movement controls
in the overlay (think arrow keys / WASD on a keyboard), or through a
combination of using the 'up' key to walk forward and the joystick
control to adjust your direction of travel. This takes a little getting
used to, but isn’t that hard to grasp."
"Tapping the camera icon shifts the overlay to the camera options, All of the menus and toolbar buttons are accessible via tapping the
tablet’s screen, although keyboard shortcuts are not enabled (even when
using a separate keyboard). To assist with using the buttons and menus,
pinch-zoom motions are fully supported, as is the ability to 'drag' the
viewer across the tablet’s screen using a two finger gesture when
zoomed-in. To help prevent the overlay getting in the way of things, you
can tap the “Power” icon to collapse the overlay into a single icon; a
second tap will expand it again."
Inara had some doubts about the app seeing widespread use, "I do wonder as to the potential impact SL Go will have on established
users. From Nate Barsetti’s comments, the service appears to be aimed
towards a niche set of uses (thus helping justify the cost). Frankly,
for many users, there are alternatives when presented with most of those
niche uses."
Draxtor Despress gave SL Go a try, his efforts recorded on video.
Draxtor was among those whom gave glowing reviews, "Seriously: the user-generated universe known as Second Life -
beautifully rendered in the cloud - runs BETTER at times on an Android
tablet than on my PC: I am thoroughly impressed ... for SL professionals and enthusiastic residents this is a must IMHO: SL
GO is not only running on 4G on the road but is instantly upgrading
EVERY OLD machine in your household by using OnLive desktop app = pretty
darn good!"
Hamlet Au also expressed enthusiasm, saying that he'd been using SL Go through being a tester was the reason he was reporting more about Second Life from in inworld perspective lately, "SL Go feels like a new era of Second Life ... here is the thing that makes all the
difference for the world: SL Go works, and almost
paradoxically, is the first platform to present Second Life as it really
is. It eliminates almost all of the lag and load times most SL users
have learned to accept, and presents to you a Second Life at its best,
and purest form. If you couldn't see dynamic shadows, you can see them
now; if your draw distance was small, it's now broadened to the sky. ... it's probably not ideal
for new users (at least not in this early stage), but I do think it will
bring many back to Second Life, to see the world as they've always
wanted -- and as they've always wanted to share it with their friends --
but up to now, have never had the means."
Ciaran Laval thought the technology was good, but felt the high prices limited it's potential, "The pricing would get very expensive very quickly for anyone who used
the service often, which means it’s unlikely to be used often by
anyone. ... like tier, the SL Go pricing is a tad on the high side. Used
infrequently there’s a lot of potential here but for a regular service,
it’s a very expensive proposition."
Jo Yardley blogged that SL Go vastly improved the appearance of Second Life on her old Mac Laptop. But the high price bothered her, "Would you pay 3 bucks to go into SL for an hour? I would only consider doing that for emergencies, when I need to be
inworld for a few minutes to fix something or kick a griefer in the
unmentionables. Having said that, the OnLive experience is impressive, there is
almost no lag, it loads a lot faster than most computers, it is mobile
and it allows you to use your TV for SL. So although I am very impressed with SLGo, I fear that the costs may
keep a lot of people from using it more than just occasionally."
For more comments, one can check the thread in the official general discussion forum: (Link). There's also a thread in the Second Life Universe forums: (link)
Pictures provided by Inara Pey , Hat tip to Daniel Voyager for blog links
Yesterday on March 5, Linden Lab announced a new application on the market, this one for Second Life users: SL Go. This product allows residents to run Second Life on tablets. It is currently in open beta.
OnLive, the leader in cloud gaming, today released an exciting new service for Second Life users. SL Go,
now in open beta, is a mobile Second Life viewer for Android that
delivers a fully immersive desktop-like experience on tablets.
With SL Go, you can experience Second Life from anywhere
you have Wi-Fi or 4G connectivity, with ultra high-quality graphics,
full shaders, shadows, and the Advanced Lightning Model on Android
devices. Not only can you get high-quality graphics on a low-powered
device, but you also don’t have to sacrifice frame rate or draw distance
for high fidelity inworld explorations. Thanks to super-fast gigabit
connections with OnLive’s high-performance gaming servers, objects and
textures rez quickly when logging in and teleporting. OnLive has clocked
the SL Go viewer at upwards of 200 fps set to Ultra with Maximum Render
Distance, allowing people to participate in events, engage in combat
games, and generally enjoy immersion in Second Life at a level never
before possible on a mobile device.
With SL Go, OnLive has brought touchscreen interaction to
the Second Life experience, but if you prefer keyboard and mouse, you
can opt to connect these devices and interact with your friends in the
same way you always have. SL Go gives you access to edit menus,
inventory, preference settings and chat management just like the Second
Life Viewer on your home computer.
To use the application, one needs an account with Onlive. New users get a 20 minute free trial, after which residents need to pay to use it, from $3 an hour, to $8 for three hours, to $25 for ten hours. For now, it is limited to the United States, Canada, and Great Britain.
This is clearly a major move for Linden Lab and Second Life, one in development for many months.
More information later on SL Go and what others are saying about it.
Linden Lab is looking for an innovative mobile app engineer to deliver a compelling, responsive mobile interface into Second Life. If you’re passionate about the latest cross platform mobile technologies and would be psyched to wake up every morning knowing that your efforts will enhance the largest, most successful virtual world on the Internet then we want to hear from you!
