Oculus Rift and Second Life

The Lab has announced that they have a viewer ready for the Oculus Rift. The Lab’s announcement is here: Using the Oculus Rift with Second Life. It includes the video I have here.

The big announcement is the release of a project viewer: OculusRift Viewer version 3.7.8.289834 – download. It features:

  • Full Oculus Rift Hardware Support
  • Full UI Support
  • Customizable UI
  • Avatar Head Motion
  • New First-Person View
  • Align to Look
  • Action Key

The viewer detects a Rift and provides quick setup. The Lab writes you can use HUD’s and all of the viewer’s interface functions. We are told we can customize the interface. Also, a new first person (mouse look like – use the M-key to enter it) view has been added. There is a new ‘Action Key’, which I suppose takes the place of a mouse click.

Now all we need is a retail version of the Rift. The Developer Kit #2 is supposed to start shipping this July. But, there are competitors that may ship sooner. There is also the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) headset  plans that I’ve played with. A MOGA controller for your phone and you’re there. It isn’t the Rift but you get some idea of what a Rift will be like.

We have all the parts now for VR in Second Life. Some parts are near-prime-time ready. Others are very much only in alpha stage development. Retail, easy to use VR is probably a 2015 thing. But, having the SL Viewer out is going to be a good step toward retail-level ready for Second Life.

You may notice Torley’s video shows downloading the Oculus Viewer from the main download page. His screen shows viewer version 3.8.12. The viewer available on the main download page today is 3.7.8. So, don’t get confused. The Lab probably included this video in the announcement just so they could have something to show us, but the main intent is likely for its future use.

1920’s Berlin

Jo Yardley has an article, Second Life Oculus Rift Ready!, up. She points out that parts of the video are recorded in her 1920’s Berlin.

Jo has an Oculus DK1 (I think a 1) and LEAP Motion controller. She has written about the Oculus and her first-hand experience with it. Check her archives if you missed those. She provides a link into her Oculus ready build.

Destinations

People with Oculus Rift DK1 and those receiving DK2’s will be coming to SL. Like most users they will be stumbling around looking for Oculus impressive places to explore. The Lab has made a Destinations page for the Oculus users: Oculus Rift Detinations Second Life. But, will new users be able to find it?

If one searches Google for Oculus Rift Destinatsion or Locations they should find the page. The destination Guide has a new category Exceptional with Oculus Rift. It has 20 regions listed now.

I was disappointed to see 1920’s Berlin only listed as the Real Scale Test Area. It is last in the list of 20 regions. Waaaa… But, Jo is strict about attire worn in Berlin. So, may be noobies need some learning time before visiting Berlin. I don’t remember a 1920’s avatar among the new Starter Avatars.

Jo would probably find the noobie male unicorns running around in Berlin annoying…

Update: The listings are some what random. The order changes every few minutes. I didn’t see it change until I went in later today. So, Jo is not always last. 🙂

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