There is an official announcement: Open Beta Begins for Sansar
The system requirements:
- Operating system – Windows 7 SP1 or newer
- CPU – Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
- Memory – 8GB+ RAM
- Video card – NVIDIA GTX 970 equivalent or greater
- Bandwidth – 10 Mbps recommended; 5 Mbps minimum. Check your bandwidth.
- VR – To experience Sansar on Vive, you must install Steam and Steam VR. Steam and Steam VR is not required for Oculus Rift.
- Audio – High-quality headphones recommended for an immersive spatial audio experience. Microphone required for voice chat.
- Other – Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output 2x USB 3.0 ports
- Optional – Xbox One or Xbox 360 game controller
You’ll get an installer from the download site. It will download and install the Sansar Viewer. Everything goes pretty quick until you get to the updates. Then things slow down. The download will take 10 to 20 minutes depending on your connection and the load on the download servers.
Sansar Download – There is no sign-up here or in the install process. The Sansar Viewer will take you to log in and provide no opportunity to open an account. Visit Sansar.com to sign-up. You will have to use an email and name. They say RL name. But, I don’t see anything that does a check. So, I would suspect any RL verification to be down the line. Like when you go to buy Sansar dollars (S$).
No… I don’t see any L$ transfer.
A manual, of sorts – HELP, is here: Sansar Help.
YOU DO NOT NEED A HEADSET. The standard computer screen will work.
If you are going with a headset, it is Vive and Steam VR. So, I’ll have to figure out Steam VR for my Gear VR.
The avatars are rather limited at the moment. There is customization, but limited. There is a market place where you can buy more things to wear. But, for now, the place looks Blue Mars clone-like. With a little time, people will start to customize and the clonishness will disappear. For now, everyone is a noob wearing a noob avatar.
Visit Drax at 114 Harvest in Sansar. You can wander around his parent’s house.
The ATLAS is a directory of experiences, places to go. When you click one, you wait while it downloads. Once downloaded, the experience seems to stay cached so next time it is faster. This is sort of the way Blue Mars worked.
The screen render is gorgeous. Way better than SL’s. But, over all, you’ll likely get bored in a few minutes. but, the place has potential.
Ebbe seems pretty clear the Lab will not be building a world for Sansar. Anyone is free to do that. But, the Lab is passing. I’m not sure that is the smart move. But, it also is never wise to compete with your customers. So, only time will tell if the decision worked.