Second Life™ Technology “Revised” Report: October 2025

by

As I work with AI in RL design projects (coding websites), I am learning how to get more from it. This is a ‘revised’ report where I have AI digging for news in more places. Following is what it found.

I am also curious about what is happening in the gaming and virtual world fields in general as I think it will affect Second Life™. So, I have added a section on that. I also have AI analyzing how these developments are likely to impact Second Life. It will take some time to see how well it predicts.

Official SL Platform Updates

  • October 13: Major mobile app update (Beta v2025.1065 / 0.1.1065) released for Android and iOS, incorporating over 800 changes including faster mesh and texture loading, improved network transitions for efficiency, dynamic rendering resolution based on framerate (≥20fps or 80% cap), and an unloader framework to suspend/reload items during low memory—boosting performance on lower-end devices by ~20-25% via simplified shaders and reduced passes. community.secondlife.com+2 more
  • October 16: Default viewer 2025.07 (7.2.2.18475198968) rolled out with Universal Binary support for Intel/Apple Silicon (performance gains on latter), WebRTC enhancements for voice, and fixes for crashes/bugs; known issues include no convex decomposition for physics meshes and subtle EEP rendering variances on Apple Silicon. modemworld.me
  • October 28: glTF mesh import support added in viewer release 2025.05, allowing direct upload of .glb/.gltf files from modern 3D pipelines for streamlined asset integration. community.secondlife.com
  • October 29: Inventory favorites feature introduced in viewer 2025.06, enabling quick marking/organization of outfits, objects, textures, and notecards per community requests; server-side WebRTC updates planned within 1-2 weeks for further voice fixes and features. community.secondlife.commodemworld.me
  • October 30: Upcoming variable texture resolutions based on object surface area announced (larger objects prioritized for memory; adjustable on-the-fly with camera movement) to optimize for future PBR materials; four new touch-friendly starter experiences added to mobile alpha (e.g., Scaredycat’s Funhouse, Midnight Pulse) for improved new-user retention and performance monitoring. danielvoyager.wordpress.commodemworld.me

Viewer Releases

  • October 20: SL Mobile Beta v2025.1065 addressed Android regression from prior update (v560), adding 25m draw distance option, performance index for device-scaled settings (draw distance, max avatars), and out-of-memory auto-reload—preventing permanent deletions and enhancing scene loading. modemworld.mecommunity.secondlife.com
  • October 23: Megapahit viewer updated to 7.2.2.54709 with unspecified enhancements; Radegast bot client released 2.49.488 for improved scripting integration. modemworld.me
  • October 25: Viewer 2025.08 maintenance branch initiated for crash reductions (especially WebRTC-related) and potential large-inventory login optimizations; Linux viewer branch advanced via GitHub PR #4827, targeting full 2025 integration; SLua project viewer in development with official VSCode plugin for linting/language support. modemworld.me

Third-Party Viewer Enhancements

No major standalone releases reported for Firestorm, Cool VL Viewer, Black Dragon, Aperture, or Kokua in October; enhancements folded into official summaries (e.g., Megapahit/Radegast). Third-Party Viewer Directory unchanged, with ongoing community feedback via Feedback Portal for UI/voice muting and chat improvements.wiki.secondlife.commodemworld.me

Grid/Performance Fixes

  • October 21: Homestead and Openspace regions restored after host outage caused partial functionality loss; Destinations page (secondlife.com/destinations) fixed post-provider downtime. status.secondlifegrid.net
  • October 24-27: Peer-to-peer voice calls outage resolved by Vivox provider; local/group voice unaffected. status.secondlifegrid.net
  • October 28: BlueSteel RC channel updated with Imbu simulator fixes for performance/memory leaks and region naming (apostrophe issues); main channel and other RCs restarted without deployment; scripted HUD/attachment malfunctions addressed in BlueSteel/Preflight via overnight restarts. status.secondlifegrid.netmodemworld.me
  • October 30: Product Listing Enhancement (PLE) billing glitch fixed after unprocessed charges (Oct 8-28) led to batch overload on Oct 28; monitoring/safeguards enhanced; YouTube embed URLs (non-iframe) error 153 investigated, with iframe workaround confirmed amid policy shifts. status.secondlifegrid.net
  • October 29: SLua foundational work advanced: strict UUID handling (nil for invalids), llMessageScript API planned, integer() removal for Lua optimization; script scheduling and memory leak fixes rolled out; no external LSL/SLua calls yet, but RPC bots theorized; new web portal with docs/examples in dev; SLua regions (e.g., Yardang on Aditi) offline—report to Rider Linden. modemworld.me

SLua and Scripting Developments

  • October 1: Server/Simulator meeting discussed ongoing SLua API refinements for better tolerance and optimization; VSCode plugin alpha released for linting. youtube.com modemworld.me
  • October 25: Project Zero browser-based UI (React-style) progressed without legacy breakage; alpha-gamma fix for PBR legacy objects server-stalled; water PBR appearance awaits SSR updates (low priority); game_control resuming on Linux branch; no 2025 region crossings due to constraints. modemworld.me

Broader Gaming and Virtual Worlds Trends Impacting SL

October 2025 saw metaverse growth via generative AI for interactive world-building (e.g., live-streamed animated characters), accelerating SL’s glTF/PBR integrations for creator tools. Spatial computing market projected to hit $85.56B by 2030, emphasizing edge computing/5G for low-latency VR—potentially enhancing SL mobile’s network efficiency and interoperability. Blockchain/AI/IoT trends in metaverse gaming (e.g., play-to-earn) could inspire SLua expansions for asset economies, while AR/VR investments rise, boosting SL’s cross-platform appeal amid 600K MAU milestone. Cultural shifts: Immersive social spaces beyond gaming (work/education) align with SL’s mobile starters; no major in-world events from Forum Cartel thread. spglobal.com+7 more

CategoryKey MetricImpact on SL
Mobile Performance20-25% FPS boost on low-endHigher retention via efficient rendering/unloading
Viewer CompatibilityUniversal Binary/WebRTCBroader hardware access, voice stability
Grid Stability5+ fixes (voice, billing, sim)Reduced downtime for scripting/HUDs
Metaverse TrendsAI world-building/Edge 5GFaster asset imports, low-latency cross-grid

Sources Overview

Leave a Comment