Second Life and Virtual Worlds
Nalates Urriah Marine Kelley has posted that a new version of the RLViewer is out.
This version has the new Hover Height adjustment. Right-click your avatar and adjust away. The adjustment is saved as a setting and so, persists across logins.
Marine points out that ONLY viewers with this new feature can see the results of your adjustment. I expect most viewers will have this feature with their next release.
A week ago the CtrlAltStudio Viewer updated to version 1.2.3.42797 Alpha (Windows download link) and is now on par with Firestorm 4.6.7.
This version does NOT work with Rift Direct Mode. Also, you must have the Advanced Lighting Model enabled to use the Oculus Rift display.
Now that Samsung is selling their Gear VR (US$200), we may start hearing more about people using these headsets in Second Life
Quoting from Tech Crunch’s quote of Oculus Chief Scientist Michael Abrash:
While previous versions of the Oculus Rift have required plugging in a separate set of headphones to get the “I’m encapsulated in a virtual space” feeling, the Crescent Bay prototype has its own pair built-in, and the company has said the consumer model will, as well. The Crescent Bay model I played with at CES earlier this year didn’t include features like noise cancellation, so there’s still obvious areas to improve on that aspect of the integrated experience over time.
Read more here: The Biggest Challenges Left In Virtual Reality, According To Oculus.
Seems Samsung is moving their Gear VR out to Best Buy stores for sale (US$199). They, Samsung, are still in beta mode, IMO. This is not the mass market roll out. See the story in Road to VR. But, it is a step to getting to retail release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42tTDVskt54
I’m not sure Samsung has the Next BIG Thing locked up, but I like their stuff.
Samual Wetherby posted about rez problems and CDN failures in the SL Forum: Rez Failures & CDN Issues during Peak SL times? 5:30pm SLT – 9pm ish? Nightly? In the last 24 hours few have read the post, about 50.
CDN = Content Delivery Network, the idea here is to have a set of servers near you cache Second Life. You then fill your cache from the CDN cache. This means numerous servers all over the world are delivering content to users near them. Theoretically, this provides better service and faster rendering. Plus it takes a load off the Linden servers.
Once a government agency releases new rules and regulations various people and groups that think they may be affected start to read the regs to see what they may have to do and begin preparing. How many people in Second Life bother? Even with our ToS?
The American Action Forum dug out a jewel of information:
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) itself at least 90 percent of the businesses that will bear the burden of the new Title II (utility-style) network neutrality regulations will be small businesses. As part of doing its business, the FCC must identify the burden of new rules on small business. As it turns out, 20,640 companies will be affected, ranging from “Broadband Internet Access Service Providers supplied over client supplied connections” (1,274), to “Wireless Telecommunications Carriers” (1,383), to “Satellite Telecommunications Providers” (570), “Cable and Other Program Distributors” (2,048), and so forth.
The site American Action Forum has a number of articles explaining the details of Net Neutrality. The short take is there will be fewer ISP’s and that always means higher prices and worse service.
Lindal Kidd has an article up titled FLASH! Fine Hover Adjustments Return! Basically, she says Wow! Then points us to Inara’s blog where Inara has posted: Avatar Hover Height reaches release viewer. Inara is pointing out that the RC Hover Viewer version 3.7.26.299635 was promoted to the status of being the main/default viewer.
Fortunately Inara covers how to use the feature and a bit of the history leading up to it. So, I won’t be writing that up. For the TL:DR peeps the short story is: once you have the new viewer, right-click your avatar and select Hover Height. Then adjust.
I seem to remember the adjustment will only last for the secession. But, that may have changed as the last time I paid much attention was early in the development stage.
UPDATE: Oh….. the Linden announcement is here: Now Available: Hover Height Improvemen