WestWorld Grid
US $10 per month for a 15,000-prim region on the open, hypergrid-enabled WestWorld Grid.Read More →
Nara’s Nook
US $5 for a full region on the hypergrid-enabled Nara’s Nook grid, an author-friendly cooperative.Read More →
Dynamic Worldz
US $5 per month for a 16,000-prim region on the hypergrid-enabled Dynamic Worldz grid. No setup fees. Variable-sized regions start at $12 per month.Read More →
Neverworld Grid
US $5 per month for a 15,000-prim region on the hypergrid-enabled Neverworld Grid.Read More →
NextLife World
US $22 (or 19.95 Euros) for a 15,000-prim region on the hypergrid-enabled German-language NextLife World grid.Read More →
Mobius Grid
US $20 per month for a 20,000-prim region on the hypergrid-enabled Mobius Grid. Can be configured as up to a five-by-five a varregion at no additional cost.Read More →
GreekLife Grid
US $10 per month for a 20,000-prim region, on the hypergrd-enabled Greek Life grid. Varregions also available.Read More →
Average region price on OpenSim grids is $20
The average price of a region on an OpenSim grid is US $20.39 per month for a region with 15,000 or more prims. Hypergrid-enabled grids are a little bit less expensive, with an average price of $18.86 per region. Closed grids tend to cost more, charging on average $30.28 perRead More →
RaceRender adds performance data to 360-degree videos
Camera maker 360fly has partnered with software company RaceRender to allow users to add custom video data displays to their 360-degree videos, the companies announced yesterday. Users can shoot the video with a 360fly camera, edit the video with the RaceRender software, and then share it to YouTube and other social media. The 360fly camera includes aRead More →
NBC’s Al Roker to host VR election event
This year’s presidential election will be conducted, in part, in virtual reality. A partnership between NBC News and AltspaceVR is transforming a virtual recreation of New York’s Rockefeller Center Plaza into Democracy Plaza, where AltspaceVR users can attend debate watch parties, live discussions with political experts and political comedy events.Read More →
AltspaceVR zeros in on social virtual reality
The social virtual reality platform AltspaceVR is doubling down on the social aspect, with interface changes designed to make it easier for people to get together. Previously, AltspaceVR — like many virtual environments — was organized around the idea of virtual locations. That doesn’t work well because when people showRead More →
Alife stats questioned
Alife Virtual reported a dramatic increase in active users this month, to 1,576 unique monthly visitors, but those stats may not be accurate, according to technology expert Magnuz Binder, who has previously submitted patches to OpenSim. In his non-OpenSim life, Binder is a former academic focusing on technology and now works asRead More →
IMAX VR rollout to begin this year
IMAX will begin its virtual reality roll-out as early as the end of this year, IMAX Entertainment CEO Greg Foster said at a conference in Los Angeles this Wednesday. Moviegoers will be able to purchase bundled ticket that cover both the movie and access to a virtual reality experience located at the sameRead More →
Mixed reality studio with gesture recognition launched in Europe
VR VISIO, a Poland-based indie virtual reality studio, has opened a mixed reality studio — the first of its kind in Europe to be able to record live videos in virtual 3D spaces during both standard recording and streaming. It makes it possible to shoot, live stream and record virtualRead More →
Summer 2016 was big with VR news
If you spent the summer enjoying the doors and avoiding the news, then you’re one of the fortunate ones who was able to avoid the mess that is U.S. politics — but you might also have missed the flood of VR-related announcements. The amount of virtual reality news coming outRead More →
Drama, outages plague OpenSim grids
Update: I missed a couple of grids in the first version of the story, AllCity updated their stats, and I removed Alife Virtual’s stats from the report because of questions about their accuracy. Read full story here. Only a small handful of grids had problems this month, while the restRead More →
Unity organizing games career events for women
Unity Technologies is organizing series of events in US and Canada to talk to young women who are curious about careers in game development. The company behind the popular Unity game platform engine used to develop video games for PC, consoles, mobile devices and websites. Unity is also one of the most popularRead More →
Review: Xiaomi VR zips up a minimalist design
Update: The folks at GeekBuying sent me a $5-off coupon to share with readers:Â XIAOMIVR5 So I just received a Xiaomi VR in the mail. The headset has been getting some attention in the media recently because Xiaomi is a giant brand, but the headset itself left me underwhelmed. It hasRead More →
VR Strategy Conference to focus on monetization
Press release: Greenlight Insights’ Virtual Reality Strategy Conference 2016 to Address Growth and Monetization Challenges VRS 2016 takes place Nov. 1-2, in San Francisco, and will feature new research findings from Greenlight’s fall 2016 VR Industry Report SAN FRANCISCO – Greenlight Insights’ Virtual Reality Strategy Conference 2016, will take place Nov. 1-2,Read More →
OpenSim conference calls for proposals
The 2016 OpenSimulator Community Conference, to be held in December, is now accepting proposals for presentations and activities. “We are particularly interested in speakers that can dramatically tell the story of their work and employ great props and graphics,” the organizers said in the announcement. This year’s conference is organizedRead More →
VR will help drive auto sales
The car industry has long been at the forefront in introducing new technology and has often developed new technologies from within, putting them quickly into production mostly with huge safety and ecology benefits. Sceptics might argue that much of this progress has been at the hard-fought insistence of regulators, toRead More →
5 sales lessons from Genesis Global Journey’s land page
In getting ready for my monthly stats report, I’m checking to see whether the grids I’m listing in my directory are up and running, and collecting their terms of service pages and other links. And I just came across the land sales page of Genesis Global Journey, a small commercial gridRead More →
Chess Championship Match to be broadcast in VR
Press release: The World Chess Championship Match 2016 to become the first of any sport to be broadcast in 360-degree Virtual Reality The World Chess Championship Match, to take place in New York in November of 2016, is to be broadcast live in 360-degree virtual reality, a global first for any sport.Read More →
Enterprise VR focus of London conference on Sep. 21
Press release: Enterprise AR and VR Event Launched in London A new virtual and augmented reality event, focused on its disruptive impact on business, has been announced to take place on the 21st of September in London. VR World: Beyond the Hype, is the only event exclusively dedicated to enterpriseRead More →
Virtual Lisbon, Space Life migrates to DigiWorldz
Carlos Loff has moved his Virtual Lisbon and Space Life projects to DigiWorldz, with plot rentals available for interested residents. He was previously hosted by AviLabs, the hosting company behind AviWorlds, which imploded messily and publicly last month. Even before AviLabs fell apart, Loff said he was having trouble attracting residents.Read More →
Next OpenSim Treasure Hunt starts Oct. 3
The next OpenSim Treasure Hunt has been scheduled, and it will rum from October 3 to November 7. The hunt, the fourth so far this year, is an opportunity for grids and venues to promote their destinations to hypergrid travelers, and for designers and other content creators to promote theirRead More →
Las Vegas VR adds interactivity to app
Due to user feedback, Las Vegas VR has moved beyond 360-degree videos with animated graphics and video overlays, as well as new interactive features to its application to improve navigation and user immersion. Since the app was first released this past March, it has been downloaded more than 10,000 times — andRead More →
Army to release browser-based viewer for OpenSim
Editor’s note: This article was updated on 1/27/2023 to remove dead links and links to malicious sites. An OpenSim viewer that runs in a regular web browser has long been at the top of most-wanted lists for OpenSim users. And the U.S. Army is stepping up. This fall, the U.S. Army’sRead More →
Digitaleisure forced to rebrand as SkyLifeGrid
Digitaleisure, one of the new grids created in the wake of AviWorlds’ latest flame-out, has been forced to rebrand as SkyLifeGrid due to legal issues. The original name and domain was too close to that of Digital Leisure, an online gaming company. Digital Leisure paid for the domain transfers, said SkyLifeGrid owner JoshRead More →
FrancoGrid’s Fest’Avi 2016 starts today
The 2016 Fest’Avi event begins today, the third year that FrancoGrid is hosting the avatar exhibit. The event begins at 6 p.m. Paris time, or 9 a.m. Pacific, at hg.francogrid.org:80:FestAvi 2016. The event features an exhibit of 19 new creative avatar designs, theMorlitaM live concert, and the FestAvi party. The theme of thisRead More →
Summer’s top virtual communities
Google Plus continues to be the social media destination of choice for OpenSim users, due its usability, sharing features, and support for identities based on avatar names. I currently track 175 virtual communities that have some relation to OpenSim, and just collected the members counts of each group. See theRead More →
Reader poll: Most say OpenSim needs VR
Adapting OpenSim to work on virtual reality headsets will require a substantial amount of work on both server and viewer code. Is this something that OpenSim users want to see happen? According to a survey conducted on this site this week, 79 percent of OpenSim users think that VR isRead More →
LightVR uses headset camera to see real keyboard
Press release: MyDream Announces LightVR, a Customizable and Interactive Virtual Reality Desktop Explore and Build Your Ideal Virtual Environment for Operating Your PC With LightVR’s Virtual Room Simulator SEATTLE, WA – Virtual Reality company and development studio MyDream Interactive Inc. today announced the early access release of LightVR, a multi-windowRead More →
Vox+ Z3 a nice upgrade from the BoboVR
Disclosure: The folks at Vox VR just sent me a free review copy of their Vox+ Z3 headset, which is a rebranded version of the BoboVR Z3 but with a larger field of view. Thanks, guys! The purchase links at the bottom of this article are to all the major sites I knowRead More →
Educators using CoSpaces to enhance learning in virtual reality
CoSpaces, a platform that allows users to create, explore and share virtual reality spaces, is now being used by educators, teachers and students to create virtual learning environments and enhance learning. The platform now includes a creation tool that can be used by teachers to customize learning environments, allows teachers toRead More →
Lifeliqe Go is a Pokemon Go-style educational campaign
Lifeliqe, a 3D, VR and AR educational content platform launched the Lifeliqe Go: Gotta match ’em all campaign today in which teachers and students to match their 3D interactive educational models with the right environment using augmented reality. To participate in the Lifeliqe Go campaign, teachers will have to shoot real lifeRead More →
DreamWorld OpenSim installer released
OutWorldz founder Fred Beckhusen has posted his collection of 1,000 OpenSim scripts on the open source collaboration site GitHub, as well as the code for his one-click OpenSim installer, called DreamWorld. Like New World Studio before, DreamWorld makes it easy to install a mini-grid on a personal computer, together with the FirestormRead More →
Virtual Vizor attaches VR viewer to baseball cap
Have you ever though that wearing your VR headset didn’t make you look dorky enough? I have a solution for you! The Virtual Vizor is a clip-on device that fits on the bill of your baseball cap and lets you enjoy VR experiences hands-free. To be fair, given the techieRead More →
Miniature sets pose unique challenges for 360-degree videos
Filming a 360-degree video of a model train set isn’t like filming life-sized events and requires special techniques and equipment, according to a team of Norwegian entrepreneurs. Special cameras are needed to film in extreme close-ups, and extra work is required to compensate for the parallax effect. The filmmakers –Â PointMediaRead More →
Review: FiiT VR 2S is my new favorite
I really liked the first FiiT VR headset that I tried, and when the FiiT VR 2S came out, I had to order it. It has the same field of view, but weighs a little less, and is better for augmented reality since the outside cover is almost completely open. Disclosure:Read More →
The path to a VR metaverse
I got into writing about OpenSim back in 2009 because it seemed to be, at the time, the best path to an open-source, peer-to-peer metaverse. I want to see a future where anyone could put up a virtual environment, and have people teleport in and out from other people’s environments. ARead More →
Review: Generic knockoff VR viewer is cheap but out of focus
Prices for some of the first-generation VR mobile-based viewers out there are dropping fast, possibly because the coming Daydream VR platform will make them obsolete. Even Amazon, where the prices tend to be a little higher than on GearBest or AliExpress, there are a lot of plastic headsets for underRead More →
Digitaleisure grid launches with unprecedented offer to ‘recover’ AviWorlds regions
Update: The Digitaleisure has rebranded as SkyLifeGrid. The new Digitaleisure grid will officially launch with a grand opening party on Thursday, September 1, a “song and dance,” a free yacht to all visitors — and an unprecedented offer to “recover” regions for former residents of the AviWorlds grid who are lookingRead More →
VR video of Obama’s Yosemite trip only on Facebook, Gear VR
The White House released a virtual reality video of President Barack Obama touring Yosemite National Park yesterday. Read the full announcement here. But the experience is only available on Facebook and on the Samsung Gear VR headset, with Oculus Rift support coming soon. Facebook owns Oculus VR which also provides contentRead More →
Sony to launch multi-platform VR media service
Sony Music Entertainment will launch its Littlstar Japan VR video services next month, the company announced Wednesday. New York-based Little Star Media Inc. will provide the VR delivery platform, Sony said in the announcement. Content will be delivered via the browser, and to a variety of virtual reality headsets including theRead More →
Penn State announces VR sports channel, free headset
Press release: Penn State Athletics Launching Virtual Reality Channel Nittany Lions fans to have access to exclusive virtual reality content; will receive free VR headset to watch content from all 31 programs UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.– Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics and EON Sports VR today announced a partnership to create aRead More →
Windows 10 to support Holographic AR/VR next year
Next year, all mainstream Windows 10 computers will be able to run augmented and virtual reality applications built for the Windows Holographic platform, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced at the Intel Developer Forum earlier this month. Windows Holographic was originally developed for the HoloLens, Microsoft’s augmented reality headset. Watch demo video below:Read More →
Intel previews all-in-one headset with gesture controls
Intel has announced a new all-in-one virtual reality headset, Project Alloy,  at the Intel Developer Forum 2016 earlier this month. The headset has its own brain, so not does not need to be connected to a computer or smartphone in order to work. There is no word yet on when the headsetRead More →
Kitely battles slow-loading meshes
A complex mesh object can significantly slow down the loading of a region — as much as ten minutes, in some cases, according to Oren Hurvitz, co-founder and VP of R&D at Kitely. That’s a significant problem for Kitely in particular because the grid’s regions are all loaded on demand. TheyRead More →
Lifeliqe adds 3D creation tool
Lifeliqe, a platform for 3D, VR and AR educational content, has launched a content creator tool that will allow educators to create intuitive and immersive educational content that integrate interactive 3D models in order to make lessons, presentations and e-books more engaging. The creator tool will also be brought into VRRead More →