Virtual worlds. We have all journeyed to many of them over the course of our lives as video gamers. From the magical lands of Hyrule, all the way through the mean streets of Liberty City, we have traveled far and wide. But how about to the world outside our door?
A site called
LivePlace.com wants to make that a virtual reality on your computer. They're using a 3D engine called
OTOY that allows even underpowered computers, or possibly mobile phones, to display graphics comparable to those seen in Hollywood movies. OTOY has also been developed to work in any browser, with no plug-in needed. So it makes for very easy access to your virtual universe.
I'm not entirely sure what LivePlace.com's intentions are with this interesting project called City Space. A site called
TechCrunch found out the domain's owner is Brad Greenspan, one of the co-founders of MySpace. To me, LivePlace and MySpace have a similar ring to them. And if you watch the video (14 min. 19 sec.) you can see that he may be advancing some of the ideas behind MySpace into a whole new virtual realm.
If this sort of stuff bores you, my apologies. But I find the technology involved in this fascinating. I must admit to being a tech junkie, and when I find something like this it causes my mind to wander into all sorts of areas. The potential that City Space presents makes me wonder towards the future of this great pastime of ours. I just want to be along for wherever the ride may take us.
After watching this video I came away with dozens of ideas on how this technology could be utilized in video games. From simple things such as custom designing your own base of operations, to leaving video messages (Or taunts at your enemies.) to your comrades-in-arms. These ideas are just mere tips on the proverbial iceberg. I'd love to hear what Destructoid has to say.
Note: 20 minutes after TechCrunch spoke to Brad Greenspan, LivePlace.com was shut down.
Addendum: Click
here to see how OTOY wants to eliminate the need for a PS3, Xbox 360, or a high-end PC. Interesting stuff if you ask me.
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First of all, OTOY-powered graphics can potentially go far beyond those found on any consumer device because they aren’t actually rendered by whatever hardware is sitting on your desk, resting in your hand, or laying on your living room floor.
The second main difference is that Urbach’s technology doesn’t require any browser plugin whatsoever (although it can take advantage of those, too). OTOY-powered graphics can be delivered via Ajax, Flash, Java, or ActiveX. Surprisingly, the Ajax-powered version in Safari works fastest. That’s good news for future iPhone 3G owners since this graphics delivery system is compatible with that mobile device (and any other device with a full-featured browser, such as Android). The possibilities here make one wonder whether the days of PSPs and other portable gaming devices are limited. And they suggest that the future of the web-enabled cell phone is bright indeed.
OMG-OMG-OMG!!!!!! No more fanboy flamewars!!!
LOL @ VixenFox
I so agree with you! :)
@Cinda...I hope that OTOY can live up to it's promises.
For I could envision a time where you could play your game or character from anywhere you could access the Internet. Just like an email account, all you'd have to do is sign-in, and then you could start playing.
A bit over the heads of most of the little boyz in here. Remember, this is the place where, "Also cocks", passes for the highest form of humor.
You should consider writing some of your material for another website. I'll email you (If you don't mind) some of sites that you might find more appropriate for some of your stuff.
Back to OTOY for a second. This looks to be a most promising project. I would love to see this come to fruition. As VixenFox said: OMG-OMG-OMG!!!!!! No more fanboy flamewars!!!
that is genius!
@VampireChrist...I agree. Like I said in the blog, I just hope they can pull it off. It would make for some sick looking games that you could access from almost any location.
Sorry for the late responses. I hadn't checked in here for awhile.