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Linden Lab guns for service-based Second Life viewers
Service-based viewers for Second Life are a little different to the standard kind of viewer software that users might be used to. Standard viewers are downloaded to your PC, run on them and talk directly to the servers. Service-based viewers (also sometimes referred to as 'cloud-based') are either running on a remote server through a web interface, or running on a cloud (or other remote system) and sending data and graphics to a thin client that you run locally. The ill-fated Vollee client was one such example, and Comverse is another. Most Some of the (relatively few) extant viewers for mobile devices (iPhones, iPads, et al), and web-based Second Life viewers like AJAX Life are service-based viewers (as are a number in development), and Linden Lab seems bent on closing them down.
Video shows World of Warcraft running on iPhone
We all know that World of Warcraft is a demonic friend-stealing engine with terrifyingly potent addictive properties, and that the only thing keeping this beast at bay is its relative non-portability. If the above video, depicting the WoW client running on a jailbroken iPhone using the Vollee app, proves to be on the level, then consider us terrified for the fate of the sociable world as we know it.The video's authenticity is a toss-up -- as our raiding-obsessed sister site WoW Insider reports, Vollee was contracted to whip up a Second Life port for the iPhone, so a WoW port isn't completely beyond the realm of possibilities. What do you guys think? Is the above video too good to be true?
Video teases iPhone WoW client
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Video_teases_World_of_Warcraft_Vollee_client_for_iPhone'; I can honestly say that I would love to have WoW available on the go, for things ranging from checking my mail to browsing the auction house to leveling a death knight on long car trips. The iPhone seems like a great platform for something like that -- a pared-down but fully-functional WoW client. And now we might be a little closer to that becoming a reality. Our sister site, Massively, just picked up a hot tip from Youtube, where someone has posted a video of a rumored Vollee port of World of Warcraft for the iPhone. And it looks pretty darn cool, fake or not. We've got the video and impressions after the jump.
Video teases World of Warcraft Vollee client for iPhone
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Video_teases_World_of_Warcraft_Vollee_client_for_iPhone'; We've heard about World of Warcraft coming to mobile phones - especially the iPhone - for quite some time now. We've seen video of people running WoW remotely and using different applications to stream the game, but it's generally been pretty lackluster and requires way too much messing around to use successfully. We've also heard rumors that Vollee, already working on a Second Life iPhone port, might have been tapped for a World of Warcraft port as well. This morning, video has been found that seems to show off a functional Vollee port for World of Warcraft. Whether this is actually legit or not, we can't say - but it certainly looks pretty awesome! We're attempting to get confirmation from Blizzard or Vollee regarding the authenticity of this video now, and will let you know when we hear anything. For now, enjoy a look at what may well be the future face of mobile MMO gaming behind the break!
MMOGology: Mobile MMOGs
Several weeks ago at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) Steve Jobs announced the 3G iPhone. The announcement wasn't much of a shock to industry experts since other cell phones have been using 3G networks for several years. In order to remain competitive, it was only natural for Apple to hop on the 3G bandwagon. What was, perhaps, more unexpected was the consumer friendly price point of $199.00. Of course there are a few not-so-hidden caveats involved with that sweet price point. First you have to qualify for the subsidized price, then there's the mandatory two year contract with AT&T and an increase in the price of the iPhone's data plan. Regardless, what it means to gamers is a budding mobile gaming platform. The iPhone now has its own software developer's kit (SDK), 3G network capabilities, and is priced to sell. Increased accessibility, higher data transfer speeds, and the ability for developers to conjure up new applications can only mean good things for the future of mobile MMOGs – especially on the iPhone. Of course, maybe the future of mobile MMOGs seems so bright because its current state is so dim. As someone who has never even attempted to play an MMOG on a mobile device, I'm curious as to what exactly is out there and if anything is worth my time. If you're curious too, join me for some more info on mobile MMOGs after the break. I'll discuss the current state and limitations of the platform, some existing offerings, and take a look at what the future might hold.
MMObile: extensions of our social and gaming networks
How many times have you wanted to check on your game stats, switch skill training, or buy something at an auction house while you were nowhere near your computer? We have a host of mobile devices and services available to us with speed increases every year, but still connections to our online social networks are quite limited when we're not in front of our computers. Shouldn't more companies focus on allowing our mobile devices to act as extensions of our computers and consoles? That's what Tom Sperry, CEO and President of Exit Games Inc. thinks. He lays out his vision for how things can improve, in this scenario:
More rumors of a mobile WoW
A few places are reporting, including our sister site Massively, that a company named Vollee has brought their mobile phone version of Second Life live and online. As you can see in the video on the website, it works, though it's not exactly an ideal way to play the game. They don't go into details on how it works, obviously, but my guess would be some kind of java browser emulation of a real client.Why are we talking about Second Life on WoW Insider? Because odds are that some kind of mobile WoW app is not far behind. Vollee would certainly love to be the ones to do it (they even say that you can enter "World of Second Life" on their website), but unlike Blizzplanet, I really don't think they will be -- odds are that any mobile app won't be a full client, but rather will be a chat or AH app of some kind ("BattleChat" has already been mentioned by Blizzard), and it'll likely be designed by Blizzard themselves.But there's no question that there's a huge frontier for this sort of thing. Within the next month, Apple is set to release the iPhone's "App Store" (a distribution platform for mobile applications and games), and we have to imagine that a mobile announcement or even a release from Blizzard will come soon after that.
Vollee Second Life mobile beta live
You may remember Vollee, a company using an combination of streaming trickery to stream the displays of various games and software down to your mobile phone. The most touted item was Second Life, and we're told that that beta is live right now. Check out their FAQ, and give them a try -- assuming you're willing to trust them with your account credentials, which not everyone will. We're not yet sure if the list of supported hardware is final. If you give the beta a try, by all means, let us know what you think.
Vollee to include iPhone support for their mobile Second Life client
Last month we reported on the company Vollee and their mobile gaming platform, which will be offering Second Life access to mobile phone users. Also last month, we confused some readers by using the above photoshopped photo of Second Life on the iPhone. We apologize for the confusion caused by the photo originally, as Vollee had not announced iPhone support, but the good news is that Vollee has confirmed that their client will be available for the iPhone in addition to the other phones announced!Think Artificial.org confirmed this information with Vollee, revealing that the company will be supporting both 3G networks as well as wi-fi, which means the iPhone will be supported at launch. In a statement to Think Artificial, the company stated that "All we need is a fast connection, so yes wi-fi works fine."So, it looks like iPhone users will also be able to get their Second Life fix in with the rest of the mobile crowd. If you're intrigued and wish to get in on the action, Vollee is still accepting beta tester signups on their main website. So if you missed our previous report or were worried that the iPhone wouldn't be supported, now is your chance to run over and get a piece of the action before it's gone.[Thanks, Hrafn!]
Surprise! World of Warcraft isn't the first MMO on a phone!
We've heard so much about how World of Warcraft was coming to your mobile phone that no one thought to watch out for another MMO invading the mobile space! And who would have guessed that Second Life, the bane of system requirements, would have been that MMO! Thanks to the start-up company Vollee, SL will be streamed to your phone from their in-house servers. While the graphics will be reduced a bit, Vollee states that you will be able to have access to all of SL's features and you'll have easy to use controls made for your phone. SL isn't the only game Vollee is working on either, so you can probably expect to see a few more games coming your way.More after the break on how you can beta test SL for your phone!
