Gaming News - February 2007

San Jose, CA (February 27, 2007) - Vivox today announced that it will be bringing voice integration to Second Life.

From Vivox:

Linden Lab will incorporate the Vivox voice services into the fabric of Second Life. Subscribers or ‘Residents’ will be able to speak with one another simply by walking up to other Residents and talking. There will be no need for a separate application, download, or login. The solution is designed to simplify and enhance interaction among the Residents and to mirror real-life communication, including spatial audio. Spatial audio, incorporating technology licensed from DiamondWare, will allow residents to hear each other based on their positions – on their left, right, far away or nearby. Other Vivox features will include controls for both Residents and land owners to manage participation in conversations. In addition, Residents will have friends lists, presence, speaking indicators and tools that will allow Residents of Second Life to stay connected with each other and the Second Life universe while in their first life. Whether a Resident’s Second Life interest is primarily social, educational, or professional, integrated voice will enhance and broaden the in-world experience.

"Integrated voice is a natural extension of the virtual world our Residents are building,” said Joe Miller, Vice President, Platform & Technology Development of Linden Lab. “Voice will further enrich that community and introduce new opportunities in social development and commerce. Vivox’s high-quality scalability and rich feature set make it a perfect match for our efforts. Vivox understands the community and its needs and we could not ask for a better partner to bring voice onto the Second Life Grid.”

“The Second Life Grid, with its Resident-created world and highly immersive structure, is an ideal platform for business and social interaction,” said Rob Seaver, CEO of Vivox. “Live voice is essential to realizing the full potential of this environment, particularly for collaborative, academic and economic purposes. We are thrilled to provide this vital part of the Second Life Grid with our integrated voice service. With the intuitive design of the solution, Linden Lab will continue to set the course for virtual worlds.”