Admix (formerly known as Advir) has announced a partnership with virtual world Somnium Space for the development of Oasis, a software designed to allow virtual reality (VR) users to travel across different VR worlds without leaving the applications. Named Oasis as a reference to Ready Player One, the software allows for ‘portals’ to be embedded in any VR application for player transition from one title to another.
Any VR app developer can place the portal in their VR app, and when a user enters it he or she is given the option to travel to any other VR apps already owned. At a recent event on Prague, the Admix team showed a live demo between Somnium Space and High Fidelity, the high profile virtual world led by Philip Rosedale, founder of Second Life. The transition takes a few seconds and the user ends up in the other experience.
“It’s a seamless transition for users to jump the metaverse without losing immersion by having to go back to the menu to change apps,” Admix CEO Sam Huber, explains. “It’s just the beginning. Right now it supports basic travel, but long term it will solve inter-operability issues, such as identity conservation and currency conversion across apps.”
In his demo speech, Huber compared Oasis to a three-dimensional hyperlink, enabling users to jump from content to content. “Before the web and the hyperlink, the internet was a static database difficult to access. The web simplified access and discovery, and we think the Oasis has the same purpose for VR. We believe that in these early days, virtual worlds need to collaborate to create the best user experience. We need to open the borders between worlds, not close them.”
“The Oasis is a first step in that direction, explains Vita Pur, COO of Somnium Space. We see the Oasis as a tool that will facilitate exploration of virtual worlds amongst players and move the industry forward.”
Somnium Space, a cross platform virtual world where users can buy or rent land, already uses Admix to allow players to monetise parts of their content. Admix provides a Unity plugin enabling advertisers to place sponsored content in their experience. Admix works programmatically with hundreds of advertisers, and primarily focus on monetising social VR worlds. The Oasis connects these worlds together, including cross-promotion opportunities for developers who want exposure.
“It’s just the beginning of a huge project which will impact the VR industry as a whole”, concludes Huber.
Admix has confirmed that Oasis will be free to use and released to developers in Q2 2018 as part of the Admix plugin, but also as a standalone app co-developed by Somnium Space. In the meantime, developers can register to use it on admix.in/oasis or try it live inside the Somnium Space world. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on Oasis, as well as Somnium Space and High Fidelity.
via Mint VR