pixysticks

http://www.youtube.com/user/SurfaceProGaming?feature=watch The above link is to a person who bought one of the Surface Pros and did a ton of testing on lots of different games. Unfortunately Second Life isn't one of them. Scroll through the videos if you're interested in this tablet to get an accurate idea of what it can handle and what it can't as far as games go. At that I really have nothing more to say or respond to any comments, people can decide for themselves whether this particular device suits their needs or not. Take care all!

I'll let the major websites who do marketing analysis tell me whether they're dying or not. I never said tablets would replace desktops. (EDIT -> I said you could replace your desktop with one if a person had the desire to do so.)

"I see no need to continue this discussion it's already gone." Meant I have no desire to continue having a conversation about mobile Second Life with a person who: Does not even carry around a cell phone. Has no tablets and professes not interested in one. Has no idea how to use bluetooth (and further insinuates that pairing bluetooth devices is difficult). Added 0% productive information to this thread (other then to whine about the way I've logged into Second Life because it doesn't match her image of how it should be done). Made snippy and rude insinuating comments. Requires absolute top of the line hardware so she's not "compromising." (Nobody's going to buy a Surface Pro for gaming, those of us who get one will have other reasons for it, though people will buy a Razer Edge Pro for gaming). Seemingly ignores the fact the Razer Edge Pro has a 2GB dedicated video card in it by NVidia, which leads me to believe she couldn't read the entirety of the first two posts I made. Clings to dying hardware options many consumers are no longer interested in. Only posted here to complain, whine, otherwise try to make people believe that this tablet can't run Second Life well, which, it can. Trying to derail the thread, or maybe even troll me, with continual useless banter that nobody is interested in, despite my trying to end the conversation with you since you feel like you needed to interject your opinion about mobile devices that you're completely not interested in. Not that I wouldn't continue the conversation with any other person who was truly interested in mobile Second Life, I just won't do it with somebody obviously trying to discredit what these tablets can do. Desktops are dying, sorry if that rubs you the wrong way (not really), but it's just the way it is. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2013/01/22/the-pc-is-dead-long-live-the-pc-intel-exits-motherboard-business/ http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/29/tech/gaming-gadgets/are-pcs-dead http://www.pcworld.com/article/248119/the_desktop_pc_is_dead_long_live_the_desktop.html http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/cracking-open/diy-desktops-are-dead-in-business-and-dying-in-the-home/979 I ignore what you say because you have no grounds for any of your accusations against the Surface Pro. You'd rather lug around two laptops weighing over 6lbs each (avg. weight of a laptop), plus it's accessories, or like you said you'd like to sit down at your computer so you can "look out the window." That's fine as I said, different strokes for different folks, but don't come in and attack somebody else's thread merely because you like to sit down at a desktop. The world does not revolve around Mrs Orca Flotta. Well you can look out your window, at me, walking around on my Surface Pro enjoying the real world and the virtual world at the same time. (EDIT -> I also find it disturbing you've been editing your posts with no notations, saying rather rude things to try to rile me up and then changing it later after I've already posted or just changing it in general to say something other then what it originally did).

I think I'll be just fine, just like all the other computers I've ever owned which had an integrated video card that lasted years. Haters are always going to hate. I see no need to continue this discussion it's already gone.

And you've made that very clear. Thank you for your input about how you like to stay stationary in a thread about mobile Second Life.

Actually there is a touch keyboard. Pairing the physical bluetooth keyboard and mouse took less then 30 seconds, also, and totally isn't required. But you're going to hate on the tablet no matter what judging from your response. Not everybody needs to walk around with ultra graphics on. I certainly don't feel the need to go buy a top of the line gaming system merely to see prettier pixels in Second Life. Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work for other people. Different strokes for different folks. And why would a person want to use SL on the move? Being able to provide adequate customer service if you're a creator is a pretty good reason. Going on a long trip to see family? Sure beats lugging around a laptop and all it's accessories. If you don't like it don't buy it, and open that window for some fresh air while you're sitting at your computer spending hours on end in world.

Yeah, I mean, before buying it I did a lot of research about it. I really did not have high expectations for it, I figured maybe 5-10fps in SL on lower end settings. I didn't buy it specifically for gaming, so being able to SL from it is just an added perk. So being able to get the frame rates out of it that I am getting on medium level graphic settings is just... awesome sauce all the way around lol. Many people out there want to bang on the Surface Pro, it's opponents are comparing it to desktops and laptops which isn't fair at all. It's a tablet with laptop hardware, which does not make it a laptop, it's still a tablet and in my opinion it's only fair to compare it to other tablets on the market. That means it totally kills the iPad, all the way around. I did make a comment in another thread somebody else had started about the Surface Pro when people started in on the integrated graphics of the tablet, and I mentioned.... There is a rival device to the Surface Pro, developed by the gaming company Razer. If there were an individual out there wanting a tablet that has even more power then the Surface Pro, the Razer Edge Pro has the following specs: Intel i7 CPU 8GB DDR3 RAM 2GB DISCRETE VIDEO 256 SSD HD I did look at the Razer Edge Pro, and came very close to buying that model. I didn't purchase it for a few reasons, many of the user reviews I read about it were unhappy comments by owners of the device, whereas nearly everybody who owned a Surface Pro said they loved it. The Edge Pro is having driver compatibility issues with Windows 8 and for some people even experiencing a Win8 equivalence of a BSOD. I'm sure after a few more weeks/months the driver compatibility issues of the Edge Pro will be worked out and that little tablet will be a total beast. It's also several hundred dollars more then the Surface Pro. What I find to be really cool about the Surface Pro and Edge Pro is the HDMI out (comes native on Surface Pro, accessory for Edge Pro), so you can seriously use these tablets to completely replace your desktop system. Just keep your monitor and when you want to use it as a desktop plug it in via HDMI. Work, be productive, even game, and then when the time comes for more work or travel which you can't do at home, simply grab the tablet unplug the HDMI and off you go! Or heck, who needs to use a monitor anymore? Plug these little guys up to your TV! P.S. The Edge Pro is sold out -everywhere- and backordered for weeks/months. Also people are complaining that none of the accessories are really out for it yet (such as it's docking station/keypads etc). (EDIT -> P.P.S -> Dear Phoenix Firestorm, please give me a touch capable viewer :D lol. Sell it on the Surface App store, I'd totally buy it!)

So I saw a few people asking around the forums about a mobile platform capable of playing Second Life. For the most part, while people have confirmed that it's possible to do, many have said devices would not run Second Life up to par and that the general experience would be a poor one. I cringe when I see statements like that, as many of the newer systems today are completely overkill hardware wise for a game that's a decade old. Even an Andriod cell phone can log into Second Life, albiet very poorly, but it's possible. Well today I'd like to smash some of those accusations. :) (EDIT: Just wanted to note this thread is not a personal attack on anybody who said SL from a mobile device is junk, before this tablet trying to SL from a netbook/tablet/phone was a poor experience but it doesn't need to be anymore.) I bought a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet, which Microsoft has tried very hard to bridge the gap between laptops and mobile tablet devices. In my opinion, for the first device of it's kind ever made, they have done well. The specs: 3rd Gen i5 CPU with Intel integrated HD 4000 graphics 4GB DDR3 RAM 128GB SSD HD Amazingly enough, the tablet runs Second Life nearly as good as my Dell Studio XPS 8100 Desktop which has better specs then the Microsoft Surface Pro. I use both a bluetooth keyboard and mouse for my Surface Pro, turning the tablet into a full blown laptop. Just standing around my somewhat empty skybox I averaged 70fps. When I went to the ground level of my sim, which is fully decorated sim-wide, I averaged 25fps. These are completely respectible numbers for Second Life. The Surface Pro has a full installation of Windows 8 inside it, not a dumbed down version like the Surface RT versions, meaning you can run any application that works in Windows 7 including Microsoft Office, Gimp/Photoshop, Blender, etc. Content creators who want to create on the fly and need a mobile way to access Second Life, but need the portability of a ultrabook have waited a long time for a device like the Surface Pro, and all I can say is this little tablet has exceeded all my expectations for it, including playing newer higher end games such as Neverwinter, Guild Wars 2, and even the new SimCity. Below are two completely unedited and unaltered screenshots of my using the newest version of Firestorm to log into the grid. One includes having the graphics tab of preferences open to show all the exact settings I'm running the viewer on with the Statistics window also open to see the framerates. And the second one... So now you're probably kinda curious what the Surface Pro looks like. Well, as I mentioned earlier, it's a tablet so it looks something akin to an iPad. P.S. Sorry for crappy screenshots, the resolution and coloring on my Surface Pro looks a lot better. :) I've never been able to take pretty screenshots out of SL on any computer I've ever owned. :( The Surface Pro did require a little bit of modifying to make work with Second Life, as the newest drivers for the Surface from Microsoft broke many OpenGL applications, however, if you're comfortable with installing drivers then you can obtain the official drivers from Intel and the Second Life viewer loads up without a hitch. I totally had a nerdgasm when I bought this and unboxed it, I hope you guys found this info useful. :) (EDIT: You can make this tablet mobile by using your Smartphone as a WiFi hotspot, provided your Smartphone supports such a feature.)

I bought one of the Surface Pros. It has run everything I've thrown at it, and it's done it quickly. It completely amazed me and runs many things better then my i5 8GB DD3 (2GB dedicated video (NVidia)) desktop does. My desktop is a bit dated, but I certainly didn't expect this little tablet to out perform it. I've tested Neverwinter (mmo) and get great FPS out of it using it's autodetect settings. Lowering some of the settings produces seamless gameplay. I've tested Guild Wars 2 (mmo) and get playable FPS out of it using it's autodetect default settings. Again, lowering some of the settings also produces seamless gameplay. I have not put Second Life on it yet, I'm kinda afraid I'll never get any work done if I do lol, but if there is enough community interest here I would be willing to put it on and take some screenshots and do some SL stress testing with it. For creators this little tablet could be a godsend, those of us who travel a lot but still need a graphical UI rather then a text based viewer so they can handle customer service. With the stylus pen that comes with it, sculpting in Blender is fun! Youtube videos out there for that already. Either way, I'm only speculating here, but considering the little tablet runs the MMOs I play on occasion, and runs them as well as my desktop or even better, I would imagine playing SL on it would be equally as nice. The Surface Pro has exceeded all expectations I ever had of it, originally I got it for university, it will be replacing all the current devices I own and I will be formatting my desktop and selling it to a neighbor. EDIT -> Forgot to enable my javascript as usual, lol, enabled to fix spacing and re-posted. EDIT x2 -> Tablet does not get hot at all, even when gaming on it. It gets warm, but not hot, nothing like a laptop/ultrabook/notebook does. When the internal fan kicks on it's also quiet, when I first heard it kick on it was so low it blended into the background of the game I was playing and didn't even notice it at all. For those concerned about the Intel integrated graphics, have a look at the Razer Edge Pro (Google). The Razer Edge sports an Intel i7 processor, 8GB DDR3 RAM, and a discrete 2GB video card. It's more pricey then the Surface Pro and general reviews of the Razer Edge shows many people having driver issues (and people can't upgrade to Windows 8.1 without breaking that specific tablet), which is the only reason why I went with the Surface Pro.

Oh, nice! Learn something new everyday.

This is sort of a late reply, sorry folks, I see the thread died two weeks ago or so... but.. I wanted to make note of the appearance manager. I save all my outfits in my appearance manager in the event something like that happens, open appearance manager find your outfit and click Wear and viola, your avatar is restored. No searching and fumbling through your inventory for all your stuff then. Couple that with good inventory organization (a pain, I know..), and you'll never lose stuff again.. well, unless a hiccup happens on the grid lol. Hope that helps with any future avatar issues.

Other then using Control + P to open preferences really quick-like I don't think so. Not for draw distance anyways.. I could see how features like that could be really useful though, especially for combat/roleplay sims where some people need to quickly change graphic settings to get a quick FPS boost to even be able to participate in said combat. From the Advanced Menu (Control + Alt + D), you can scroll down to Rendering Types to see the hotkey codes for certain rendering items. Many of those can be disabled on the fly to get a quick FPS increase, although you wouldn't want to disable them all--really it depends on what you're doing lol. Firestorm has a "Quick Preferences" button which will let you get to your draw distance quickly.. see attached screenshot.. As for gestures to change viewer settings, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think it's possible, somebody else may be able to confirm that.. I'm too lazy to test.. Hope this helps. EDIT -> I haven't made a gesture in a long time but I went and tried. The menus don't really give you a way to issue hotkey commands to the viewer, just.. well, animations, chat, etc etc. So I would wager to say using a gesture would be impossible to change those settings but I never like to give definitive answers like that, because if I have even one thing wrong people like to come along and tear my posts apart lol. Also, while I mentioned earlier the feature would be useful, I could see a lot of potential abuse happening from a feature like that... any of those malicious residents out there could then make some sort of gesture that totally ruins all your viewer settings. While you'd still be able to look at the gesture to see exactly what all it changed, not everybody knows how to do those kinda things, and one terrible full perm gesture like that circulating the grid could spell for a customer service nightmare for LL.

Hiya NteazR, I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with the website. Disable all your web browser addons and try again. If the problem persists, try using a different web browser. Some common browsers are: Google Chrome Firefox and of course, Internet Explorer If you're experiencing the same problem in all of the browsers, then I'm not really sure what to tell you... other then maybe file a support ticket with Linden Labs... When posting odd problems like this in a forum, for others to be able to really help you and get an accurate idea of what could possibly be causing the problems, a person should include information like what web browser they are currently using (and what version), their operating system, and any additional addons running in the web browser that could be affecting the way things appear on the site itself. If it were me expericing an odd problem like that -- using different browsers and disabling my addons would be the first thing I tried as I look for the problem. Beyond that I would move over to my Netbook to see if I experience the same problems there and beyond that then move to my Smartphone. If I experience the same problems on all my devices then I can begin to think the problem may be on the server side and not on my local side.. but if all my devices work and my PC doesn't then you've at least narrowed the problem down a little bit. As for server side baking, that's completely off topic... this thread is about the website. A forums search about server side baking should reveal other proper threads to post your complaint in. Hope this helps! Good luck.

Hiya Vida, I use Firefox with a couple of addons that restrict advertisements, javascript, and flash.. When I don't permit the Second Life website permission to use certain functions I also get the perpetual loading circles.. But I've still always been able to buy $L.. Anyways, you might want to take a look at your web browser addons to see if they might be denying access to things.. Hope that helps.

Hi Gandulf, I have a little experience in this area but not a whole lot.. I will try to help you out. To start, direct linking the URL in the parcel settings for media won't work for a movie (I don't believe so). The viewer we use to connect to Second Life would need all sorts of video and sound codecs and software built in to render the video as well (a player). If there's no screen to play the movie on well then you don't get a movie.. Most people achieve what you're trying to do with a media player from the Marketplace. But keep in mind it's even more difficult even with a media player to actually sync whatever movie you want to show with everybody watching it. For example, if you begin watching the movie at 1:00PM and a friend of yours comes in late at 1:30PM, then without completely restarting the video your friend will begin at the beginning of the movie and not what point you personally began playing it (in other words, there's no synchronization). So while a media player will make what you're trying to do possible, its still got it's own limitations. I wouldn't recommend buying a media player either, I use one I made myself in about 1 minute lol, and just stream movies to it from Putlocker or Youtube or any other video file sharing website. Also keep in mind this is a rather gray area, considering most movies are protected by copyright, and while you may not be personally infringing on copyright by making the content available to view in Second Life since the content is hosted outside of the Linden's servers... Linden Labs may frown upon it... it's errr, well, a gray area... Anything you've made yourself is of course yours to share with as you see fit though.. EDIT: For typos and spacing, I always forget to enable my javascript lol. EDIT x2: Oh I forgot to add, there's other 3rd party software needed for video streaming... Flash for Other Browsers and Quicktime Although if you buy a media player it should come with instructions of all the extra stuff you'll need to install. Lots of people already have flash and quicktime installed already, but not lots of people have flash for other browsers installed. And you need to have the right streaming options enabled in your viewer preferences. Some of this stuff might not even be needed anymore, I haven't done any video streaming in a while.