New VR excitement in SL

[Beowulf Zessinthal]

Over time, I have saved a few screenshots of avatars that were so good i had to capture the creation with a screen grab. Lately using the Occulus Rift i looked at those images .. they appeared in a  'big screen' way. The experience (just as a jpeg) was really unique and exciting.. one where i felt i was way up close to the avatar...  really a big WOOOW! moment

If the avatars were also breathing and in 3D, Im certain it would get a lot of attention in the VR world. It is a small but cool, and growing market. Also i imagine that if i could make my avatar smaller I would experience a world of giant fabulous avatars. Then i think that augmented reality will later make it even more exciting and useable.

I understand that VR in SL has been tried and abandoned before. Im also aware that somewhere there is a way to get SL into a VR headset by hacking some old rare viewer or some such thing. There is a big disadvantage to that to my way of thinking. First i do not like messing with settings and strange extra viewers .. it may lead to inventory issues .. and the world seen through the headset would definately not be optimized for a VR experience.

But I imagine it would be very possible to create islands, or parcels that are purposely built very low in prim and texture, so that we can start to explore a Second Life VR experience. To begin with, it would only have to be able to hold one or two avatars, to make everyone in VR suddenly want to open a SL account, and buy low prim builds of all sorts. Gradually a specialized VR optimized SL building industry would grow too. 

Please revisit VR SL. I realize it would begin with stated limitations etc .. but im sure it would be like the early years of SL.. where a new wave of excitment fills the air!
 

[ChinRey]

18 minutes ago, Beowulf Zessinthal said:

But I imagine it would be very possible to create islands, or parcels that are purposely built very low in prim and texture, so that we can start to explore a Second Life VR experience.

Yes, that is possible but it's not a good idea for one very specific reason.

Second Life's only two advantages over opensim are the large amount of existing content and the the large number of established users. That means that anything that is for new user groups and require new content is better done on opensim than in SL.

[Bree Giffen]

From the 3rd person over-the-avatar view of SL, VR is very much like playing with barbies, action figures, dollhouses, and tabletop dioramas. Our SL avatars look like high end anime figurines that move. With wind-light, shadows and atmospheric effects the VR view is truly not like anything that can be seen in real life or on a 2D screen. I’m not hyping it up. It’s that good. 

The overhead view also removes much of the head movement you normally have in 1st person view. Your avatar may be running, climbing and dancing but you remain as an unmoving observer from above.

Also, The Firestorm VR viewer is not that old. I believe it was updated a year or two ago.