May 16, 2013
The Oculus Rift has finally arrived, and is making heads turn (literally) all over the gaming community. No longer are we confined to to peering through a flat window into the gaming worlds we love so much; with the Rift, we can teleport right into it. While it may not be the holy grail of virtual reality yet, it's off to a bloody incredible start. Read on to find out what the Oculus Rift is exactly, and to win yourself a free Development Kit.
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March 6, 2013
Virtual worlds are, in essence, meeting places. They aren't video games, they aren't chat rooms, and they aren't social networks. They've been around for some time now, and chances are that you have stumbled upon one yourself. The premise of a virtual world is quite simple - users carry on social activities using their avatars in an open virtual environment. While not a video game, users may play games within the world.
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February 24, 2012
Through the years, I've started and quit countless exercise regimens. I'm always looking for new ideas, and each time I walk into the gym, I look for new cardio machines to try. It wasn't until about a month ago that I decided to give a few strange-looking bikes a try. These are bikes with computer monitors attached - essentially virtual reality exercise bikes.
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February 20, 2012
It's a big world out there, full of natural wonders, incredible monuments and fascinating culture. Much as we'd like to be out exploring it every day, very few of us can. It's a good thing we have the Internet. Do you want to explore the world's most famous locations, take a virtual safari, visit the zoo, tour a famous museum or travel almost anywhere? You can do it right from your web browser.
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September 1, 2011
There are few things in life that can help you de-stress quite like music. It's a sweet feeling to just sit back and listen to some tunes - no pressure, no deadlines, just music. Well, one way to add a bit of excitement to that relaxing time is to make your music enjoyment a more social experience.
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July 21, 2011
One game genre that’s unfortunately withered is the city simulator. This type of game was never a huge success compared to action-packed shooters and real-time strategy games, but it’s always had a place in the hearts of some PC gamers. While the vaunted SimCity series has ended (for now), there are a few games that carry on the legacy.
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December 23, 2010
I’ve spent hours of my life toiling over virtual cities in Maxis’ Sim City series, and it must have rubbed off after all these years. I still enjoy meticulously planning infrastructure, zoning and carefully tweaking finances to this day. The other day whilst trying to work, I accidentally (oops) went looking for some online heirs [...]
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December 20, 2010
A field trip to a museum was one of the necessary educational activities while growing up. I think it still is. The only difference is that with the explosion of the web and virtual environments, a student can cover so many more sights than earlier possible. Virtual environments open up many more educational options. You [...]
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August 25, 2010
The beauty of a panorama can never be described in words; it has been to be seen to be believed. In an extremely crowded world, panoramic spots are few and far between. Oh yes, you can see an entire city laid out in front of you from the top of a skyscraper. But nothing beats [...]
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June 14, 2010
To anyone who has witnessed the Neopets phenomenon, which launched in 1999 and resulted in a line of toys and cards, distributed by Viacom to several real stores across the country; it is no surprise to hear that kids have an insatiable appetite for virtual pets. It doesn’t seem to matter that the cute little [...]
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March 30, 2010
Life has certainly changed over the last 50 years, and among the greatest changes is the ability to travel to far away places with a click of a mouse. I really love traveling, but don’t have nearly enough time or money to visit all of the world’s greatest places. Virtual world tours are an awesome [...]
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March 14, 2010
Linden Lab, the creators of the popular multi-user virtual environment, Second Life, have launched a shiny new viewer that promises to be more user friendly to the non-gamer. Over 5000 educators use Second Life to teach including Harvard Law professors Charlie and Becca Nesson. The new viewer promises to draw more teachers to the fold [...]
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September 29, 2009
If you don’t yet play Second Life (SL) then I’m sure you have heard a thing or two about it. Are you curious? Or do you think SL is crap? What is SL anyways and what does it offer? SL is a 3D virtual reality, it’s an interactive graphics chat world, SL is a game [...]
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June 29, 2009
My darling wife was volunteering at the world-famous Ponoka Stampede (props to my cowboy homies). She saw a kid playing some cool games and asked what they were. “It’s Roblox!”, I imagine the child said. “Your husband should check it out and write about it on MakeUseOf.com. His article will go straight to the front [...]
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May 4, 2009
Virtual Worlds are computated replica’s of the real world. They’re extensive multi-user experiences, in which one can meet new people, or pursue forgotten dreams. What’s so great about these Virtual Worlds, is that they allow people to get a taste of alternative realities. People can put on other people’s skins; the shy clerk can become [...]
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