Convai unveils new features and partnerships at GDC 2024, showcasing its Project Neural Nexus demo with Unity and announcing features like Convai Connect, Narrative Design, Long-term character memory, Multilingual Support, and Modding Framework. The company also partners with Second Life and Stormgate to integrate its AI NPC technology into their games, receiving positive feedback from industry leaders for its potential to drive engagement and utility in virtual worlds and games.
After being diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer, journalist Rod Nordland found himself facing his mortality and reevaluating his life. Despite being told he had only 15 months to live, he underwent surgery and embarked on what he calls his "Second Life." This new perspective, shared by others facing terminal illness, brought unexpected beauty and benefits amidst the challenges of living with a terminal diagnosis.
Cooler Master's Framework case is designed to give laptops a second life by transforming them into desktop computers. The case allows users to dock their laptops and connect them to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, effectively turning them into a desktop setup. The case has received positive reviews for its versatility and functionality.
Oceangate, the company behind the ill-fated Titan submersible, revealed that they used the online virtual reality game Second Life to teach students how to pilot the submersible. The game provided a simulated experience of diving and operating the Titan, including changing lights and a panic function. The use of Second Life raises questions about the adequacy of training for such a dangerous trip, especially considering the recent implosion of the Titan and the tragic death of its passengers.
Developer Linden Labs is creating a mobile version of the 20-year-old metaverse game Second Life, which is expected to launch later this year. The game will be built using Unity and will be available on both iOS and Android phones/tablets. Second Life has over 73 million accounts and 900,000 active users, and offers virtual events such as live music performances, shopping fairs, and art exhibitions. Linden Labs had previously been working on a VR version of the game called Sansar, but stopped development and sold off the rights in 2020.
Second Life, the virtual world that launched on desktop web in 2003, is coming to mobile for the first time with a beta version of the app set to launch this year. The app was built using Unity and will be available on multiple platforms, including iOS and Android. While a mobile version may not greatly expand the audience for the virtual world, it will be a welcome development for its surprisingly vibrant community of diehards.
