Virtual Worlds Forum

Did you know that Apple is launching the 3G iPhone today? You'd think someone would have written about it... Okay, so the 3G iPhone has been hyped to the skies, as has its related App Store - the new section of iTunes where Apple will sell downloadable applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The latter launched yesterday with more than 500 applications, from games and music to social networking, business and productivity. However, despite speculation, there are no virtual worlds as far as I can make out.

There are many reasons you wouldn't want to play World of Warcraft on an iPhone. The lack of a mouse and physical keyboard for starters, not to mention limited screen estate. However, there are many technical reasons why getting WoW running on an iPhone is an impressive feat, so hats off to Alan Joyce, who's managed it using Telekinesis, an application that provides a web gateway for controlling a Mac with an iPhone. In other words, the laptop in this video is what's actually running WoW, but the iPhone is acting as a separate screen and controller.

What to do after trousering $160 million when your first virtual world is bought by Viacom? If you're Neopets founders Adam Powell and Donna Williams, you turn your attention to the pure MMO space, albeit with a twist. The pair have started a new firm, Meteor Games, which is working on an innovative new project.

If that sounds like quite a niche, well, you're right. But in a mobile games market saturated by puzzle games and movie platform titles, Flyder at least stands out. It's part game part application really, although the term its maker 3DVU is using is '3D Picture Location Based Game'.

There's a fascinating article in the New York Times today about Disney's plans to revamp its Disney.com portal over the next few months. These include plans to launch innovative cross-platform features for the company's online virtual worlds, allowing users to interact from their mobile phones. One example given is that users with fairy avatars in the Pixie Hollow virtual world will be able to create pet butterflies for their fairies in a mobile application. "I'm going to want to use my phone to feed and love my butterfly all the time," says Larry Shapiro, EVP for mobile content. "That kind of emotional vesting is what we're after."

Abandon Interactive Entertainment has announced that its closed beta for the innovative Freaky Creatures MMO will start on 15th July, with registration open now on its website. The game's been trailed for a couple of years now, but is finally set to launch, albeit in a test version for selected players.

Japanese firm Eitarosoft has revealed that its Lamity mobile virtual world is being preloaded on several handsets being sold by operator NTT DoCoMo. They include phones from Sony, Sharp and NEC that are part of DoCoMo's 906i series. The world is also being ported to Google's Android operating system.

Israeli firm Comverse grabbed headlines earlier this year when it demonstrated a client running Second Life on mobile handsets, including the iPhone. The company isn't alone in this aim - Vollee is working on a similar idea - but the latter company was first to actually get its technology into the hands of consumers, albeit via a beta test. Anyway, I was keen to catch up with Comverse to find out more about its platform, and whether there's really a demand for the mobilisation of virtual worlds like Second Life. Daphna Steinmetz, head of Comverse Innovation Labs, fielded my questions.

Last night, Apple unveiled its 3G iPhone during the keynote address by Steve Jobs, at its WWDC developer show. It ended weeks of speculation, revealing that the new model supports up to HSDPA data speeds, has built-in GPS for navigation and location-based services, and will be much cheaper than the previous version (in the UK, O2 is also promising to give it away for free to anyone who signs up to a £45-a-month contract). It goes on sale on 11th July. Meanwhile, Jobs also talked about the potential for downloadable iPhone applications, which will be sold through the iPhone App Store from next month. So what does all this mean for the virtual worlds and MMO industries?

I've written about Vollee's mobile client for Second Life before, but it's now officially released as a free beta application (you can get it here). It works on a range of handsets, and streams Second Life over 3G or Wi-Fi connections. Vollee says it'll soon add Apple's iPhone to the list - presumably later this month when the company launches its iPhone App Store. Vollee is just one of the companies investigating mobile access to Second Life - Comverse and Samsung are two others. For a reminder of Vollee's solution, check the video above. I'm going to try to get it running on my Nokia N73, and will post a review if I do.

Japanese firm Eitarosoft has announced details of a new 3D virtual world called Lamity that it's developed for Google's Android smartphone platform, and released video footage of it in action. What's more, the company claims it can handle more simultaneous users than Second Life, with a maximum of 400 people for every virtual town within its world. Chat also appears to be a big feature, with Area Chat for open conversations, and Dual Chat for more private one-on-one chatting, complete with a range of actions and expressions. Meanwhile, Eitarosoft is pitching the world to advertisers, allowing them to display web pages within the world, as well as video footage. Watch the video above for a demo of the world in action. The first Android handsets are due for release later this year, so it could launch then.

I've written here before about Vollee's plans to make Second Life accessible through mobile devices, but the company has just given Newsweek a demo of its technology in action and opened up registrations for its public beta test. See the video above for a quick trailer, and then read on for more info about the beta.

Square Enix has been one of the more forward-looking console publishers when it comes to mobile, as seen with its mobile-exclusive games based on its Final Fantasy series. Now the publisher has announced an all-new MMO for mobiles, called Ellark.

Nokia quietly launched its N-Gage mobile gaming platform last night, following the recent 'First Access' trial of the service, which came to an end last week. To head off confusion, this isn't the unsuccessful gaming handset N-Gage, which came and went a few years ago. It's a new games platform running across several of Nokia's Nseries multimedia phones, offering 3D and connected games.

As I've reported here before, a few companies are investigating how to bring Second Life to mobile handsets. But what about exclusively mobile virtual worlds? UK firm Micazook has just launched one, called i-Citizen Beta 3D.