Walls come tumbling down

One of the main barriers for educators working in Second Life has been the high spec required to run the software.

In Sloodle, we have tried to lessen the impact if these problems with our web intercom - an object which allows chat from the 3D virtual world to be relayed in real time to a traditional 2D chatroom in Moodle.

Japanese company Sun Inc. have gone a step further with a Java-based version of the client that runs on low-spec PCs, inside a web browser. They released a Japanese-language beta last week, and promise that a version supporting other languages is in the works - as well as versions of their viewer targeting Japanese mobile phones. (Their Japanese press release (PDF) is here.)

You can login to their system here. (The login form asks for your avatar’s first name, last name and password.) Once logged in, you can navigate using the normal Second Life navigation, and use the buttons on their page for chat, navigation, etc. For impatient non-Japanese speakers, here’s a bookmarklet you can use to get the Tokyozero Viewer buttons In English.