News: Play Games & Share Live Experiences in Virtual Worlds with AltspaceVR

People fear virtual reality will isolate us, but the right experience can prove it does the opposite.

AltspaceVR is a virtual world you can utilize to chat with others around the world, but that's not all. You can also play card and board games, a game of laser tag, or a song on the piano. You can even attend a comedy show or a concert.

Reggie Watts performed live in AltspaceVR using a specialized avatar, in front of a large group of people who were not physically present, but might as well have been from the looks of it. In the video below, you can see Reggie walking around in an HTC Vive and some pretty intense gear, yet he's interacting with the crowd like they're in the same room with him.

While AltspaceVR runs especially well in the HTC Vive, thanks to the advantages of motion tracking, it aims to run on anything it can. Right now, you can also install AltspaceVR on an Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR, but also in two dimensions on your computer. I'd bet we'll see support for Google Daydream in the near future, as well. Additionally, AltspaceVR is compatible with the Perception Neuron and Leap Motion for more precise control through motion capture.

If you have any of those devices—and, since most computers work, you probably do—you can download AltspaceVR for free. Aside from just chatting, you can find something to do or attend one of many planned events. It's a wide, feature-rich virtual world inside our own. Go explore.

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