Second Life developer shows off its new social VR platform

Linden Lab, creator of virtual world (and sometimes sex party) Second Life, has given us a new look at Sansar, a platform for building and inhabiting social VR spaces.

"No longer is VR limited to just professional developers and engineers," says the trailer's narration as it shows off tools for placing 3D objects—which can be custom made, repurposed from Sansar's existing collection, or purchased from an asset store—into an environment.

Once a new VR space is created, it can be shared privately or publicly and inhabited via Second Life-like avatars. Linden envisions Sansar's uses will range "from education and commerce to entertainment and live events." And sometimes sex parties, I have to imagine, but whatever it's used for it looks like it'll be fun to tinker with—a sort of 'Unity for novices' where I can build my own VR dreamscapes.

Sansar is currently in an invite-only phase—you can register here—but will enter open beta this spring. Another video, released a couple months ago, offers a slightly more in-depth look at the creation tools and rendering.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.