Sansar is a social VR platform from Linden Lab, the maker of the Second Life virtual world. And today, Sansar is now available as a free download on Viveport, the HTC Vive’s global platform and app store. This marks the first time the platform is in a VR store, giving people access to new and exciting environments inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One film.
Linden Lab has reproduced Aech’s Basement, a central location in the beloved Ernest Cline novel and Steven Spielberg’s new film. In Sansar, developers previously brought Aech’s Garage from the film to life in a VR scene. The new space interprets the original ILM design for Ready Player One from Warner Brothers Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Village Roadshow Pictures. The new content is one more step in the direction of social VR, which, like competitive efforts such as Facebook Spaces, could make the new medium of virtual reality more appealing to a broader group of people.
Above: Aech’s Basement in Ready Player One.
“Viveport has always recognized the value of transformative virtual experiences, and we couldn’t be happier to partner with them in sharing Sansar with the world and expanding its reach,” said Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg in a statement.
The new space in the basement joins Aech’s Garage, already available to Sansar users, and comes to life through a collaboration with Warner Brothers, Vive, and Intel. Visitors can test their 1980s pop culture know-how as they view Aech’s collection and interact with Aech herself, voiced by actress and comedian Lena Waithe.
Above: Aech’s Garage in Ready Player One.
Sansar was already on the Oculus Rift.
“We’re excited to bring Sansar’s boundary-pushing VR content to Viveport, and we look forward to sharing unforgettable Ready Player One experiences with our users,” said Rahul Sandil, vice president of Mmarketing at Viveport, in a statement.
