Comments on: Virtual Worlds 2008 Wrap Up http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/ Raph Koster's personal website: MMOs, gaming, writing, art, music, books Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:02:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Hhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136647 H Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:25:59 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136647 Oh, I'd wait till virtual world gets popular among its players. :) How can you place money and expect a return when its not populated with enough players. Before talking about marketing in virtual world and getting disappointed, I'd wait and see if this thing gets any bigger. Oh, I’d wait till virtual world gets popular among its players. :)
How can you place money and expect a return when its not populated with enough players.
Before talking about marketing in virtual world and getting disappointed, I’d wait and see if this thing gets any bigger.

]]> By: Morgan Ramsayhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136524 Morgan Ramsay Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:44:53 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136524 <strong>Matt</strong> wrote: <blockquote>You might be right, Morgan, but you probably want to be more choosy with the articles you quote. That one’s main talking-point was that combination smartphone/MP3 player would be “niche” and could never replace the iPod. Oops. iPhone where?</blockquote> Al Ries also pointed out that "it's true that whenever convenience is a major issue, you’ll find some examples of convergence." Ries cautions that we ignore the hype and look at the numbers. The iPhone is an up-sell of the iPod. The iPhone doesn't cannibalize iPod sales and so the iPhone has not replaced the iPod product line. The iPod line remains dominant in the MP3-player market. The iPod line, by the way, has diverged into several, more strongly differentiated products. (Trivia: iPhone reportedly cost $150M to manufacture. Net sales of the iPhone, and related products and services, is currently around $364M with 3.69M handsets sold since Q3 2007.) Does the Metaverse have a major convenience factor? What does the Metaverse give us the ability to do better or more easily? Is the Metaverse viable in today's marketplace? How about in the future? (I'm not referring to the future in the sense of fantasy.) Matt wrote:

You might be right, Morgan, but you probably want to be more choosy with the articles you quote. That one’s main talking-point was that combination smartphone/MP3 player would be “niche” and could never replace the iPod.

Oops. iPhone where?

Al Ries also pointed out that “it’s true that whenever convenience is a major issue, you’ll find some examples of convergence.” Ries cautions that we ignore the hype and look at the numbers.

The iPhone is an up-sell of the iPod. The iPhone doesn’t cannibalize iPod sales and so the iPhone has not replaced the iPod product line. The iPod line remains dominant in the MP3-player market. The iPod line, by the way, has diverged into several, more strongly differentiated products. (Trivia: iPhone reportedly cost $150M to manufacture. Net sales of the iPhone, and related products and services, is currently around $364M with 3.69M handsets sold since Q3 2007.)

Does the Metaverse have a major convenience factor? What does the Metaverse give us the ability to do better or more easily? Is the Metaverse viable in today’s marketplace? How about in the future? (I’m not referring to the future in the sense of fantasy.)

]]> By: Amarantharhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136522 Amaranthar Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:51:22 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136522 I'd better get started on my new clothing line, I'll call it Federation Fedora. Repeat after me.... "Link Federation Fedora hologram." I’d better get started on my new clothing line, I’ll call it Federation Fedora.

Repeat after me….
“Link Federation Fedora hologram.”

]]> By: Amarantharhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136521 Amaranthar Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:42:49 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136521 I see it happening, but I think it'll actually take longer to go mainstream than one might expect. People will need to buy into it (in stages of course, as it evolves). I think the tech will be here soon though, with all this fiber optics and whatnot, and all that super computer and etc., that's being built right now. And I recently read about a nano tech of some kind that can allow much better energy transmission with no resistance and very little heat loss. Artificial atoms, fungi processing audio signals, E. Coli storing images, DNA acting as logic circuits, quantum computers, entangled photons, quantum teleportation...in ten years things will look more like Star Trek than not, on the tech end of things. I see it happening, but I think it’ll actually take longer to go mainstream than one might expect. People will need to buy into it (in stages of course, as it evolves).

I think the tech will be here soon though, with all this fiber optics and whatnot, and all that super computer and etc., that’s being built right now.

And I recently read about a nano tech of some kind that can allow much better energy transmission with no resistance and very little heat loss.

Artificial atoms, fungi processing audio signals, E. Coli storing images, DNA acting as logic circuits, quantum computers, entangled photons, quantum teleportation…in ten years things will look more like Star Trek than not, on the tech end of things.

]]> By: Matthttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136518 Matt Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:38:13 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136518 You might be right, Morgan, but you probably want to be more choosy with the articles you quote. That one's main talking-point was that combination smartphone/MP3 player would be "niche" and could never replace the iPod. Oops. iPhone where? You might be right, Morgan, but you probably want to be more choosy with the articles you quote. That one’s main talking-point was that combination smartphone/MP3 player would be “niche” and could never replace the iPod.

Oops. iPhone where?

]]> By: lenhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136514 len Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:40:52 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136514 You might, Morgan, but by then, it will have a new brand. ;-) SGML: Sounds Good Maybe Later. You might, Morgan, but by then, it will have a new brand. ;-)

SGML: Sounds Good Maybe Later.

]]> By: Morgan Ramsayhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136509 Morgan Ramsay Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:21:34 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136509 I think this Metaverse shebang seems like a <a href="http://ries.typepad.com/ries_blog/2005/07/consider_diverg.html" rel="nofollow">case of flying cars</a>. One of those "it'd be cool to see it happen" things, but also one of those things that will likely never attain critical mass. Some things are better left in fiction. I think this Metaverse shebang seems like a case of flying cars. One of those “it’d be cool to see it happen” things, but also one of those things that will likely never attain critical mass. Some things are better left in fiction.

]]> By: lenhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136506 len Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:50:39 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136506 If not quite, then when? I don't think it is a technology waiting to happen. It happened. What is the gnawing sense of disappointment all about: The Crash from the Sugar High. A LOT of money was pumped into the market but there is no scaling market yet. Interoperability forums are so far just chest thumping. The sweet spot is in the language-standards as far as that goes, so somewhere between Collada and X3D. You will not see a 3D Web. You are seeing a web with lots more 3D than there was ten years ago. You'll see more. As I said elsewhere, it is like old age. One day you look in the mirror and it's just there. If not quite, then when? I don’t think it is a technology waiting to happen. It happened. What is the gnawing sense of disappointment all about: The Crash from the Sugar High.

A LOT of money was pumped into the market but there is no scaling market yet. Interoperability forums are so far just chest thumping. The sweet spot is in the language-standards as far as that goes, so somewhere between Collada and X3D.

You will not see a 3D Web. You are seeing a web with lots more 3D than there was ten years ago. You’ll see more. As I said elsewhere, it is like old age. One day you look in the mirror and it’s just there.

]]> By: Raphhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136505 Raph Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:55:21 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136505 I think that a lot of the articles I linked basically say "not quite yet." I think that a lot of the articles I linked basically say “not quite yet.”

]]> By: West Karana » Neopia World, and why I’m not excited about Free Realmshttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/comment-page-1/#comment-136503 West Karana » Neopia World, and why I’m not excited about Free Realms Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:51:19 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/09/virtual-worlds-2008-wrap-up/#comment-136503 [...] be browsing the post-mortem of Virtual Worlds 08 (about which I made some posts on Massively), that Raph pointed to and saw this crumb about Nickelodeon making World of Neopia — finally! Pet-raising, [...]

[...] be browsing the post-mortem of Virtual Worlds 08 (about which I made some posts on Massively), that Raph pointed to and saw this crumb about Nickelodeon making World of Neopia — finally! Pet-raising, [...]

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