Own virtual land and design your own home in Somnium 2.0.
Somnium Space is an open-source social VR world powered by blockchain and shaped entirely by its users, allowing them to buy digital land where they can build VR homes and buildings. Today the platform announced the launch of Somnium 2.0, a new update that promises to move us closer to a true Ready Player One virtual experience.
Imagine standing on the top of the highest mountain inside of a virtual mountain looking down to see thousands of users exploring the world beneath in real-time; unlike a majority of multiplayer VR games where players are divided into sub servers and mirrored instanced rooms, Somnium 2.0 actually hosts all its players in a single massive world.
In an official press release, Artur Sychov, Founder and CEO of Somnium Space stated, “We are putting a lot of effort into the immersive aspect of our VR world. Players are able not only explore creations of each other, but ultimately get lost in the vast territories of a truly alive world,” adding, “You can start a business and instantly monetize your ideas, visit the planetarium or museum, touch the water, or go mountain hiking.”
Somnium Space promises a VR world that feels genuinely real. The weather changes on a daily basis; if it’s sunny out, user-created buildings will cast shadows on the environment. “All of that wakes up your body senses and brings an emotional connection to your creations or your friends to the next level,” said Sychov.
Somnium 2.0 will offer unique features, including persistent server architect and native NFT integration that allow you to build and deploy your creation on land parcels that you already own, as well as the ability to upgrade your experience, such as improved graphic fidelity, full body Avatars, and support for Builder and Unity SDKs for building and avatar importing.
The VR space will also use the Ethereum blockchain network, meaning you can tokenize in-game assets such as land parcels, avatars, wearables, collectibles, etc. Somnium Space is one of the first VR worlds to allows its users to maintain ownership of their digital possessions through Somnium Cubes, the in-game currency based on the Ethereum blockchain (ERC20).
Connecting the worlds of virtual reality and non-fungible tokens, Somnium 2.0 allows you to place any NFT directly onto Somnium Land Parcels you own and explore them in VR. You can then share those items with other users across the globe in real-time.
Moreover, users are able to create and tokenize items, avatars, or full structures directly from the Somnium PC client, allowing anyone to instantly monetize their creations. This will have huge implications for the future of social VR and blockchain-powered economies.
With the coronavirus outbreak currently wreaking havoc on the airlines, VR worlds such as Somnium 2.0, AltSpace, VRChat, Rumii, and Engage, are quickly becoming the go-to platforms for workforce meetups and remote social interaction.
In an interview with VRScout, Nikk Mitchell, CEO of FXG who at the time of this article is currently quarantined at his home in Hangzhou, China and unable to physically be at the FXG headquarters said, “Thanks to VR, I haven’t been alone or bored. I’ve traveled the world through VR film, exercised and had fun with VR games, and networked and done business through industry events held in VR,” Mitchell continues, “Moving forward we will see the continued growth of social VR for business, and every time an outbreak like the coronavirus happens, we will see that growth spike.”
Somnium 2.0 officially launches on February 20th on all mainstream VR headsets, including HTC Vive, Oculus Rift S, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and many more. Oculus Quest and Oculus GO versions are set to launch within the next few months.
Image Credit: Somnium Space
