Instant Messaging Goes Graphical

williampiv writes "For most of the millions of people around the world who regularly use instant messaging, the communications tool has largely been a text-only experience in which typed emoticons offer only minimal clues to someone's state of mind. The recent launch of two services -- a brand new, fully three-dimensional chat-room product known as IMVU, and AOL Instant Messenger's new 3-D SuperBuddy icons -- is putting the spotlight on a major shift by the leading IM providers toward making graphical avatars a fundamental personalization feature."

Comments

MS Chat?

[softwave]

I thought Microsoft had a similar product a couple of years ago. Microsoft Chat or Comic Chat or something in the kind... You could select a comic character and assign it facial expressions and such.
It died a silent death :)

Re:MS Chat?

[TheRaven64]

MS Comic Chat was an IRC client that spammed the channel with some meta-data used to create the comic. I used it a few times, and found that most of the time I never bothered to change my character's emotional state, and neither did anyone else.

Nothing new here. :)

[Gwala]

If I may point out, this isnt anything new. Blaxxun, Activeworlds, Secondlife are all similar 3D platforms, but have a great deal more experience & interactivity (having all existed for some years now). I posted some info on my favourite 3D platform at the moment (Secondlife) here

(Also check out Activeworlds & There (nb: there is more a social use, like the topic, rather than a 3D platform on it's own.))

ActiveWorlds

[bjb]

There has been a service, ActiveWorlds for years now.. I think it opened in 1996? Basically, it is a fully 3D environment that you would walk around in, interact with other people, build houses, etc.

I haven't logged on to it in years (read: since maybe 1999), but I always remember that I thought it was pretty cool given the 3D capabilities of x86 machines at the time (read: none), and it wasn't TOO bad for dialup. Even played MIDI tracks while you were walking around. I think they eventually went to a pay-for-service model, and hopefully they eventually adopted some kind of 3D acceleration technology (via ActiveX?)

Palace

[remikun]

I thought there was already a similar software doing the same thing a few years ago... I think it was called The Palace. Probably someone already mentioned that.