Katalabs, a Silicon Valley based company founded by former Stanford University researchers, has released their Sirikata-based in-browser virtual world platform called “KataSpace”. KataSpace uses the very promising WebGL technology to provide its users the ability to navigate, communicate and create content in 3D virtual spaces with a browser such as Firefox 4 beta that has WebGL support (without the need for an extra plug-in).
With the development of their open-source virtual world platform, the Sirikata team has already been giving signals about potential breakthroughs in virtual worlds and Web integration; and with the release of KataSpace, Katalabs showed us that hundreds of avatars can be hosted at the same time in a browser-based world.
Not surprisingly, in their blog, Katalabs says:
“We believe the web can be made better through real-time, synchronized collaboration and communication environments built at the intersection of 2D and 3D. These will be delivered through the browser you already use and loaded by simply clicking a link.”
KataSpace has already begun to attract attention from other important media channels, too. (Here are CNET’s and ArsTechnica’s articles on KataSpace).
KataSpace sample environment can be visited at: http://kataspace.sirikata.com/
And … looks like it’s time for another hype cycle. Same essential technology, different implementation.