This is One Way to Run Second Life on an iPad with Full Touchscreen Control Which Looks Pretty Cool If You Ask Me

This is a full-featured version of Second Life running on an iPad with touchscreen interface enabled, and it's pretty damn cool if you ask me:

This is possible through a service called Splashtop, which enables remote access of programs on your PC from your mobile device. And as reader Ares Shoreland discovered, it gives you a pretty decent version of Second Life that almost seems optimized for a touchscreen:

"The performance [of Splashtop] was very good, so i decided to launch SL," he tells me. "The graphics were maxed out, with decent framerate (about 26fps)... You move by simply touching the ground where you want to go, and turn yourself and the camera by sliding your finger across the screen." So he bought an all-access plan ($1.99 month), which is supposed to enable him to do this from anywhere in the world where there's a Wi-Fi connection. Even remotely at other locations far from his PC, he tells me, "The frames were still good." He even thinks Linden Lab is planning to use a technology like this for an official tablet version of SL: "Linden Lab could have prepared Second Life to a touch future, and maybe that's why Version 3 has those big clickable icons."

This is starting to sound like an advertisement for Splashpad, so let me caveat all this by saying I haven't tried it myself (I have no iPad, and hello, I'm still in China), so I'd recommend you give it a trial look before putting down any money. But if it works as well as Ares describes it, we're talking a pretty great workaround solution for getting SL on mobile.

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Comments

[Voodoo Radek]

I have been using splashtop on my android device to play second life and skyrim for some time now.

As a VPN service is ok, it's more focused on the streaming quality than on the functionality, witch make it cool for games. But that have a cost: it consumes too much bandwidth, you need to use wifi.. streaming with 3g data plan would be insane for your wallet. The performance of the application depends on the quality of your computer, and the wifi more than the tablet itself.

I bought the THD version for about 6€. The great advantage of this splashtop version is that it brings a configurable UI you can use with your applications. So you can put a joystick and so many buttons as you need on the screen to play skyrim. BUT to use this feature the application needs to be running in fullscreen, that's not the case with SL anymore. On desktop programs you move the mouse arrow by taping (not dragging) the screen.. witch is kind of uncomfortable for SL, specially if your tablet have a small screen.

There is a free version of splashtop on the playstore.

[Kim Anubis]

Splashtop is a very nifty program. Haven't used it with SL (though I will certainly give that a try now), but it sure is nice to be able to access Word or whatever files I want from the comfort of my tablet and recliner.

[Botgirl Questi]

I posted a video on this over a year ago. :) https://vimeo.com/42129754

[Adeon Writer]

This so doesn't count. :P

Still neat, though.

[Ares Shoreland]

Great one up!
This has been really useful for me, since my laptop has heating issues wich pevent me to run any 3D applications. I stream my desktop PC to Splashtop then.
When I get excited about something I tend to sound like an advertiser, but I have to say, I spread the word so the technology can help someone!

[Terry]

Just tried Splashtop on my iPad, extremely quick video, plus sound. Works great with Second Life. One question, I cannot find a 'page up/page down key with the onscreen keyboard for avatar flight. I suppose I could try a wireless keyboard with the iPad, but was wondering if anyone has cheaper advice. ;-)

[Bay Sweetwater]

Here's my vid playing with Second Life via Splashtop last week on the iPad. http://youtu.be/rEkQH01BZS0
@Terry - to fly in SL on the iPad via Splashtop: (1) click the SL "moving your avatar" tool (walking-man icon at the bottom of the SL screen), (2) douple-tap the flying-person icon in the lower right of the navigation window that pops up, (3) then press the forward arrow on the Lumiya interface to fly forward, and (4) to fly up and down, activate the Lumiya onscreen keyboard, then tap the E key repeatedly to fly up, and the C key to fly down. Clunky but it works. You're right-for flying, the external wireless keyboard is a lot easier.

[Linda]

I've been using splashtop on my ipad to play sl for a couple of years now, it was a bit laggy but ok. Last week I bought an Ipad Air, and now have no lag at all, its just like using my computer but on a smaller lighter device. I love it!