This weekend at the Second Life Community Convention, we announced that we were bringing Scion into Second Life. This makes Scion the first automaker to enter Second Life and we're super excited about what we're going to be doing with them.
Photo below is from a great Flickr set from Intellagirl.
The first vehicle we chose to produce was the iconic Scion xB -- a perfect choice for Second Life because of its squarish, low-riding shape (easier to build from "prims") and the company's obsession with custimization and self-expression. To carry out the task, we tapped Second Life legend Francis Chung, maker of the famous Dominus Shadow - a version of which recently sold for US$ 2000 at an auction to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Second Life.
Here's a great launch video made for Millions of Us by Nylon Pinkney.
For the launch, the Millions of Us team of Green Fate, Chris Lake, myself and Francis Chung decided to blur the line between real life and Second Life for dramatic effect. We all donned royal blue jumpsuits (our uniform in the virtual world). Next, we convinced the local Scion dealer to lend us a silver xB -- no small feat considering the conversation began like this, "We're going to be launching a virtual version of the Scion xB into the virtual world of Second Life".
On Saturday, we showed up with the real car. In Second Life, Cyrus Huffhines had been given 20 advanced copies and told to await the signal -- a horn blast from real life, before dropping the virtual Scion on people in Second Life. We gathered a crowd in the parking lot of the convention in Fort Mason, and as the cold wind whipped off the bay, I told asked everyone to help me count down from ten. When we reached the count of one, the signal was given and Green Fate drove the real Scion through the parking lot. As he made a hard left and disappeared behind a building, he slammed on the horn and Cyrus began giving out xB's. The Scion had crossed over and become virtual!
Above is a photo of the Real Life launch. Below is one of me standing next to the virtual version in the New Globe Theater on the Millions of Us sim in Second Life.
We're planning a full launch for Scion in October, at which time there will be customizable versions of the cars and much more. In the meantime, if you'd like a first edition Scion xB, please IM Cyrus Huffhines in world.
To add another exciting story, the new Scion kid in town sports a one of a kind Maziora Torched Penny paint - a color-shifting finish that changes depending on your viewing angle and/or how light plays off the car's surface. Another head turner!
Posted by: Auto Magazine Online | October 18, 2006 at 12:42 AM
It's a great animation, i wonder me and my bug could be in that virtual version.. it's kind of a cool looking yourself in the second life. And I wonder if it is so precise that my Volkswagen Antenna can be seen on a virtual version.
Posted by: Shoughun | February 01, 2007 at 08:52 PM