The NTT Soft subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp has released its multi-user virtual reality software that lets users capture their own voice and facial expressions in real-time over the internet. NTT Soft believes InterSpace is the first such virtual reality to achieve this and has made it available for free download. In addition, InterSpace will be bundled with the Winner 2000/Office graphics accelerator from Elsa Inc. Speaking face to face in 3D environments is the next major advance for internet communications which will make distance learning, electronic commerce, tele-commuting and entertainment on the internet more engaging and useful for everyone, said Takashi Nishimura, general manger of NTT Soft. InterSpace virtual worlds are also available for download and currently include a virtual Tower Records; an online gaming lobby; a virtual aquarium which provides a distance learning environment; and a Japanese-style tea room for conferences and chat. System requirements for InterSpace include a multimedia 90MHz Pentium running Windows 95 with 12Mb on the hard drive and 24Mb of RAM, Microsoft Corp DirectX 3.0 or greater, and a standard dial-up internet connection using a 28.8 Kbps modem. The InterSpace browser can be downloaded from www.ntts.com/interspace.
