NearGlobal

Near
Regent Street in NearLondon
Developer(s)	Near Global
Publisher(s)	Nearworld Investments
Platform(s)	Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7
Release date(s)	7th December 2009 (Open Beta)
Genre(s)	Multiplayer Social Virtual World
Mode(s)	Single player Multiplayer
Media/distribution	Download

NearGlobal is a London, UK, based software developer and publisher of Near, a 3D city browser platform and virtual world technology that delivers survey-accurate models of real-world cities that users can explore and interact with from their computer. The Near software was released in December 2009 with a public beta version incorporating the key shopping districts of London's West End ^[1].

Purpose

NearGlobal describes the Near product as a discovery platform^[2], rather that a virtual world. Near allows for the seamless integration of existing web-based content into the 3D environment.

Differentiation

Near differs significantly from virtual worlds such as Second Life, Twinity and Blue Mars by focusing more on the presentation of the environment than on its users. The Near software depicts users with blades of light^[3] rather than with human avatars.

See also

• Second Life
• Twinity

References

1. ^ Hamilton, Fiona (2009-09-28). "West End online for a 'virtual Christmas'". London: The Times. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article6851490.ece. Retrieved 2010-07-07. 
2. ^ "Near features". NearGlobal. 2010-01-07. http://london.nearglobal.com/Features.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-07. 
3. ^ "Liberty and M&S sign-up to London's virtual West End". Brand Republic. 2009-09-28. http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/941546/Liberty-M-S-sign-up-Londons-virtual-West-End/. Retrieved 2010-07-07. 

External links

Official sites

• Near Beta
• Corporate Information