So, a friend of mine sent me a rather comical screenshot of some random profile from a new HUD he was raving about. “It’s great,” he said. “You should get it.”

At first glance, I thought the “Wink” feature was a bit like Second Life’s answer to Tinder (which, alone, I was excited about, because we need something like that). However, I was entirely off of the mark.

The XChip isn’t even a new tool (it was first created in 2009 as a shoulder attachment), but the most recent evolution of the free technology has people running to grab a copy. This SmartHUD enables you to connect with your friends via an integrated social network (which offers real-time status updates and more), and even offers the opportunity for other developers to apply to create apps that can be integrated into the HUD, meaning the users can opt to buy their apps (so, very much like the current mobile development marketplace in real life). With over 29,000 users and rapidly growing (thanks to Uber), that is a not only a huge opportunity to get a foothold in a solid development window, but it’s also a great indication for the user base.

Per their website, XChip also offers this functionality:

“Communicate easier with the xChip GridComm, our grid-wide chat service. Create your own custom chat channels, invite your friends to join them, and chat with everyone in your channel no matter what region you are in. Or join the Public channel and chat with everyone!

On top of our standard integrated features, the xChip also has a Developer API which allows content creators to create Apps (xTensions) to be purchased by other xChip users. We have created an xChip Marketplace where you can browse, and purchase xTensions and Themes for your in-world HUD. The possibilities are endless.

The xChip has many more features, which include:

Chase User
Warp To
Cluster Attack
Trap
Orbit
Dialog Users (individual or sim-wide)
Elevator
Grounder
Imitate
Platform
Pose Stand
Quick Warp
Quick Sound Player
NPV (Non Physical Vehicle)
Bulldozer
Teleport Sound Effects
SL Sound Library
Built In Animations Library (scaleable)
Movement Lock
AirWalk (anti-gravity primless walker)
DoubleJump
Camera Enhancements
QuickLift
Bump Detect
Teleport Effects
Sim-Wide Radar with on-click actions
Land Control (eject, ban, tp-home, etc…)
Flight Speed Enhancer
Run Speed Enhancer
Jump Height Enhancer
Gravity Force Enhancer”

This is a seriously insanely diverse tool, especially considering you can get the HUD for free. There’s also a very affordable Premium service that enables even more functionality, but XChip also boasts a ticketed support system (very uncommon in SL), a comprehensive website and even advertising opportunities for businesses and services.

I’m pretty impressed. I love to see progressive developments like this in SL, and they’ve definitely raised the bar in the multitool HUD area.

Are you an XChip SmartHUD user? I’d love to hear about your own experiences.

Bria Oceanside

ZoHa Blogger/Social Media