WebRTC, as a platform, is rapidly gaining ground as new developments emerge in the field, but the amount of things that can actually be done with it on the commercial level is still in a bit of a slump. But that's about to change as a new WebRTC application, Jocly's players live video chat system, made its appearance in the field only recently. With this new application comes not only a good look at just what WebRTC can do right now, but also what WebRTC may be able to do in the future.
Billed as "a real one, not simply a demo", Jocly's players live video chat system not only allows for live video chat, but it also allows for a 3D environment integration system that lets what looks like board games be brought into the mix and played within the app itself. So far the games that can be played within the app are those games that have a WebGL interface, so it's limited to Yohoho, Chess and Draughts.
Jocly had, reportedly, been interested in such a feature from the word go. It wanted to be able to let players jump right into a game and be able to discuss that game with opponents while playing. But technology hadn't yet adapted to that point--sure, there were chat systems available, but none so seamless as presented by WebRTC. WebRTC allows users to engage in video and voice chats from a Web browser by itself--no need for added plugins or the like--so it could provide the kind of ready ability to chat between players for which Jocly had been hoping for some time.
However, as is the case with most any new technology, there is something of a limit associated with this. Jocly notes a bug in Firefox Nightly that won't allow, as yet, for WebGL integration, so it's recommended that those interested stick to Chrome. Those users that can use the service, however, will get a prompt at the beginning of the game, which will allow users to either allow or deny Jocly to use an attached camera and microphone, and will also be necessary for video chatting.
WebRTC, as a whole, is still in its very early stages. But getting a look at just what it can do, right here, right now, with nothing more than a copy of Google Chrome makes it clear that this will be a very big sector of communications at some point. The Jocly app alone is not just showing how two users can chat over a board game, but it's also showing how a board came can be integrated directly into an application. That by itself would be interesting, but now consider what Jocly would look like if there were a PowerPoint deck in the place of that board game, or a Word document, or the like. The benefits of collaboration, to a remote workforce and all its benefits, are huge.
There's plenty of room for growth in WebRTC right now, and it's not just WebRTC gaming that Jocly is showing off here. Those interested can currently get in on the action at the Jocly Hub, and see for themselves just where this technology may be going in the near-term future.
Edited by
Ashley Caputo
