Philips announced the other day that it signed a deal with company River Runs Red to come up with a unique and dedicated immersive environment for the MMO video game Second Life using Philips' technology amBX (Ambient Experiences). The deal will make it possible for SL residents to experience in-game air movement, rumble, and an improved dynamic lighting.

We're not really into technical stuff, but amBX is a smorgasbord: a software engine, a scripting language, and an architecture that provide developers with a palette to use light, color, heat, sound, and, as we've mentioned, air flow. We guess we don't have to explain how good a rumble would feel whenever something engaging occurs in Second Life.

Aside from this, Philips added that it will eventually provide existing Second Life players with a software development kit containing user tools and props to allow them to author amBX experiences for all new effects. The Chief Marketing Officer for Philips amBX Jo Cooke commented:

Not only will we be able to offer Second Lifers all kinds of new sensory experiences, but also "behind closed doors first looks" at amBX effects in development and potential amBX-enabled peripherals, with the chance for some to exclusively trial sample them before commercial release. Second Life offers an entirely new market for amBX and we feel this is the start of a very special relationship.