All Mode
Great news for those of you with Google Daydream compatible headsets and phones. Today is finally the day when the WebVR Standard leaves beta and comes to the stable or non-beta version of the Chrome Browser for Android. In other words, the main Chrome browser that you probably have installed on your phone now is compatible with the WebVR standard. This is great news because this means that newly developed browser-specific virtual reality apps can work on your phone with your Daydream headset. It’s a bit weird that Google didn’t have this ready to coincide with the release of the Daydream… but that is how the Google Lords giveth. Although WebVR may initially appear to only be a good thing for Daydream owners, WebVR becoming a mainstream browser is good news for all of us VR-heads.
WebVR?
Image credit: Google
You have to understand how important WebVR is as a web-standard. Some say it could become as important as javascript or HTML. As of now, it is one of the most well-defined and open virtual reality platforms that has come to the web. It more or less allows virtual reality apps to run within web browsers without the requirement of downloading an annoying plugin. As you can see with some of the samples I have provided below, it is as if the virtual reality app is within the web page itself. This even applies to complex 3d first-person-point-of-view virtual reality apps. That said, WebVR and mobile processors are still in their infancy. The release of this standard does not mean you will be playing a virtual reality version of Crysis in your browser window just yet.
It’s all about the Tracking
The WebVR page at Github describes WebVR as different from other positional tracking solutions because “other interfaces, such as device orientation events, can be repurposed to surface VR input but doing so dilutes the interface’s original intent and often does not provide the precision necessary for high-quality VR. The WebVR API provides purpose-built interfaces to VR hardware to allow developers to build compelling, comfortable VR experiences.”
Covering the Market
Image credit: Mozilla
Perhaps because WebVR was designed to provide low-latency and high precision head tracking, we do not see a Google Cardboard compatible version just quite yet. That said, Google says that a cardboard compatible variant is on its way to Google Cardboard headsets. More than anything, WebVR stands to become an important web standard because the big players are on board with it. So far, Google, Oculus, Mozilla, and Microsoft have all committed to developing and using WebVR as a standard for virtual reality on the web.
In the list below, I have compiled a few web pages for you to try out with the new WebVR Standard. It may be awhile before our favorite adult apps adopt this standard because it is not a standard feature in contemporary browsers. Be happy it’s on the Android Chrome browser, because as of now, WebVR for Chrome on the PC requires some janky fiddling to work. In a post earlier in the week, I show how steps required to get WebVR working with an HTC Vive on Firefox.
Web VR Apps:
- Within WebVR-ready video player
- Matterport
- Sketchfab
Not about Gay Dudes. Image credit: Bear 71
nice, this is great news and I have tried few webvr apps and they are superb.
Ok, I’m a bit confused. WebVR already works on Android Chrome, you can stream the WebVR player from vrporn.com. It’s supposed to be more stable now?
Anyway, it’s great that WebVR is becoming more standard!
Google will always release things in staged manner… The release of WebVR for Daydream headset is a good news and i expect it to come to other headsets too by this year end.
nice compilation. I hope we can use this on adult app