Bringing more content to virtual reality is not an easy task by any means. The Chrome browser is certainly doing its part, thanks to their WebVR integration. In a new update, the first VR features are available in Chrome 61. Any web page can be loaded in the browser and explored in virtual reality thanks to the usage of mobile devices and a Daydream View headset. An interesting take on things, even though it remains to be seen how this will affect the interest in Daydream View headsets moving forward.
Chrome 61 Brings The Entire Web to VR
It is pretty significant to see the Chrome team go all-in on virtual reality content right now. Considering how the VR industry is not necessary gaining a lot of traction right now, this decision may be a significant step in the right direction. Viewing the regular World Wide Web in VR at all times without spending an arm and a leg is a very surprising turn of events, to say the least. Users will still need a Daydream View headset to make this work, though.
For those who do not remember, Google integrated WebVR support in Chrome earlier this year. While that was a big update, this new change is on a different level entirely. More specifically, users can now surf any website within a VR environment. Even if said website has no VR content whatsoever, this feature will still work without any problems. Even moving from page to page through hyperlinks should work flawlessly, which is a pretty big step to make VR headsets go mainstream.
Those few sites which do support WebVR will provide a more immersive viewing aspect compared to any other site in the world right now. For most platforms, this will not matter all that much until VR usage becomes more common. Considering how there are quite a few websites actively supporting WebVR already, it will be interesting to see how this new development plays out. Users will need to make sure their mobile Chrome browser is version 61 or higher – by the time they try to use their Daydream View VR headset.
It will be interesting to see if other major browsers will implement similar functionality moving forward. Firefox, Safari, and even Edge all have their work cut out for them in this regard. Apple is currently working on integration WebVR, with the Firefox developers having laid the foundation of this toolkit already. Unfortunately, the Firefox implementation currently only works with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets. An interesting future lies ahead for the virtual reality industry, that much is certain.
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