Opinion: VR experience on web browsers can lead to mass adoption of VR and AR

While we were distracted with the virtual reality (VR) hype cycle and the “when will VR go mainstream” debate, the understated and overlooked WebVR sneaked up on us.

If you are wondering why you’ve started seeing more and more discussion of WebVR in the headlines, you’re not alone. Just this year, we’ve seen relevant major announcements from Google and Firefox, as well as continued growth of independent WebVR communities such as JanusVR.

This is just the beginning; there will be much more from here.

What is WebVR?

The roots of WebVR actually started 23 years ago with the conceptualization of Virtual Markup Reality Language (VRML), which ultimately did not take off but paved the way for the burgeoning VR web as we are coming to know it.

WebVR is a Javascript API for rendering 3D graphics within a browser. This means that if you entered a link in the browser for a 3D website, you would find yourself in a 3D space with your computer browser or a VR headset. In layman’s terms, WebVR is a low-barrier entry point to develop VR for the web without having to be familiar with WebGL, which can be frustrating for beginners to grasp.

In its ease of use and lack of friction for consumers, WebVR presents a glimmer of hope for the mainstream adoption of VR and augmented reality (AR).

While there is certainly a place for high-end experiences and hardware, not all VR technology needs to function as a high-end experience. In fact, for many use cases (things like going to basic websites), it’s much more important that these experiences be accessible than sport cutting-edge graphics. Ultimately, it’s these experiences that will drive the mass adoption of immersive technologies.

The casual VR phase

While we move through what some call the trough of disillusionment in VR, WebVR  (which we can call casual VR) paves the way for consumers to experience VR without state-of-the-art hardware. In fact, this could prove to be the best way to democratize the technology in the long run.

WebVR developers at WebVR xLab.

Web developers have been quietly developing and building this new web experience for the past few years. The beauty of building without the hype is that developers get to focus. WebVR is a “code once, work on multi-platforms” answer to VR. So, it has proven itself to be a cost-efficient tool for developers to build quick VR or AR prototypes and launch products.

Technology agnostic

Professor Bob Stone, director of the human interface technologies team at the University of Birmingham in the UK and a VR pioneer of over 30 years, said:

“The importance of the term ‘technology agnostic’ is something I have been stressing for many years, based on the early experiences of the 1990s [developing for VR] when we saw various organizations suffer — fail even — from standardizing on one rendering or modeling toolkit solution.”

With software platforms such as Virtuality, Division’s dVS/dVise, Superscape’s VRT, and Sense8’s WorldToolKit back in those days, VR developers had to creatively create and port their assets to ensure the longevity and staying power of what they were building.

Looking forward

Browsers

Content and education

Creating VR/AR content for WebVR vs native apps

Experimentation is key

A community in Singapore

Final thoughts