Mozilla is looking to upgrade its Firefox browser with support from Oculus Rift's virtual-reality interface.
The goal for Mozilla in this move is to make sure the Web can keep up with other computing domains, according to CNET.
"We are adding native support for VR devices to early experimental builds of Firefox, so that Web developers can start experimenting with adding VR interactivity to their websites and content," Vladimir Vukicevic, Mozilla engineering director in charge of gaming and special projects, said Thursday. "This is only the first of many steps that we'll be taking over the coming weeks and months."
Oculus VR was bought by Facebook for $2 billion earlier this year, and the deal is expected to close this month. Other companies have been developing their own virtual reality headsets, such as Sony, which has debuted its Project Morpheus headset, and Google, which introduced its cardboard VR headset this week.
Vukicevic is looking to use WebGL and other current technologies to deliver 3D content from within the browser to virtual devices, bit-tech.net reported. While the company is currently focusing on having support for Oculus Rift for Firefox, it wants to get as much support for VR devices as possible. Test versions for the changes have been made available for Windows and OS X, and include support emulation of an Oculus Rift DK1, in case no real hardware is found.
"The features proposed here are all subject to rapid change; they are not indicative of any standard, and may even change or break from release to release of nay upcoming builds," Vukicevic explained. "This code is currently not in the main Firefox source tree, though that process has started. The goal of this release is to allow for some initial experimentation and feedback."
WebGL, co-invented by Vukicevic, currently provides hardware-accelerated 3D graphics not just to Firefox, but to all major desktop browsers, CNET reported.
"The opportunity for VR on the web is particularly exciting. The Web is a vibrant, connected universe where many different types of experiences can be created and shared. People can be productive, have fun, and learn from within their browser. It is, arguably, an early version of the Metaverse," Vukicevic said. "The browser is the portal through which we access it."
