HTC Vive, Amazon & Mozilla Take VR Web Integration to the Next Level
One of the important factors when helping virtual reality (VR) go mainstream is its ability to browse the web. Being online and navigating the digital world has become part of everyday life for billions of people around the world, so it makes sense that being in VR shouldn’t hinder that ability. It’s only recently that browsing the web in VR has ventured away from viewing your normal monitor through a headset, and now HTC Vive wants to push that even further by announcing several new collaborations.
The first collaboration is with Mozilla, with HTC Vive announcing that Firefox Reality will now become the default web browser across the product range, including Vive Pro and the upcoming Vive Cosmos.
Intertwined with HTC Vive and Mozilla is Amazon Sumerian, enabling HTC Vive developers to concept, test and publish VR-optimized websites, without requiring specialized programming experience.
“We’ve set out this year to bring everyday computing tasks into VR for the first time,” said Michael Almeraris, Vice President of Partnerships and Content, HTC VIVE in a statement. “Through the collaboration with Mozilla and Amazon Web Services, we’re closing the gap in XR computing, empowering Vive users to get more content in their headset, while enabling developers and businesses to quickly create content for these consumers.”
“Many industries are adopting XR technologies for a wide range of uses, including training simulations, virtual concierge services, enhanced online shopping experiences, virtual tours, and more,” said Kyle Roche, General Manager, Amazon Sumerian, AWS. “Until now, creating realistic XR experiences required developers to have specialized programming skills and learn unique specifications and deployment procedures, adding complexity to the process. Together with HTC and Mozilla, we’re making it easier for developers to more quickly build and distribute VR applications using nothing more than a browser and a URL.”
To help showcase both of these partnerships, Fidelity Investments has created a prototype VR website designed to allow financial customers to immerse themselves in their investments using data visualization tools, being displayed at HTC Vive’s CES Showcase.
As furthers developments from the partnerships are announced, VRFocus will let you know.
https://www.vrfocus.com/2019/01/htc-vive-amazon-mozilla-take-vr-web-integration-to-the-next-level/
