Mozilla provides Firefox with support for VR glasses

To drive the development of virtual reality web apps, Mozilla is adding support for VR glasses to test versions of the Firefox browser. This is a first step that adds stereoscopic 3d output based on the Oculus Rift Developer Kit.

Mozilla promises many more steps ahead and hopes developers will experiment with Firefox’s test versions to add VR interactivity to sites and content. “Can’t we expand the web to include the immersive elements of a full three-dimensional virtual universe?” asks Vladimir Vukićević, a graphics specialist at Mozilla, referring to the Metaverse of Neal Stephenson’s book Snow Crash.

Initially, only the Oculus Rift will be supported, but along the way alternatives should be added to Firefox, including Google’s Cardbox experiment and similar smartphone-based initiatives, Vukićević promises. For now, it’s about basic support with only stereoscopic 3D output based on Webgl, HTML, and 3D Video rendering, and the ability to receive input from the Oculus Rift’s orientation and position sensors. Mozilla says it will expand the project in the coming weeks and months.