With VR becoming more abundantly spread around, there arises a need for native web experiences in the virtual world. The researchers are already working on technologies to introduce the said experience across all platforms but Facebook-owned Oculus seems to be leading the pack.
Today, the company has released the first-ever developer preview of its WebVR-based browser called Carmel. This release, which falls in line with previous announcements, is aimed at providing developers with some basic tools and APIs for building and testing their own WebVR content on Oculus headsets.
For those unaware, WebVR is an experimental JavaScript API developed by Mozilla engineers to provide driving support for the web to VR headsets. This means you can access these head-mounted displays to access content on the web. But the tech is currently at a fairly nascent stage and opening it up to developers will help a lot.
Carmel is now available for download through the Oculus Gear VR store. But you shouldn’t dive in with high expectations as it is a bare bones gallery experience, where you can browse through a collection of WebVR samples created by Oculus and third-party developers. The limitations of this browser preview will be evident the moment you open the app and notice the lack of an address bar and a history-based user experience. Even existing 2D web content cannot be viewed using Carmel.
Talking about the same, the official developer web page on Oculus’ website states:
We designed this software to be used only within VR and with WebVR content to give developers an early sandbox. Existing 2D web content can not be displayed yet. We believe this is the best trade-off to deliver this enabling technology to developers as quickly as possible.
In addition, it is more focused on providing info on how to develop and deliver WebVR experiences for Oculus headset users. The company believes that WebVR is now becoming a standard for web-based VR support and can accelerate the adoption of virtual reality among masses around the world. Chrome (as well as Firefox) is currently working on incorporating the same technology into the developer version of its browser.
