Good news for Android users as Chrome 67 has started to roll out bringing with it a host of new features and APIs that allow developers to enable virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experience.
The new version of Chrome on Android comes with a new WebXR Device API that is aimed at enabling web-based AR and VR experiences. The new API is still under testing but within it’s release developers will be able to start using it and seeing the benefits that it brings to the mobile platform. Designed to specifically support mobile devices and desktops the API is aimed at unifying experience across AR-enabled devices, mobile-based VR headsets such as the Google Daydream View and desktop-hosted headsets, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
In addition to the new WebXR Device API, Chrome 67 brings the Generic Sensor API with it that allows developers a means to easily obtain sensor data to create web applications for us in immersive gaming, fitness tracking, and AR or VR experiences. Both the WebXR Device API and Generic Sensor API were announced back in April of this year, now being made available for use within Chrome 67.
Developers will need to sign up for the origin trial programmer to begin working with the WebXR Device API, but the benefits it will begin are sure to be worth getting hands on with earlier. For everyday users it means that more mobile AR and VR experiences will be made available as developers get hands on with the new API’s, offering more ways to get immersive within content and Google Chrome.
Elsewhere in Chrome 67 is the inclusion of being able to toggle a horizontal tab switcher, rather then using the original vertical tab switcher. This can be enabled by visiting this link within Google Chrome on Android devices.
Google have of course run out updates to Chrome on Android in the past to allow for more VR and AR applications, including adding support for the Oculus Rift back in April of this year. As the Chrome team continue to bring new features to the browser to enable more VR and AR uses, VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest.