Tomorrow sees the start of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 event in Barcelona, Spain. Today, Microsoft kicked things off with a bang officially announcing at its pre-show press conference the next generation HoloLens 2 mixed reality (MR) headset, which it previously teased a few weeks ago. To add to the announcement, Mozilla has just revealed a collaboration with Microsoft to bring Firefox Reality to the new headset.
Using Firefox Reality the company is aiming to open up WebVR to multiple platforms, with support already available for virtual reality (VR) headsets such as Vive Wave devices, Oculus Go and Google Daydream View, as well as an early developer preview for Magic Leap One. The version for HoloLens 2 is currently a prototype at the moment.
Via Mozilla’s Mixed Reality programme developers can ensure that users have a safe, private experience with open, accessible technology thanks to a focus on making the best browsers, services, and tools available.
“In the coming months, we will be working with the Rust community to bring the language and runtime that enable us to deliver a more secure experience to the HoloLens platforms,” said Lars Bergstrom, Director of Engineering for Mixed Reality at Mozilla in a statement. “And we will then build on our previous work on AR headsets to bring our next generation web platform, Servo, to the HoloLens 2 when it is available this summer.”
Mozilla only launched Firefox Reality in September last year as a means to deliver 3D web and immersive content to VR headset users, using the same Quantum engine that the latest version of desktop Firefox is using. Since then the browser has been updated to include 360-degree video support as well as additional languages. Mozilla has also collaborated with HTC Vive, making Firefox Reality the default web browser across the headset manufacturers entire product range.
How Firefox Reality will differ on an MR headset rather than a VR headset has yet to be showcased. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Mozilla’s Firefox Reality and Microsoft HoloLens 2, reporting back with the latest announcements.
