Much has already been happened at F8, from announcements about Oculus Go to the reveal of AR integration into Facebook Messenger. One announcement involves the re-branding of React VR open source framework to the new name of React 360.
React VR was released back in April 2017 with the goal of creating a web-based framework that would allow developers to add an interactive element to immersive content.
The React VR content was designed to be available to work in any modern web browser, which enabled developers to reach a huge audience, both PC and smartphone users as well as those who used VR headsets.
Some of the content created using the framework included high-quality 360-degree photos from recognised names such as National Geographic, British Museum and the National Gallery. Immersive branded content was created by Sony Pictures and Dubai Tourism using the framework, while USA Today and NBC used it to supplement their 2D news coverage.
With all that in mind, React VR still suffers from significant limitations, such as performance issues and support for more immersive content. Soe of these issues will require time to resolve, while others are already being addressed.
AS part of an effort by Oculus and Facebook to improve the framework, with the release of the next major update, it will be renamed to React 360, as this is a name that better represents how the majority of developers engage with the framework.
The newest update will include several improvements and changes, including the ability to let developers add 2D user interfaces, improved media support for 180-degree video and stereo video and faster loading and better playback performance for lower-end mobile devices.
Further information on the changes to React VR/React 360 is available on the Oculus Developer blog. For continued coverage of F8 and other coverage of the VR sector, keep checking back with VRFocus.
