WebVR: the rebirth of virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) has again come to the fore and is becoming one of the main areas of industry development. The direction of WebVR is growing more and more actively - technologies and tools that are embedded directly into web browsers and allow you to build three-dimensional objects without using your own hardware and software platforms. How convenient it is, whether the solutions are well developed and what the future of VR technologies is, we learn from the experts.
WebVR can directly work with modern terminals like Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, HTC Vive and others directly in the browser. In essence, this area offers uniform standards, which are followed by browser creators, hardware developers, and content producers. This allows you to avoid “zoo devices”, incompatible solutions, users do not need to worry about choosing which platform to prefer, and content developers have a single set of rules that can be easily followed. In addition, WebVR is able to work on any devices, regardless of the OS and hardware platforms, where the browser supports WebVR. Plus, you do not need to download and install applications and the content itself - everything runs directly from the Internet in the browser.
Of the minuses of the technology, it is possible to note a low speed of work - in the browser there are a lot of unnecessary layers, translation of instructions, etc., all this takes a significant share of performance. In addition, browsers are usually less optimized for the hardware and software features of specific devices. Plus, the technology has not yet reached maturity - not everything is still properly implemented and run-in, sometimes there are errors and incompatibilities. Very much in the status of the beta, including the browsers themselves.
')
We decided to talk with Martin Split and Denis Radin about the prospects and prospects of Web VR.
Martin Splitt is a software engineer for the front and backend at Archilogic. Evangelist and active participant in open source software development. Believes in the web platform and works with the most modern technologies aimed at the development of the web.
Denis Radin is a frontend engineer developing “embedded” JavaScript in Liberty Global. An enthusiast of computer graphics and web application performance optimization. Organizer AmsterdamJS and React Amsterdam. Blogging PixelsCommander.com.
- So far, VR technology is either a narrow industry for geeks, or entertainment (including amusement rides in the markets, in the halls of slot machines, etc.). How growing is the use of technology by ordinary users (especially outside of games)? Are old users still interested in the technology?
Martin Splitt: VR technologies are not as narrow as they might seem. On the other hand, they are not as common in the market as their active supporters would like to demonstrate. In 2016, sales were significantly lower than forecast (according to them, the market volume was to reach 10.7 million devices, but in reality GearVR, Rift and Vive together sold about three million devices). But VR technology has achieved some success. The mobile device market is developing more actively: GearVR has sold 2.2 million units, and Google Cardboard has sold a phenomenal circulation of 88 million units.
It is interesting to note that mobile users use VR devices two or three times a week, but not for very long. At the same time, the main scenario is not games, but entertainment and journalism. However, the game should not be discounted - in the end, the third device in terms of sales was the Playstation VR.
Denis Radin: At first glance, it really seems that the main hype has subsided and VR is becoming a specialized technology, but let's see what these specializations are: training, medicine, and the gaming industry. For example, PornHub gives a vigorous report - half a million DAU in VR. It turns out that the specializations are very diverse and VR occupies its niches from where it is quite likely that it will once again launch an attack on our monitors in a few years. I still think that the monitors will disappear in time. Why do you need a board with a diagonal of 27 inches, if you can get 360 degrees of working space using a mobile phone? This may be especially true for those who are often on business trips.
- Are there any concerns that VR will repeat the fate of 3D? How do you see the reasons for the failure of 3D, what steps is the industry taking and intends to take to avoid the same fate for VR?
Martin Splitt: If we are talking about 3D television, then yes, now the situation is different. Three-dimensional television has failed to gain popularity due to the lack of broad user interest, and due to the lack of any significant advantages over two-dimensional TV content. VR offers a much deeper immersion rate and a wider range of applications. So it seems to me that there will not be another “lost market” here.
Denis Radin: 3D cinemas have not disappeared. VR is developing very dynamically, and as for the breakthrough on the wide consumer market, Daydream and PS VR are high hopes. Look at Daydream HMD: it is soft, elastic, fabric, the developers very successfully transferred VR from the world of electronic devices to the world of accessories and clothing. It is not clear how much this will find a response from the buyer, but you can easily imagine that in 10 years you will have cozy home slippers, pajamas and your personal personal VR helmet in one locker.
- Will VR elements be used (namely VR, and not just 3D) in regular websites, interfaces, etc.? Or will there be a narrow specialized niche such as 3D models or presentations?
Martin Splitt: Most likely, they will not replace existing elements of conventional interfaces or sites — rather, they will complement them where existing visualization methods are not good enough: in describing the interaction of space and data, education, science, journalism and product description. I would not say that these are “niche opportunities” - these areas of application are quite broad, and we have yet to fully determine what can be done there. However, user surveys show that there are some promising prospects.
Denis Radin: In general, it seems to me that it is wrong to raise the question of some narrow niches. Yes, now there are much fewer VR-devices in the world than mobile phones, but there are already more of them than PCs in the early 90s. Those interfaces that we know will be forced to adapt to VR, in the WebVRR web can be expected in the form of Progressive Enchancement . For example, when displaying the site selling scuba gears on a device with a VR, we immerse the user, launch VR fish, VR algae, VR surface glare ... I will tell you about this in my report on HolyJS.
- How mature are WebVR technologies today? While the impression remains that WebVR is in the status of not even beta, but alpha. In what direction is the development of technology in general?
Martin Splitt: With regard to the readiness of technology, we are gradually approaching this. There is still a lot of work to be done, but now the browser developers have adopted the technology, is actively working on the WebVR 2.0 standard, and version 1.1 can be called relatively stable. I was responsible for implementing WebVR on the basis of earlier versions of the API, and I can say that even then there were few difficulties.
However, WebVR has the same problem as VR as a whole - we are still trying to find the best ways to use it. The question is not in the technology itself, but in such things as usability (UX), the actual presentation of history and interfaces (UI). For example, now there are new ways to interact with the user, as well as new ways to extend WebVR with respect to “traditional” 3D content on the Internet.
Denis Radin: The technology itself is working, now its successful use rather limits the lack of effective development tools and the low prevalence of devices compared to the same smartphones. Of course, it is much easier and more efficient to make saytic on HTML / CSS and show it on smartphone screens to billions of potential users, but the other side of the coin is that these billions already have access to a huge array of products. Therefore, to stand out, you need to look for new means of expression and interaction models.
- How developed is the ecosystem: browser support, features, capabilities, libraries? Do these web applications or technologies rely on the capabilities of the browser (or external libraries)? How strong is the community? How do large commercial market players support?
Martin Splitt: I said earlier that both the ecosystem and the standards have become strong and sustainable. Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Samsung and Facebook are working together to embed WebVR into their browsers. The technologies are already in Google Chrome for Android, are in the finishing stage in Firefox and are already working in Firefox Nightly, Microsoft will soon introduce them into the Edge, Samsung's GearVR browser has been supporting them for a long time, and Facebook has introduced them into its Carmel browser. They are even in the experimental browser engine Servo from Mozilla.
One of the largest players in the market who wants to use WebVR outside the browser itself is Facebook. As part of ReactVR, they want to give React developers the opportunity to start using WebVR easier and easier.
As for communities, we have a great active community at Mozilla A-Frame , so you can join WebVR right now.
Denis Radin: Browser support is not yet as good as we would like, but on the whole, sufficient: Firefox, Chrome + full-fledged WebVR in Android Chrome (!), And this is in perspective the entire Android segment. It is very curious what Apple will answer. After all, in the end they too will have to introduce support, nowhere to go.
If we talk about libraries, then Three.js with its plugins has no competitors. Unity also uses Three.js when exporting to the web. The ecosystem there, of course, is not bad, but I hope that some of the alternative engines will be able to save us from the monopoly in the long term.
- It is assumed that WebVR will unify the work at the expense of common standards. Such attempts have already been made before, but they only led to the emergence of several competing or completely incompatible standards. Is there any chance that now you will be able to realize your plans?
Martin Splitt: Recent technologies, such as the CSS grid, WebGL or Web Components, clearly showed that we have already passed the period when it was necessary to work with incorrect, incompatible implementations in different browsers. Most of the browser developers have reached a common understanding, and given that we are soon waiting for such things as Web Assembly, in the future we will have more and more opportunities to create different versions of virtual reality that work in all browsers.
It is unlikely that we will be left with nothing, and the experience of Facebook, which develops WebVR and React, gives me hope that we will have a powerful platform sooner rather than later.
Denis Radin: Well, why? The Web kept its promise and became the most universal medium for creating interfaces. I think WebVR will share his success, but this is more tied to the enthusiasm of big players, the public and developers. Since now all parties are interested in success, I think that everything will work out. A small conflict occurred around WebGL, because this standard does not imply the use of an interface other than OpenGL (for example, Direct3D), but this point was quickly brought to the work of WebGPU by a working group that includes representatives of many companies.
- Is there a war of standards? How much does WebVR unite content developers, or do they prefer to create products for proprietary hardware manufacturers?
Martin Splitt: Content is always the foundation of everything. Many content producers have already expressed the opinion that they will be happy to create content for WebVR, as this allows them to gain a wider audience. And those who prefer Unity or another proprietary system will not stand aside either - Web Assembly will enable content producers to retain the ability to work with their tools, and their content will also work on web platforms.
Denis Radin: The standard is all that JavaScript + WebGL, and then the developer decides on his own as part of the task at hand. It can be expected that the developed WebGPU and the just-released WebAssembly will have an impact, but these are all implementation details. Displaying content in the browser through the context of OpenGL / Direct3D will not go anywhere, although the data formats for models are developing very rapidly. There are several groups working on data formats that could be called “JPEG for 3D Models”. This is facilitated by the development of 3D scanning technology, in particular Tango . Let's see what happens…
- “Traditional” VR technologies require glasses or a helmet to interact with them, which creates some difficulties - you need to wear a helmet, and it’s not very comfortable to sit in it for a long time. Ease of use disappears. With WebVR, the situation is similar. Will this have any impact on the further development of the technology?
Martin Splitt : This is a problem rather than WebVR, but VR as a whole. I won’t be able to say a lot here, because I’m not engaged in the development of hardware platforms for VR, but just think about it - if you look at laptops of, say, five years ago, they are much heavier and thicker than modern models.
Denis Radin: Ease of use is due to the quality of the devices. Yes, of course, the Oculus Rift was a big step compared to the helmets of the first wave of the 90s, but they are still very cumbersome and far from being inconspicuous when worn. The soft, compact Daydream, which I have already mentioned, seems to be a serious step forward, and this is just the beginning.
- Watch is good. What are some ideas on how to control the browser in VR in the future? To wave hands? Or how?
Martin Splitt : If you look into the past, we have always disgustingly predicted such things. Remember Google Glass. But if you have to do predictions, I would say that input should be done with the help of hand movements - maybe with gestures. Maybe hand tracking ... it's hard to say. Input using a beam (such as a laser pointer) - while in the fog, because This can work both with controllers (daydream controller, Vive / Oculus hand controllers), and without it (using the user's view).
Denis Radin: In the picture above we see a small remote with an accelerometer. You can wave it, you can press the buttons, you can poke the bait.
Each type of helmet has its own controllers, working on a similar principle, but with a different number of functions and different ergonomics. Alas, there is nothing more reliable than such boxes with accelerometers, although, of course, the Leap Motion controller deserves mention. It still significantly depends on the installation conditions and lighting, but over the past 5 years it has made a big leap forward. It can be used in WebVR through the JS API, which allows you to read the position of your fingers.
- What is your vision of WebVR, if technology in technical terms becomes successful? What tasks of ordinary users (except for entertainment, it is short-lived) will it solve? One example is the possibility of virtual shopping, are there others? And what changes does she bring in socially? Will not VR become a competitor of our reality when ubiquitous?
Martin Splitt : Well, I don’t know how much it will help us in making ordinary purchases. I rather see the main benefits of using VR where it’s difficult for us to do something in the real world.
For example, although the world is turning into a global community, I cannot jump on a plane every two days to fly to my parents, and telephone conversations and even video calls are not the same. In this regard, VR can help me get impressions that are not available in real life.
It seems to me that communication and entertainment will be the main focus, as an option - a virtual tour of places we cannot go to, or watching movies or courses that are not available to us.
Such a use case will be easier for the public to perceive than “just hanging out in VR together”. But over time, things can change. At one time, the exchange of messages by older people was considered antisocial and stupid, and it became the main form of communication among young people. Who knows, maybe instead of constantly staring at the phone, we will ever wear helmets that will allow us to spend time with friends in VR, for example, when traveling to work.
And I do not think that these technologies will compete with real life - rather enrich and complement it.
Denis Radin : The virtual workspace, educational materials, the sale of real estate and travel services via the Internet - this is what comes to mind first. Huge markets, full of ordinary web applications that are waiting for fresh, effective solutions. And, of course, communication in virtual reality ... Usually, it is the interests of this direction that explain the decision of Facebook to buy Oculus .
Someone would call it the beginning of the classic dystopia, where everyone is sitting at home and chatting in the virtual world, but at least it’s boring to look at things, and not so objectively. Let's look at the near past ... Over the past half century, we have received computers and a huge number of sedentary jobs, but nevertheless, the cult of health flourishes in society, and it has never been more athletic and healthy, and never lived as long as now.
There is no doubt about the need for technology. I look forward to new developments in the development of tools, browsers, devices. I really want more developers to start working with WebGL and three-dimensional spaces in the browser, because the presence of talented professionals primarily determines the potential of the technology.
HolyJS , . , « web- », UX, .
WebVR HolyJS, «Rendering performance from the ground up» - « »: , .
, .
WebVR can directly work with modern terminals like Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, HTC Vive and others directly in the browser. In essence, this area offers uniform standards, which are followed by browser creators, hardware developers, and content producers. This allows you to avoid “zoo devices”, incompatible solutions, users do not need to worry about choosing which platform to prefer, and content developers have a single set of rules that can be easily followed. In addition, WebVR is able to work on any devices, regardless of the OS and hardware platforms, where the browser supports WebVR. Plus, you do not need to download and install applications and the content itself - everything runs directly from the Internet in the browser.
Of the minuses of the technology, it is possible to note a low speed of work - in the browser there are a lot of unnecessary layers, translation of instructions, etc., all this takes a significant share of performance. In addition, browsers are usually less optimized for the hardware and software features of specific devices. Plus, the technology has not yet reached maturity - not everything is still properly implemented and run-in, sometimes there are errors and incompatibilities. Very much in the status of the beta, including the browsers themselves.
')
We decided to talk with Martin Split and Denis Radin about the prospects and prospects of Web VR.
Martin Splitt is a software engineer for the front and backend at Archilogic. Evangelist and active participant in open source software development. Believes in the web platform and works with the most modern technologies aimed at the development of the web. Denis Radin is a frontend engineer developing “embedded” JavaScript in Liberty Global. An enthusiast of computer graphics and web application performance optimization. Organizer AmsterdamJS and React Amsterdam. Blogging PixelsCommander.com.- So far, VR technology is either a narrow industry for geeks, or entertainment (including amusement rides in the markets, in the halls of slot machines, etc.). How growing is the use of technology by ordinary users (especially outside of games)? Are old users still interested in the technology?
Martin Splitt: VR technologies are not as narrow as they might seem. On the other hand, they are not as common in the market as their active supporters would like to demonstrate. In 2016, sales were significantly lower than forecast (according to them, the market volume was to reach 10.7 million devices, but in reality GearVR, Rift and Vive together sold about three million devices). But VR technology has achieved some success. The mobile device market is developing more actively: GearVR has sold 2.2 million units, and Google Cardboard has sold a phenomenal circulation of 88 million units.
It is interesting to note that mobile users use VR devices two or three times a week, but not for very long. At the same time, the main scenario is not games, but entertainment and journalism. However, the game should not be discounted - in the end, the third device in terms of sales was the Playstation VR.
Denis Radin: At first glance, it really seems that the main hype has subsided and VR is becoming a specialized technology, but let's see what these specializations are: training, medicine, and the gaming industry. For example, PornHub gives a vigorous report - half a million DAU in VR. It turns out that the specializations are very diverse and VR occupies its niches from where it is quite likely that it will once again launch an attack on our monitors in a few years. I still think that the monitors will disappear in time. Why do you need a board with a diagonal of 27 inches, if you can get 360 degrees of working space using a mobile phone? This may be especially true for those who are often on business trips.
- Are there any concerns that VR will repeat the fate of 3D? How do you see the reasons for the failure of 3D, what steps is the industry taking and intends to take to avoid the same fate for VR?
Martin Splitt: If we are talking about 3D television, then yes, now the situation is different. Three-dimensional television has failed to gain popularity due to the lack of broad user interest, and due to the lack of any significant advantages over two-dimensional TV content. VR offers a much deeper immersion rate and a wider range of applications. So it seems to me that there will not be another “lost market” here.
Denis Radin: 3D cinemas have not disappeared. VR is developing very dynamically, and as for the breakthrough on the wide consumer market, Daydream and PS VR are high hopes. Look at Daydream HMD: it is soft, elastic, fabric, the developers very successfully transferred VR from the world of electronic devices to the world of accessories and clothing. It is not clear how much this will find a response from the buyer, but you can easily imagine that in 10 years you will have cozy home slippers, pajamas and your personal personal VR helmet in one locker.
- Will VR elements be used (namely VR, and not just 3D) in regular websites, interfaces, etc.? Or will there be a narrow specialized niche such as 3D models or presentations?
Martin Splitt: Most likely, they will not replace existing elements of conventional interfaces or sites — rather, they will complement them where existing visualization methods are not good enough: in describing the interaction of space and data, education, science, journalism and product description. I would not say that these are “niche opportunities” - these areas of application are quite broad, and we have yet to fully determine what can be done there. However, user surveys show that there are some promising prospects.
Denis Radin: In general, it seems to me that it is wrong to raise the question of some narrow niches. Yes, now there are much fewer VR-devices in the world than mobile phones, but there are already more of them than PCs in the early 90s. Those interfaces that we know will be forced to adapt to VR, in the WebVRR web can be expected in the form of Progressive Enchancement . For example, when displaying the site selling scuba gears on a device with a VR, we immerse the user, launch VR fish, VR algae, VR surface glare ... I will tell you about this in my report on HolyJS.
- How mature are WebVR technologies today? While the impression remains that WebVR is in the status of not even beta, but alpha. In what direction is the development of technology in general?
Martin Splitt: With regard to the readiness of technology, we are gradually approaching this. There is still a lot of work to be done, but now the browser developers have adopted the technology, is actively working on the WebVR 2.0 standard, and version 1.1 can be called relatively stable. I was responsible for implementing WebVR on the basis of earlier versions of the API, and I can say that even then there were few difficulties.
However, WebVR has the same problem as VR as a whole - we are still trying to find the best ways to use it. The question is not in the technology itself, but in such things as usability (UX), the actual presentation of history and interfaces (UI). For example, now there are new ways to interact with the user, as well as new ways to extend WebVR with respect to “traditional” 3D content on the Internet.
Denis Radin: The technology itself is working, now its successful use rather limits the lack of effective development tools and the low prevalence of devices compared to the same smartphones. Of course, it is much easier and more efficient to make saytic on HTML / CSS and show it on smartphone screens to billions of potential users, but the other side of the coin is that these billions already have access to a huge array of products. Therefore, to stand out, you need to look for new means of expression and interaction models.
- How developed is the ecosystem: browser support, features, capabilities, libraries? Do these web applications or technologies rely on the capabilities of the browser (or external libraries)? How strong is the community? How do large commercial market players support?
Martin Splitt: I said earlier that both the ecosystem and the standards have become strong and sustainable. Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Samsung and Facebook are working together to embed WebVR into their browsers. The technologies are already in Google Chrome for Android, are in the finishing stage in Firefox and are already working in Firefox Nightly, Microsoft will soon introduce them into the Edge, Samsung's GearVR browser has been supporting them for a long time, and Facebook has introduced them into its Carmel browser. They are even in the experimental browser engine Servo from Mozilla.
One of the largest players in the market who wants to use WebVR outside the browser itself is Facebook. As part of ReactVR, they want to give React developers the opportunity to start using WebVR easier and easier.
As for communities, we have a great active community at Mozilla A-Frame , so you can join WebVR right now.
Denis Radin: Browser support is not yet as good as we would like, but on the whole, sufficient: Firefox, Chrome + full-fledged WebVR in Android Chrome (!), And this is in perspective the entire Android segment. It is very curious what Apple will answer. After all, in the end they too will have to introduce support, nowhere to go.
If we talk about libraries, then Three.js with its plugins has no competitors. Unity also uses Three.js when exporting to the web. The ecosystem there, of course, is not bad, but I hope that some of the alternative engines will be able to save us from the monopoly in the long term.
- It is assumed that WebVR will unify the work at the expense of common standards. Such attempts have already been made before, but they only led to the emergence of several competing or completely incompatible standards. Is there any chance that now you will be able to realize your plans?
Martin Splitt: Recent technologies, such as the CSS grid, WebGL or Web Components, clearly showed that we have already passed the period when it was necessary to work with incorrect, incompatible implementations in different browsers. Most of the browser developers have reached a common understanding, and given that we are soon waiting for such things as Web Assembly, in the future we will have more and more opportunities to create different versions of virtual reality that work in all browsers.
It is unlikely that we will be left with nothing, and the experience of Facebook, which develops WebVR and React, gives me hope that we will have a powerful platform sooner rather than later.
Denis Radin: Well, why? The Web kept its promise and became the most universal medium for creating interfaces. I think WebVR will share his success, but this is more tied to the enthusiasm of big players, the public and developers. Since now all parties are interested in success, I think that everything will work out. A small conflict occurred around WebGL, because this standard does not imply the use of an interface other than OpenGL (for example, Direct3D), but this point was quickly brought to the work of WebGPU by a working group that includes representatives of many companies.
- Is there a war of standards? How much does WebVR unite content developers, or do they prefer to create products for proprietary hardware manufacturers?
Martin Splitt: Content is always the foundation of everything. Many content producers have already expressed the opinion that they will be happy to create content for WebVR, as this allows them to gain a wider audience. And those who prefer Unity or another proprietary system will not stand aside either - Web Assembly will enable content producers to retain the ability to work with their tools, and their content will also work on web platforms.
Denis Radin: The standard is all that JavaScript + WebGL, and then the developer decides on his own as part of the task at hand. It can be expected that the developed WebGPU and the just-released WebAssembly will have an impact, but these are all implementation details. Displaying content in the browser through the context of OpenGL / Direct3D will not go anywhere, although the data formats for models are developing very rapidly. There are several groups working on data formats that could be called “JPEG for 3D Models”. This is facilitated by the development of 3D scanning technology, in particular Tango . Let's see what happens…
- “Traditional” VR technologies require glasses or a helmet to interact with them, which creates some difficulties - you need to wear a helmet, and it’s not very comfortable to sit in it for a long time. Ease of use disappears. With WebVR, the situation is similar. Will this have any impact on the further development of the technology?
Martin Splitt : This is a problem rather than WebVR, but VR as a whole. I won’t be able to say a lot here, because I’m not engaged in the development of hardware platforms for VR, but just think about it - if you look at laptops of, say, five years ago, they are much heavier and thicker than modern models.
Denis Radin: Ease of use is due to the quality of the devices. Yes, of course, the Oculus Rift was a big step compared to the helmets of the first wave of the 90s, but they are still very cumbersome and far from being inconspicuous when worn. The soft, compact Daydream, which I have already mentioned, seems to be a serious step forward, and this is just the beginning.
- Watch is good. What are some ideas on how to control the browser in VR in the future? To wave hands? Or how?
Martin Splitt : If you look into the past, we have always disgustingly predicted such things. Remember Google Glass. But if you have to do predictions, I would say that input should be done with the help of hand movements - maybe with gestures. Maybe hand tracking ... it's hard to say. Input using a beam (such as a laser pointer) - while in the fog, because This can work both with controllers (daydream controller, Vive / Oculus hand controllers), and without it (using the user's view).
Denis Radin: In the picture above we see a small remote with an accelerometer. You can wave it, you can press the buttons, you can poke the bait.
Each type of helmet has its own controllers, working on a similar principle, but with a different number of functions and different ergonomics. Alas, there is nothing more reliable than such boxes with accelerometers, although, of course, the Leap Motion controller deserves mention. It still significantly depends on the installation conditions and lighting, but over the past 5 years it has made a big leap forward. It can be used in WebVR through the JS API, which allows you to read the position of your fingers.
- What is your vision of WebVR, if technology in technical terms becomes successful? What tasks of ordinary users (except for entertainment, it is short-lived) will it solve? One example is the possibility of virtual shopping, are there others? And what changes does she bring in socially? Will not VR become a competitor of our reality when ubiquitous?
Martin Splitt : Well, I don’t know how much it will help us in making ordinary purchases. I rather see the main benefits of using VR where it’s difficult for us to do something in the real world.
For example, although the world is turning into a global community, I cannot jump on a plane every two days to fly to my parents, and telephone conversations and even video calls are not the same. In this regard, VR can help me get impressions that are not available in real life.
It seems to me that communication and entertainment will be the main focus, as an option - a virtual tour of places we cannot go to, or watching movies or courses that are not available to us.
Such a use case will be easier for the public to perceive than “just hanging out in VR together”. But over time, things can change. At one time, the exchange of messages by older people was considered antisocial and stupid, and it became the main form of communication among young people. Who knows, maybe instead of constantly staring at the phone, we will ever wear helmets that will allow us to spend time with friends in VR, for example, when traveling to work.
And I do not think that these technologies will compete with real life - rather enrich and complement it.
Denis Radin : The virtual workspace, educational materials, the sale of real estate and travel services via the Internet - this is what comes to mind first. Huge markets, full of ordinary web applications that are waiting for fresh, effective solutions. And, of course, communication in virtual reality ... Usually, it is the interests of this direction that explain the decision of Facebook to buy Oculus .
Someone would call it the beginning of the classic dystopia, where everyone is sitting at home and chatting in the virtual world, but at least it’s boring to look at things, and not so objectively. Let's look at the near past ... Over the past half century, we have received computers and a huge number of sedentary jobs, but nevertheless, the cult of health flourishes in society, and it has never been more athletic and healthy, and never lived as long as now.
There is no doubt about the need for technology. I look forward to new developments in the development of tools, browsers, devices. I really want more developers to start working with WebGL and three-dimensional spaces in the browser, because the presence of talented professionals primarily determines the potential of the technology.
HolyJS , . , « web- », UX, .
WebVR HolyJS, «Rendering performance from the ground up» - « »: , .
, .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/329786/
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