Samsung’s Gear VR seems to be one of the more well-rounded options out there for virtual reality, with Oculus integration and a mobile backbone enabling a high degree of flexibility in regards to content and use cases, while imposing only a few of the limits normally faced by mobile VR. A great example of this is the fact that Samsung created a web browser for the Gear VR, allowing users to zip around the internet and check out their favorite sites as if they were physical places. A new update currently rolling out to compatible Gear VR’s will make that illusion even more complete, and allow additional types of content, with the integration of WebVR.
The version of WebVR hitting the browser will be the first complete iteration of the standard, WebVR 1.0. While the technology is still in its early stages, the fact that web-based technologies have come far enough to enable in-browser content built specifically for VR is pretty cool in and of itself, and opens the door to a lot of new ways for content creators to present their wares. The standard is JavaScript based, and essentially gives the browser access to the device’s VR features, allowing sites to sense a user looking around or moving about, if the right hardware is involved, just as well as any game or specially-built VR app.
Support for WebVR is the headline feature of the update, to be sure, but it’s certainly not the only thing that Samsung Internet For Gear VR version 4.2 brings to the table. For starters, the update builds on the ability for websites to set a 360-degree background image of their own by letting users pick any one they like from a variety of pictures provided by OTOY. It’s a small, but meaningful tweak that makes web browsing with the Gear VR that much comfier. With this new update and the browser’s existing integration with its base Android cousin, Samsung device owners can dig up some interesting WebVR content while browsing on their phone, then plug into their Gear VR unit and check it out in all its glory. The update is currently rolling out on a gradual basis, and should be on all compatible units within the next few weeks.