VR dream builders at Google work on immersive browsing

http://techxplore.com/news/2016-07-vr-builders-google-immersive-browsing.html

by dnetesn • 10 years ago

31 21 10 years ago

djsumdog2• 10 years ago

I wonder if this will be a thing or of it will fade into obscurity like all the 1990s 3D web stuff. Does anyone remember VRML?

vvanders3• 10 years ago

VRML is exactly that I thought when I read the title.

The article didn't disappoint.

azinman2• 10 years ago

How so? Everything is different from VRML (programming model, penetration of the internet, actual VR devices, etc). The idea that random websites can produce a nice experience on my Oculus is a great one -- this is how the open web can embrace a new technology early on and make sure we don't get app silos again.

corysama2• 10 years ago

I don't know if "The Web in VR" is going to work out. But, "VR in The Web" is going to work out about as well as "(fullscreenable) Videos in the Web".

When picking a houses to visit with a realtor, would you rather flip through a galleries of photos or stand in each house's living room and look around?

noxxten• 10 years ago

Exactly this. I was just in the situation to look for a new apartment, and one big reason I chose my current place is because it had a "virtual tour" that allowed walking around in 3D. If that were in VR, even better.

drcode• 10 years ago

Once I tried one of the new VR helmets, it was clear to me that these devices should have some kind of role in improving productivity- They are not to be dismissed merely as gaming devices.

The problem is, I really have very little conception so far as to HOW they can improve productivity. For one, the idea of using them merely as "a virtual giant monitor" is really an unsatisfying approach.

personjerry• 10 years ago

Ah, but it is not only a giant monitor, but also a portable one. Much easier to carry one of these babies than, say, lugging two monitors around. Imagine, for example, coding on a beach!

Willfire19• 10 years ago

I was too young to ever see or use VRML, but I believe that VR is much more accessible now than it's ever been. At this point, you only need a 3D capable smartphone in order to view VR. Forget the cardboard, you can still use the phone as a small viewport to view the virtual world. Right now, I still feel like VR is a novelty though, kind of like the smartwatch. Sure it's cool, but it's not necessarily a need quite yet.

djsumdog2• 10 years ago

There were some good 3D android offerings (HTC 3D; no glasses and similar to the Nintendo 3DS), but they faded back in the late 2000s

MR4D• 10 years ago

Just a thought... I wonder if all the 3-d overlays that the maps apps have now could be dumped to VRML. I presume so. That would allow people to go through maps in VRML, and Google Street View in VRML would be pretty darn cool.

627467• 10 years ago

Just tangential, does anyone remember the name of that Secondlife-like persistent 3D world in the 90s?

hypothete• 10 years ago

You might be thinking of Active Worlds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Worlds

Joof• 10 years ago

This particular bit might, but demoing the vive convinced me that VR is here to stay. It's biggest obstacle is price; the hardware itself is incredibly pleasing.

zah• 10 years ago

I'm curious to see if the VR version of Chrome will operate similarly to JanusVR: http://janusvr.com/

JanusVR is a fun experience and linking via portals is novel, but it's more of a place to hang out than anything else.

VR dream builders at Google work on immersive browsing

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