Firefox Reality: Mozilla discontinues VR and AR browser
Mozilla is discontinuing the Firefox Reality VR and AR browser. The source code is to live on in a new XR browser project.
Mozilla launched the Firefox Reality virtual reality browser about four years ago. The ambitious XR project enables VR and AR applications directly in the browser with an interface optimized for 3D. Conventional websites also run in a virtual 2D browser window.
As the first cross-platform browser, Firefox Reality runs on a wide range of devices - from PC and smartphone headsets to standalone devices like Quest 2. Most recently, the PC version of Firefox Reality launched in August 2020.
Firefox Reality lives on in Wolvic
After being quiet about Firefox Reality for a long time, Mozilla is now clarifying the situation: the Reality browser is being discontinued. The current version will be removed from the stores "in the coming weeks". Mozilla does not give a reason for this decision.
The XR browser Wolvic from the open-source company Igalia is to serve as a replacement. The Wolvic browser is based on the Firefox reality code and is supposed to be released for Meta Quest and Huawei VR Glass soon. Support for HTC Vive Focus, Pico glasses, and Lynx is planned. Igalia also wants to cooperate with Qualcomm and Lenovo to bring the browser to their devices.
Igalia promises regular updates for Wolvic, and funding has been partially secured for two years. The company also plans to invest in the project itself. The browser enables access to WebXR content as well as to conventional 2D pages.
Mozilla sticks to hubs
That Mozilla might abandon Firefox Reality was already foreseeable in August 2020, after the organization was plunged into a financial crisis as a result of the Corona pandemic. Around a third of the staff had to leave.
Mozilla plans to continue working on the 3D meeting platform Hubs, which last received a major update primarily for Monitor users in January 2021.
Read more about VR and AR:
- Meta Quest 2: VR is on course for growth
- Youtube VR: Google teases killer feature
- Apple VR/AR headset: Is Apple betting on more openness?
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