Mozilla Just Announced An Open Source Virtual Reality Browser: “Firefox Reality”

There is a new version of Firefox for experiencing virtual and augmented realities. Known as Firefox Reality, the new open source web browser can work on stand-alone AR and VR headsets.

It’s not the first in line; dedicated browsers for VR already exist. We have Edge on Hololens, an experimental Chrome version for DayDream, and more.

Just like the normal Firefox, the open source web browser is designed to work across different platforms rather than limiting it to one or two headsets. However, there is no word from Mozilla about the platform compatibility.

Mozilla said that they’ve built the Firefox Reality from scratch and worked hard to bring the browser from their years of experience and the technology they had put into Firefox Quantum. While they aren’t entirely aware of the privacy implications of mixed reality, privacy is one of the prime focal points during the development.

A demo video shows the first glimpse of Firefox Reality running on an HTC Vive VR headset. In the coming weeks, Mozilla will drop more information including the details of the design process and sneak peeks of the browser running on different headsets.

Mozilla puts emphasis on the fact that web browsers will play an important role in shaping the future of AR, VR, and mixed reality. In the past, they’ve already added WebVR support with the release of Firefox 55. Firefox Reality is their effort to bring some openness in the mostly walled garden of the ‘reality’ ecosystem.

The source code for Firefox Reality is available on GitHub. Interested Daydream and Gear VR users can run it on their headsets in developer mode.

Also Read: “Safespaces” Is The First Open Source VR Desktop Environment For Linux