Intent to Experiment: WebVR

[Brandon Jones]

Contact emails

baj...@chromium.org, meganl...@chromium.org

Spec

https://w3c.github.io/webvr/

https://w3c.github.io/gamepad/extensions.html

Summary

The WebVR API is a new API that provides JavaScript access to the input and output capabilities of Virtual Reality devices like the Google Daydream or the Oculus Rift, or devices with similar tracking capabilities like Project Tango.

There are a series of related additions to the Gamepad API that enable VR controllers with motion tracking capabilities that we would like to expose as part of the same experiment. They add: Touch detection, gamepad handedness reporting, motion and position tracking, and haptic feedback.

Link to “Intent to Implement” blink-dev discussion

https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!topic/blink-dev/m32Yy87Ggt0

https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!topic/blink-dev/IHrxKj4zGjg

Goals for experimentation

The API shape for WebVR has recently changed in order to add support for Windows Holographic devices. We want to make the proposed API available to the broader WebVR community for experimentation to gather feedback and ensure that the API is meeting developer needs before issuing a full release.

• Is the new WebVR API shape as usable or more usable than the previous version?

• Are there any use cases supported by the earlier version of WebVR API that are not supported well now?

• Do the gamepad API extensions meet the needs of the various type of motion controllers available in the market?

Experimental timeline

Enabled:

• Oct 6th: Chrome 55 Branch to Dev

• Nov 17th: Chrome 56 Branch to Dev

• Dec 6th: Chrome 55 Stable*

• Jan 31st, 2017: Chrome 56 Stable*

Disabled:

• Jan 19th, 2017: Chrome 57 Branch to Dev

• Mar 14th, 2017: Chrome 57 Stable*

* Stable dates are estimates: https://www.chromium.org/developers/calendar.

Any risks when the experiment finishes?

Unless the API transitions to stable sites will lose the ability to interact with VR hardware, but given that hardware availability is limited we expect that sites will need to be responsive to its absence.

Ongoing technical constraints

None.

Will this feature be supported on all five Blink platforms supported by Origin Trials (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, and Android)?

The WebVR API will be available on Android only for the M55 experiment. When the API transitions to stable in future releases support will be extended to Windows as well. Other platforms can be supported in the future, but at this time there is no significant VR hardware that supports Mac, Linux, or Chrome OS. (If support does emerge we will happily pursue it!) The API can be exposed on all platforms, but it won’t report any connected devices on platforms other than Windows and Android.

The updates to the Gamepad API are more broadly applicable, and will be available on all OSes assuming that there are compatible devices that can take advantage of the features.

OWP launch tracking bug

http://crbug.com/389343

Link to entry on the feature dashboard

https://www.chromestatus.com/feature/4532810371039232

https://www.chromestatus.com/feature/5651469617332224

[Chris Harrelson]

LGTM1

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[TAMURA, Kent]

LGTM2

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TAMURA Kent
Software Engineer, Google

[Philip Jägenstedt]

LGTM3

I looked at the spec and filed a few issues:

https://github.com/w3c/webvr/issues/85

https://github.com/w3c/webvr/issues/86

https://github.com/w3c/webvr/issues/87

https://github.com/w3c/webvr/issues/88

https://github.com/w3c/webvr/issues/89

https://github.com/w3c/webvr/issues/90

https://github.com/w3c/webvr/issues/91

LGTM2

LGTM1

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[Brandon Jones]

Thanks for the LGTMs, and thanks filing the issues! Feedback is always appreciated!

[Joe Medley]

Can we add a version number to Chrome status now? https://www.chromestatus.com/features/4532810371039232

Joe Medley | Technical Writer, Chrome DevRel | jme...@google.com | 816-678-7195

If an API's not documented it doesn't exist.

LGTM2

LGTM1

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TAMURA Kent
Software Engineer, Google

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[Brandon Jones]

I'd prefer to do that once we know for certain which version of Chrome the feature will first appear in. We still haven't quite gotten all the approval bits needed. (The email is one of many.)

LGTM2

LGTM1

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TAMURA Kent
Software Engineer, Google

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[Brandon Jones]

Quick follow up on this, as the dates of our experiment have changed. The revised timeline is:

Experimental timeline

Enabled:

• Nov 17th: Chrome 56 Branch to Dev

• Jan 19th, 2017: Chrome 57 Branch to Dev

• Jan 31st, 2017: Chrome 56 Stable*

• Mar 14th, 2017: Chrome 57 Stable*

Disabled:

• Mar 2nd, 2017: Chrome 58 Branch to Dev

• Apr 25th, 2017: Chrome 58 Stable*

* Stable dates are estimates: https://www.chromium.org/developers/calendar.  

[Brandon Jones]

We'd like to request extending this origin trial through to M58.

During the course of our trial we've gotten feedback that has led us to pursue a much larger spec revision than we originally anticipated, which will not be ready before the original trial expires. As a result we'd like to extend the trial one release longer than originally requested, at which point we intend to start a new trial which incorporates changes made in response to the feedback we've been given. During the extension of the original trial we also intend to track several additional usage stats to determine the impact of proposed API removals.

--Brandon Jones

[Dimitri Glazkov]

LGTM.

[tarn...@gmail.com]

Thanks

[chinok...@gmail.com]