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Remember the hype about stereoscopic 3D several years ago? We all expected all TV and movies would soon be 3D, and we would be watching sports through polarized glasses. It hasn’t happened, but VR is still around and becoming a viable option with web design. Here we explore 5 ways that VR is impacting web design.

VR is Coming to Your Browser

Until recently, you needed a headset and an app to access online VR content. However, this is changing as several web browsers are working on support for WebVR, which is an open standard making the VR experience possible from your browser.

This means you can simply click a button to begin interacting with VR content without needing any downloads. The WebVR is available in Samsung Internet Browser for Gear VR, experimental builds of Chromium for Windows, Chrome 56+ for Android, and Firefox Nightly.

New Possibilities are Opening Up for VR

Let’s say you are booking your vacation online, and you want to get a real feel for a particular resort before reserving a room. Wouldn’t it be great to take a virtual tour at your leisure? Or how about being able to cut through the massive amount of information on the website? Instead of conventionally navigating about a cluttered layout, you could move the content around in virtual space any way you prefer.

VR is set to alter the virtual conference space as well. Some experts see VR having an impact on tight housing markets by allowing employees to work through remote VR points. And, some hospital trials suggest that escapist VR can be effective as pain relief. By making VR viable through a browser, these potential benefits become easier to access and more cost effective. The text-based internet has made the global village smaller and brought people closer to others around the world. How much will VR web push that envelop?

Creating VR Content Will be Easier

With headsets becoming easier to obtain through mass production, it is easier for consumers to consume VR content on the web. At the same time, the increasing availability of open source libraries is making content creation exponentially easier.

Popular frameworks for VR content creation include Vizor, Sketchfab, PlayCanvas, and A-Frame. Even novice developers are finding it possible to create VR content and build VR experiences quickly and easily.

Venture Capitalists are Investing in Virtual Reality

When venture capitalists begin investing in a segment, it’s time to take a hard look. In fact, there is now a venture capitalist partnership called The Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance, which announced $10 billion invested in VR and augmented reality projects. They are expecting hefty returns on those investments, which means they have done their research and voted with their wallets.

In fact, some market watchers are forecasting the VR/AR market will reach over $160 billion by 2020. This is the view of tech guru Mark Pesce, who said virtual reality “can become the most important cultural advance since writing. That’s not an exaggeration. Knowledge and experience are not the same thing. You can transmit knowledge by writing it down. You can not transmit experience through words. Experience must be – experienced […] The web gave us the capacity to share knowledge on a global scale. VR does the same thing for experience.”

If his prediction is correct, we may soon be witnessing the next technological disruption that makes history.

If you are interested in learning more about the latest advancements in web design, contact us at NOYO Web Development. We offer free consultations with no obligation to you. You benefit from our extensive experience, so don’t hesitate. Call today.