webxr
Latest
Next version of Chrome brings web AR and NFC to more users
Google is close to making some cutting edge web tech more accessible. The internet giant has released a Chrome 81 beta for Android, Linux, Mac and Windows that adds WebXR support for browser-based augmented reality. Web developers now have a fairly straightforward way to bring AR to users across platforms without resorting to native apps. The underlying framework had been present before, but required enabling flags -- this will make AR available to Chrome users once site creators make use of it.
Google demo shows how AR can thrive on the web
Google has been hyping up augmented reality on the web, and it's easy to understand why -- it promises an immersive experience without requiring a special app. But what does that look like in practice? The company now has an easy way to find out. It recently released Chacmool, a previously seen tech demo for Chrome Canary that uses the WebXR format to bring an educational AR experience to your browser. You'll need an ARCore-compatible Android phone running Oreo in addition to Canary, but you're good to go after that. You can walk around a Mesoamerican sculpture reading annotations as if you were visiting a museum exhibit without the usual cordons and glass cases.
Google Chrome now supports more password-free sign-ins
Google is acting on its promise to banish more passwords. It just released Chrome 67 for the desktop, bringing the Web Authentication standard to what's arguably the most popular browser. As with Firefox, the technology allows password-free sign-ins (such as USB keys) through virtually any website rather than having to access specific services. And don't worry if you're still comfortable typing things in -- there are a few other useful additions.
Chrome will let you have AR experiences, no app needed
Google believes that 2018 is the year the web turns a corner and starts becoming more immersive, and the company's new WebXR API is at the heart of its efforts. Long story short, WebXR provides a platform to more easily optimize and integrate VR and AR experiences right into web browsers, and developers can start crafting VR experiences for Chrome with the API today. In-browser VR has been a thing for a while, though — web-based AR, however, feels more immediately helpful. It'll be a while before you can virtually plop 3D objects into an augmented reality space inside Chrome, but we just got to take it for a spin and honestly, the AR-friendly web can't arrive soon enough.
