Mozilla has announced it is killing off Firefox Reality, the company’s foray into virtual reality.
Companies large and small are racing to deploy virtual and augmented reality solutions, racing to stake their claim on the metaverse, where in-person, virtual, and augmented reality meet. Mozilla, on the other hand, is killing off its entry in the market, although that doesn’t mean users are without hope.
Firefox Reality was the first cross-platform browser for mixed reality that was made by a company dedicated to user privacy. Fortunately, Firefox Reality’s innovations will live on in the Wolvic browser, made by Igalia.
“On mobile or desktop, the web is woven into everything. It’s how we communicate, get information, entertain ourselves, and so much more. In the last few years, XR has really matured. The increase of devices shipping with an immersive OS is incredible. As such, now is an especially critical time to ensure that we establish the web on them in a healthy way,” said Brian Kardell, Developer Advocate at Igalia. “The Firefox Reality project was created with similar aims, to give users some choice and ensure that open and unlimited access to the web remains strong on these devices. These ideas are core to what we do at Igalia, so we’re thrilled to be able to carry the torch forward in leveraging that work to create a new browser, Wolvic. Together, we will help to ensure that the web ecosystem remains healthy.”
Mozilla emphasizes that it continues to be an incubator for many new technologies, including mixed reality tech. Fortunately, its stewardship of Firefox Reality was enough to help it serve as the basis of an all-new application.