Virtual Reality (VR) is rapidly growing in popularity, and now it's coming to the web. The power of the web is that it can allow VR to work across browsers and hardware, accessible via a single click. This enables VR developers to broadly reach users across multiple types of headsets with a single web app. Here’s how to get started.

Chrome 56 for Android is now available in beta, and web developers can sign up for an Origin Trial which enables the WebVR API and GamePad API extensions . The WebVR API provides access to the input and output capabilities of virtual reality devices such as Daydream View. It also provides access to the user’s position and orientation, so that web apps can render a stereoscopic 3D scene to the headset's display. The Gamepad API extensions provide access to input from motion controllers, such as the Daydream controller, and enables natural interactions in VR.

Origin Trials allow a developer to temporarily enable the feature for all Chrome users visiting their website. The WebVR API is still evolving and will undergo further changes based on developer feedback before being enabled by default for all pages. WebVR will be extended to desktop platforms and Google Cardboard in a future Chrome release, and several performance improvements are coming in Chrome 57.