Matterport VR Step in the right direction3848

Originally Posted by @UserName
It looks like Matterport didn't make an official announcement that I could find. But an article about Chrome officially supporting WebVR points us to the Matterport page that says WebVR is now live for Daydream headset owners.

I'd love to hear from a Daydream phone owner who tests this out. It seems like you can use your Daydream phone's browser to view the model on this page without downloading the model.

https://try.matterport.com/virtual-reality/webvr/



Note how she's holding her Daydream controller implying she can point to move around a Matterport model.

In Dan's video, the Matterport executive said Daydream experiences were "more immersive" and that they were still testing it.

The Matterport page says support for other headsets is coming. But, I still think the WebVR experience on Cardboard is going to be choppy and Gear VR owners will have to deactivate their Gear VR services before putting their phones into their headsets.

Kolor, for instance, can also display their tours in any browser that supports WebVR. I tested one of their tours by viewing it inside my Gear VR. The experience was choppy. Kolor's website even warns users by saying,

"viewing will not be as smooth as viewing a tour directly in a Gear VR app.

http://www.kolor.com/wiki-en/action/view/Panotour_-_Notions_-_VR_Mode

Kolor also says to even get their WebVR models to appear in a Gear VR you must first

"use an application to disconnect the Oculus app as Package Disabler Pro (Samsung) or CB Enabler for Gear VR."

I use Package Disabler to run Cardboard apps on the Gear VR. It seems like other Gear VR owners will have to run an app like that too before putting their phone into a Gear VR to view a Matterport WebVR tour. Later, they'll have to use the app to re-enable their Gear VR services.

That seems like a bit of work since you'd have to do all that every time you wanted to use a Gear VR to view a Matterport WebVR model. With around 5 million Gear VRs sold, I'll guess that today there are more Gear VR users than Daydream users.

However, I'm guessing that WebVR experiences in a Daydream headset should be smooth since Google makes the OS on which those phones run and the software that runs Daydream. If Daydream owners can simply point and click to move around a model and never have to download a model again, that will be wonderful.

If I was a realtor who invited home buyers into my office, I might stock the office with Daydream phones to give home buyers the best Matterport exploration experience -- assuming that a WebVR experience really is smooth in a Daydream headset. a Daydream Matterport could be a game changer.

I might even buy a Daydream phone if some Daydream owners report on how amazing the Matterport experience is in a Daydream headset.