Firefox gets VR

THE Firefox browser can now directly display a website’s virtual reality content through certain VR glasses connected to the computer.

The integration of the so-called WebVR interface into the version 55 of the browser has made this possible, says the Mozilla Foundation.

If VR content is available on a page, a goggle icon appears in Firefox. Clicking it immediately launches the game or app in the glasses – without prior downloading and installation as previously required.

The feature supports the VR glasses Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Examples of how WebVR works in Firefox are available on the Mozvr.com test page.

The browser’s new multiprocess architecture now operates with four so-called content processes as the default setting. This allows for faster page loading and makes opening and working with multiple tabs speedier.

Users can also increase the number of processes to bump up Firefox’s speed even further. However, Mozilla recommends this only if the computer runs on more than 8GB RAM. Up to version 53, Firefox used to work with only a single process.

Moreover, the current version comes with fixes for 29 security issues, including five critical ones. You can start the update by clicking on the menu item Help/About Firefox. — dpa