Firefox Steps into 3D
New initiative will bring futuristic virtual reality effects to the web surfing experience.
Vladimir Vukićević, Mozilla's director of engineering, has announced an effort to integrate virtual reality (VR) technologies into the Firefox browser. According to Vukićević, Firefox developers will begin adding support for virtual reality devices, such as Oculus Rift, to experimental Firefox builds "so that Web developers can start experimenting with adding VR interactivity to their websites and content."
Other changes will follow as the developers continue to prepare Firefox for a 3D future. Vukićević's blog post outlines the following goals for Firefox's VR initiative:
- Rendering Canvas (WebGL or 2D) to VR output devices.
- Rendering 3D video to VR output devices (as directly as possible).
- Rendering HTML (DOM+CSS) content to VR output devices – taking advantage of existing CSS features such as 3D transforms.
- Mixing WebGL-rendered 3D content with DOM-rendered 3D-transformed content in a single 3D space.
- Receiving input from orientation and position sensors, with a focus on reducing latency from input/render to final presentation.
Vukićević points out that the experimental VR version of Firefox is not currently in the main Firefox source tree. The immediate goal is to get feedback from developers and VR device vendors that will help set the direction and priorities for the work ahead. Ultimately, the team hopes to integrate VR functionality fully with mainstream Firefox versions.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Pine64 Halts Production of Linux Devices
With continued DRAM and eMMC shortages, Pine64 has decided to discontinue production of Linux devices.
-
The Bullet-Proof KDE Software Initiative Is Coming
KDE, Techpaladin, and Kubuntu Focus have announced a new initiative that will provide at least three years of support for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related software.
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
