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Detect WebVR Support with JavaScript

By David Walsh on May 16, 2018

Note: This blog post is no longer accurate as the API has changed. Instead, take the time to read How to Detect XR Support with JavaScript.

It's been two years since I was heavily involved with WebVR at Mozilla but, despite not contributing every day, I can see VR making leaps and bounds, from Firefox making an increased effort to Chrome pushing VR and Oculus and HTC (Vive) improving their offerings. Native games are getting better but, more importantly, browsers are getting faster and three.js and aframe are empowering incredible VR experiences with JavaScript. Before you can serve up VR experiences, however, you need to ensure the browser supports VR experiences. To do so, you need to ensure navigator.getVRDisplays is available:

const supportsVR = 'getVRDisplays' in navigator;

if (supportsVR) {
    navigator.getVRDisplays().then(function(displays) {
      // ... Load VR experience
    });
}
else {
    // ... Show "you need {x} browser" message
}

If navigator.getVRDisplays is present, it's likely that the browser supports VR and AR experiences. Virtual reality and augmented reality have the potential to change the world and enrich lives. Learning how to code VR experiences will get you ahead of the curve, and as always, coding those experiences for the browser will break down the barrier of entry!

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