Introducing Hubs, The Immersive VR Social Platform By Mozilla That Can Be Accessed In Web Browsers

The organization follows up the Firefox Reality reveal with its a mixed reality experiment.

Charles Singletary Jr

April 26, 2018 6:00 AM

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When it revealed Firefox Reality, a new mixed reality web browser for accessible augmented and virtual reality experiences, Mozilla also unveiled that it had established a team dedicated to additional WebVR experiments focused on enabling social experiences using MR and the open web. Today, we witness one of the first fruit borne of this team's work: Hubs, an immersive social VR experience you access through your web browser.

Most popular social virtual reality experiences require the use of VR HMDs, but Hubs is using the web as a bridge to mainstream and giving users the chance to create rooms with a single click. "This technology is at a tipping point," the team states in a press release. "If we want to continue to bring immersive experiences into the mainstream, we need to be laser-focused on removing friction for the user. The technology needs to step out of the way, and the experiences need to take center stage."

Because Hubs uses the web as its foundation, it also allows Mozilla to support every single mixed reality HMD on the market. From the Oculus Rift right over to Google's cardboard VR viewer, there's no gatekeeper and that's key to fostering a large social platform. AltspaceVR is another example of a VR social platform that has grown in strength because of its accessibility across platforms and is Hubs's most influential peer on the market. Mozilla is also invested in ensuring privacy. There's some data on the Hubs privacy policy available now and Mozilla says it will have more to share soon.

As stated initially, Hubs is in an experimental state right now. The Hubs preview is available now on the official website, so feel free to dive in. Stay tuned to Shacknews for Hubs updates including when the platform opens up to kits for creating custom spaces, avatars, and more.

Charles Singletary Jr

News Editor

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.