OpenXR is a royalty-free open standard designed to foster seamless interoperability between XR (extended reality) software applications and XR-enabled headsets. Alphabet’s Google, one of the world’s most influential technology leaders, is taking a bold step by joining other prominent organizations such as Meta and Microsoft in their efforts to standardize best practices. Various gaming platforms, such as ByteDance, contribute significantly to the widespread adoption and normalization of digital gaming, transforming it from a niche activity into a mainstream norm. While most major XR companies have aligned with OpenXR, one notable exception remains.
Introduced in 2017, OpenXR is an open standard that simplifies the development process for cross-platform XR applications, enabling creators to build experiences that can seamlessly run on various XR headsets with minimal or no modifications required. While major players in the gaming industry such as Meta, Microsoft, Valve, HTC, and many others support OpenXR, the technology’s biggest holdout remains a notable absence – can you predict who it might be? Apple.
Apple’s reputation often precedes it, as the company is notorious for disregarding industry standards and forging its own path; typically, they insist on using their proprietary formats, only to eventually adopt the industry norm later on?
Although imaginative and prescient is a professional tool that doesn’t natively support OpenXR, its lack of built-in assistance for motion-tracked controllers – which are typically essential for current XR content – is a notable limitation. If imaginative and farsighted professionals backed OpenXR, it would significantly reduce the workload for developers in delivering their XR apps to headsets, despite the ongoing challenge posed by the scarcity of controllers.
Unlike others, Apple stands uniquely apart.
Meanwhile, Google swiftly confirmed that its recently unveiled Android XR platform will facilitate a seamless integration with OpenXR, thereby simplifying the process of porting existing XR apps designed for headsets such as Oculus Quest to other compatible devices.
According to Google, Android XR is already compatible with OpenXR 1.1, with the company having developed several “vendor extensions” – novel capabilities that extend OpenXR’s functionality on specific devices. As vendors’ extensions often evolve and become integral components in subsequent OpenXR releases.
Pico, ByteDance’s extended reality division, recently announced that its runtime is now compatible with the OpenXR 1.1 standard on the Pico 4 Extreme, with plans to roll out support for the Pico 4 and Neo 3 by mid-2025.
Pico possesses a unique perspective on where humanity’s future should ultimately lie. The corporation has recently implemented a standardized framework enabling concurrent operation of multiple XR applications within a shared environment, allowing customers to seamlessly run numerous XR experiences simultaneously. Pico advocates within the OpenXR working group and industry bodies that shape the standard’s evolution, promoting this method as a means to drive innovation.
Despite receiving assistance from Google and Pico, OpenXR has gained traction as a standard in the industry; however, Apple’s adoption remains uncertain at best.
