When someone discovers Patches, one of the first things they ask us is, "Can I see this in my VR headset?" The answer, of course, is yes! Every Patches project is virtual reality. You can view them in 360° in your browser or newer phone, but they can also be viewed in 3D in a variety of VR headsets.
It's easy to do. Here's a quick tutorial:
Cardboard
You'll need: Any cardboard viewer and a newer smart phone. (iPhone 6, Galaxy 6, or newer. The faster the phone, the better the results.)
- In your phone's web browser, navigate to any Patches project. Try this one below.
- Once it's loaded, choose
Enter VRfrom your screen, and place your phone into your viewer.
Gear VR
You'll need: A Samsung Galaxy 6 (or newer) and the corresponding Gear VR headset.
Placing your phone into your Gear VR headset will automatically open the Oculus Store. To access the open web, we need to bypass this. The Gear store now offers Samsung Internet, which you can use as a portal to webVR content. However, it's in its early stages, and some people are finding better results with the method outlined below:
- From the Play store, install EZ Package Disabler. When it's installed, open it and untick the box for Gear VR service.
- For the best frame rates, we'll want to also install the VR Chromium web browser.
- Using Chromium, navigate to a Patches page. Try the one below. Then just hit
Enter VRand insert your phone into your Gear.
HTC Vive
You'll need: An HTC Vive, set up and running with Steam VR.
Steps:
- Download the newest Chromium build.
- Enable WebVR from the chrome://flags > Enable WebVR
- Using that browser, open any Patches experience, like the one embedded below. Choose
Enter VRand you're ready to go.
Off you go!
We hope you'll have fun exploring all the great content on Patches and beyond. If you find you're a little stuck, give us a shout on our Twitter (@VizorPatches) or Slack and we will happily sort you out.