Running a WebXR Demo Instance

WebXR Hit Testing & Depth Sensing

Comprehensive guide to WebXR hit testing and depth sensing — ray intersection, transient hit tests, reading the depth buffer, occlusion rendering, and mesh reconstruction for real-world interaction.

WebXR Hand Tracking — From Joints to Gestures

A practical deep-dive into the WebXR Hand Tracking API — joint positions, pinch detection, custom gesture recognition, and interaction patterns for immersive VR applications.

WebXR is a Web API that enables immersive experiences directly in the browser — no app installation required. It supports both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) through a unified JavaScript API.

Try It Out

I host a WebXR demo instance at:

https://tobias-weiss.org/hello-webxr/ 🌐

Use the right controller and the trigger button (index finger) to navigate. The demo showcases basic room-scale VR interactions — walking around, picking up objects, and manipulating the environment.

Why Browser-Based XR?

Browser-based XR has several advantages:

• No installation - users access VR directly from a URL
• Cross-platform - works with any WebXR-compatible headset browser
• Easy sharing - just send a link
• Privacy-preserving - self-hosted solutions keep data local

Self-Hosting

The official WebXR demo is maintained by the WebXR community. To run your own instance:

git clone https://github.com/immersive-web/webxr-samples

# Serve with any static file server
npx serve .

You'll need a WebXR-compatible browser (Firefox Reality, Meta Quest Browser, or Chrome with VR support).

Hardware

I've tested this with:

• Meta Quest 2/3 (via Meta Quest Browser or Virtual Desktop)
• HP Reverb G2
• Desktop mode with mouse/keyboard fallback for non-VR users