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Re:A Third of Valve Is Now Working on VR by jn1234 on Tuesday June 21, 2016 @12:32AM (#11943514)
True right now they are compatible, however it seems like that Facebook and Valve are on a collision course over what they think the ecosystem should be (and who is going to be the "winner").
Re:A Third of Valve Is Now Working on VR by dimino on Tuesday June 21, 2016 @12:56AM (#11943595)
Sounds to me more like the Apple Vs. Google "ecosystems".

Sure, Google has a Play store and a competing OS, but it's not like you can't find Chrome in the iOS store.

Re:A Third of Valve Is Now Working on VR by dreeko_ on Tuesday June 21, 2016 @01:01AM (#11943609)
its interesting that you picked chrome as an example, with it being a wrapper around Apple's webkit on the iOS platform
Re:A Third of Valve Is Now Working on VR by ewzimm on Tuesday June 21, 2016 @02:04AM (#11943791)
Chrome has had more than one JavaScript engine. They're all still Chrome to the user, and that's all that really matters. If they decide to rewrite the UI in Lisp and use Servo, it will still be Chrome in the ways that count, just like nobody cares if a game has DirectX and OpenGL versions.

Different HMDs are arguably more similar than different GPUs, and they manage to support the same software, but in the early days there were plenty of Glide-only games. That didn't work out so well. Most people will probably just use tools that optimize for any popular HMD with little enough effort that only contracts will make exclusives make sense.

Re:A Third of Valve Is Now Working on VR by rictic on Tuesday June 21, 2016 @11:33AM (#11946437)
There's a lot of features that Chrome on Android supports but that can't be added to Chrome on iOS because of Apple's policies. Important features, like fully offline-capable webapps.
Re:A Third of Valve Is Now Working on VR by ewzimm on Tuesday June 21, 2016 @03:58PM (#11948953)
I can see your point, but every platform has its own restrictions. Desktop Chrome can do a lot that Android Chrome can't. There are real security benefits to not allowing downloaded code to run on a device without passing through Apple's JavaScript engine. Of course security and features are often at odds. Outside of tech forums, I've never heard anyone complain about missing features in iOS Chrome, so I'm just saying that to most people, the interface, bookmark sync, etc. is what makes it Chrome, not the JavaScript engine, and the tech it's built on will continue to change over time, bringing new features and new restrictions.
Re:A Third of Valve Is Now Working on VR by wccrawford on Tuesday June 21, 2016 @06:36AM (#11944756)
Yes, because it shows Google's dedication to not leaving people out. Apple doesn't allow Google to use the real chrome rendering engine, and instead requires that every webview be webkit-based. Google would absolutely use their own if they were allowed.