Could Unity go Browser/VR/Cloud Based?

With WebGL and the potential for asm.js and WebAssemblies making the web a lot faster and more powerful for apps, could Unity offer a browser based version of itself?

Or better yet a cloud based VR version of itself. So with a single VR Link people could step into Unity VR and work on a game?

If Unity pushed the networking layer forward into the editor could we more easily work together in a VR world/space?

After all it will end up competing with Web and then VR cloud based game engines e.g. Minecraft and Playcanvas

Browser- doubt it. A simple game in WebGL takes a ton of RAM, I’d hate to guess how much Unity would take. That’s also ignoring the other restrictions.

VR/Internet (cloud or not) Collaboration- Only time will tell, people seem to enjoy the VR movie theater experience and other “shared” mediums. Regardless if we are talking about Unity or any other job, perhaps one day we will see “virtual” workplaces. Normal interaction is always preferred but would it be a step up from webex, gotomeeting, and other current software? I’m inclined to think that eventually it will, but it will take at least 5-10 years to get there. It will also be niche when it does to those jobs where you actually need to interact more than just talking/sharing documents. I see no reason why a sales call or typical business meeting would need to go virtual. Now modelers working on different parts of a city environment? That I can see would be useful to be able to virtually collaborate if/when the tools catch up. Long ways to go though.

Best you could achieve with a browser would be a remote desktop client with Unity itself running on another computer.

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What would VR add? (other than to test your game). Same for cloud based. for hobbiest/playing around/toy side of things maybe, but not much sense for Unity. What would be be the actual benefit? Running it on the cloud would add more problems and not solve any problems. There are 3d web based game dev tools, but they aren’t really for real game developers, more for enthusiasts and very limited.

With any tech/tool, application is meant to solve a problem. What problem would a cloud version of unity solve?

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Also, there is this nifty little tool which will allow you run Unity on a different computer.

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Another weird thread started or pulled out of hat? are you trying to complete some achievement here on the forums for most threads created in a month or week? :eyes:

I can see any point in the suggested idea. VR? wut? It would just slow the development time many ways, for example if every build would have to be routed to Cloud build first cause of the browser sandbox/security modes that will never go away. On top of Unity bugs we would then also be affected by browser bugs.

I bet a few people said this about Unity when it first came out!

They could start of with a Unity Lite, just the ability to build to WebGL on the cloud but the editor running within the browser.

Well the VR ‘cloud’ could be hosted on a in studio server but the aim is to cut out the commute to the studio and not long after you do that your probably don’t need a real studio. Just VR workers and a VR studio.

Unity was intended as a game engine from the beginning. The Raspberry Pi was intended for educational purposes. Using it as an alternative to your gaming rig would be like trying to use LEGO Robotics for your assembly line.

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Sorry which thread are you replying too here???

Again, why? What problem does it solve?

Welcome to 2004!

This already happens all the time, it is very common. ~20% of my studio doesn’t even live in this state. Cloud is completely unnecessary. Version control+VPN. Also VR would add nothing to this. A buddy of mine worked for over a decade at one of the top gearhead social portals. They around 30 employees and no physical office. Broadband+vpn+skype.

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Apparently I’m getting confused with all of those threads you’re creating. I need to stop trying to multitask. :sweat_smile:

I so have to pitch this to my boss… We use Lego for training purposes. I also have a Lego ‘mascot’ that is sitting on my desk. I’ve yet to see a fully fledged Lego assembly line.

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And it was very true for quite a while. But there is no comparison. Unity is a tool, and it grew and improved. “Cloud” is a marketing term for distributed network. There is no benefit to a browser based version of unity on the '“cloud” over a local version. In fact there are many, many significant challenges and limitations. Most of which are a limitation of methodology, not the the tech. In other words, they won’t improve over time. A cloud version provides no improvement over a local install.

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http://lego.gizmodo.com/this-lego-paper-airplane-factory-is-wonderfully-over-co-1757897802
yea, I know, not what you meant, but still it is super cool.

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Totally agree with your points on cloud/browser.

When it comes to VR it’s easy to get hung up on the limitations today (and perhaps if this generation of tech fails again it will be the distant future when it comes around again). But whenever it stays for good there are certainly advantages to be had over skype especially when creating something digital and not physical. The tools have a long way to go but there are certainly times when a text/voice/video chat is a bit lacking and VR might bridge the gap a bit more towards actually having a meeting in person when you’re unable to actually travel there.

This is obviously totally decoupled from Unity which has a very singular experience designed for one person at a time. I’m speaking more in general towards anything where it’s designed to be a group experience.

It’s actually pretty close to what I had in mind. It would work well as a cross functional training exercise. It might be a bit complex to fit into a half day at a conference. But if you had many of the components pre built you might get somewhere.

You mean like that guy who hooked up three Kinects and an Oculus Rift to make a virtual conference, right?

http://kotaku.com/three-kinects-and-an-oculus-rift-make-one-glitchy-virtu-1576168292

It’s not about limitations, it’s about ROI, practicality and use. The point of meeting with people beyond email or voice chat is about human presence. VR abstracts that, even if the tech were perfect, because it is a recreation. If I need to conference with someone remotely, talking to their avatar negates the point. Video conference equipment now pretty much puts you in the same room with them, and you are looking a their face, not a mask/avatar. Sure VR will improve, but a slower rate than broad use display tech. By the time the quality catches up to current displays, displays will also have continued to improve as well.

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This. I’ve worked for two large corporates so far, and interacted with others. Pretty much everyone I’ve worked with just uses audio conferences. The extra value added by video conference is normally not worth the extra tech set up cost. The extra value of VR is pretty limited, and the extra cost is hight.

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I grant you this on current uses they are hokey at best. I did mean years out in the future and that the tools to use have to get there first.

I do think eventually there will be many design applications in VR where it is superior to current interfaces (mouse/keyboard, tablet/pen, etc.). I would think that the Zbrushes of the world would be better if you could actually 3d sculpt. I would think in your gearhead example, I think the VR equivalent of clay car sculpting would be a no brainer for design. These tools do not exist yet (heck an actual viable VR platform does not exist yet) but at some point they will exist even if it’s not this time around. Eventually, the increased ROI is actually in the VR part over old school methods, not in the doing so from a different location. Anytime the VR design process is actually preferred though and would benefit from collaboration, I would think this type of VR app going online would be a natural evolution.

Once that occurs being able to this virtually and not need to travel could be immensely helpful, just like real time sharing in editing a document is useful today. This would apply to anything that is both a group activity and digital (not physical) in nature.

As far as teleconferencing goes I agree this is mostly unnecessary, and most will not desire this at all. The only real market I see there is for those with physical handicaps that prevent them from attending.

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