OpenXR Update to Optimise Major XR Headsets

Today, Khronos updated its OpenXR API to optimise its support of cross-platform AR/VR/MR application development with its version 1.1 update. The move consolidates multiple extensions into the OpenXR API, streamlining application development cycles – namely multiple vendor-specific extensions to reduce the different coding frameworks behind its support end devices.

The OpenXR API is a core piece behind many XR headsets from vendors such as Acer, ByteDance, Canon, HTC, Magic Leap, Meta, Microsoft, Sony, XREAL, Qualcomm, Valve, and Varjo. Moreover, RT3D development services like Autodesk VRED, Blender, Godot, NVIDIA’s Omniverse, StereoKit, Unreal Engine, and Unity support OpenXR integration.

Denny Rönngren, an OpenXR system architect at Varjo, noted:

Varjo has been a contributor and adopter of OpenXR since 2019, and we are excited to be able to equip our enterprise customers with the cutting-edge capabilities of OpenXR 1.1. Among other important updates, the quad view configuration is a core part of this release, lowering the threshold for developers to render in human-eye resolution with Varjo’s mixed reality headsets. We look forward to the transformative impact OpenXR 1.1 will have on the XR industry at large.

Alfredo Muniz, Chair of the OpenXR Working Group, also said that the update’s simplification of development fosters innovation while empowering developers to “concentrate on creating groundbreaking immersive, cross-platform experiences.”

Moreover, Muniz explained that OpenXR 1.1 “embodies the collective dedication of the Working Group and the extended XR community to refine and advance the OpenXR standard while being responsive to the dynamic requirements of a rapidly evolving ecosystem.”

Fresh OpenXR 1.1 Integrations

The new OpenXR framework includes many new features to improve the development of XR applications, regardless of the end device.

Muniz also added:

OpenXR 1.1 marks a significant milestone in the development of this open standard that has become widely adopted throughout the XR industry. OpenXR 1.0 provided baseline capabilities and the foundation for experimentation with new functionality through extensions. Now the Working Group is pivoting to manage regular core specification updates that balance the need for flexibility to ship new functionality with consolidation of proven technology to reduce fragmentation and enable true cross-platform application portability.

Many of these updates are incredibly technical, but they all work to reduce unnecessary processes and optimise interacted technology, namely tracking, which requires the utmost precision.

OpenXR 1.1 comes with a trove of new updates, one of which removes calibration procedures when repositions standing-scale content.

The new stereo-foveated rendering improves eye-tracking features, and the feature is widespread – already finding a home on Unity, Unreal, and NVIDIA Omniverse.

David Chu, the Vice President of Spatial Computing and XR at NVIDIA, noted that the firm regards OpenXR as a “key open standard” because the API framework enables portable access to “diverse” XR devices.

Chu explained:

OpenXR 1.1 is an important step in consolidating important functionality while reducing fragmentation for developers. NVIDIA is working to leverage OpenXR in its CloudXR Suite that enables flexible delivery of sophisticated immersive experiences to a broad range of devices.

Peter Kuhn, principal software engineer, Unity also noted how the firm’s support of OpenXR will give Unity developers “enhanced compatibility, which will ultimately accelerate the growth of the XR community and unlock new possibilities for immersive storytelling.”

In addition to consolidating extensions, 1.1 also provides developers with other minor improvements, such as streamlined action system programming, an extended set of universal tools, new error codes, and more precise explanations of specification intent.

In Q2, OpenXR will also release a new and improved OpenXR Conformance Test Suite (CTS) to enhance functionality and implementation across all Conforman platforms. CTS is currently available as a developer version ahead of its Q2 release.

Working with Industry Leaders to Ensure Interoperability

The OpenXR Working Group functions alongside various industry leaders to determine the best ways to optimise cross-platform XR content.

In enterprise, interoperability is essential due to the increasing variation of devices that can exist in a workplace, and with more devices due this year, interoperability will become more critical. Moreover, improving XR development will improve the applications’ overall user experience.

The OpenXR Working Group leverage industry-wide feedback to improve its API service. Notably, the firm is working to distribute its latest API version across Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces platform to “accelerate the pace of innovation in XR and foster an open ecosystem and community – This is an important milestone for the XR industry, reducing fragmentation and adding new features that simplify the creation of immersive applications for developers;” said Brian Vogelsang, senior director, product management at Qualcomm Technologies.

Moreover, firms like Collabora are making “substantial investments” into Monado, an open-source OpenXR runtime, “to ensure seamless compatibility and performance across a wide range of devices,” said Frederic Plourde, XR lead of Collabora.

Headsets vendors are also taking note; Asii Wu, vice president of HTC, said the firm is “committed to open standards, [and] streamlining the creation of XR experiences.” Wu also noted that HTC VIVE supports OpenXR 1.1 on PC and AIO.

On the other hand, Jonathan Wright, senior staff engineer at Meta, said OpenXR 1.1 is “one more step towards making it easier for developers to build XR applications.”

Wright also added:

 We continue to support the evolution of the OpenXR standard as we work to build an open and interoperable XR ecosystem. 

Other industry leaders ready to support standardisation for cross-platform XR applications are hardware firms like Xreal, OPPO, and Pico.

Pico adopted OpenXR in 2022 for its PICO Neo3 and PICO 4 devices, giving its feedback to the OpenXR Working Group to establish the version 1.1 update, with the firm planning on fully adopting 1.1 in an upcoming headset update, – “We look forward to continuing to advance cross-platform XR development together with the Working Group and the community,” noted Jian Zhang, the Head of XR Foundation engineering, of PICO.

XREAL is working to release a new XR device this year, and the vendor has integrated the OpenXR 1.1 API into the device’s Nebula OS and across its entire product line. OPPO also uses OpenXR 1.1 in its MR Glass Developer Edition to drive standardisation goals.

The industry is taking note of this significant cross-hardware update. However, Apple is a notable exclusion; it’s not surprising. However, how this will affect OpenXR’s or Apple’s goals in the future will be discussed.