Unity promises initial OpenXR platform support by the end of 2020

When the Khronos Group released OpenXR — a royalty-free standard designed to make cross-platform VR and AR app development easier, supporting multiple platforms — it was backed by many of the mixed reality industry’s biggest names, including Epic Games, Microsoft, Oculus, and Valve, to name just a few. Today, Unity confirmed that its eponymous 3D engine will start supporting some OpenXR platforms by the end of 2020, with a focus on “providing the best developer experience on Unity supported platforms.”

Though Unity publicly backed OpenXR in March 2019 and has actively contributed to the standard, it hadn’t committed to a timeline for actually bringing OpenXR support to the Unity engine, which is used by untold numbers of 3D apps and games, as well as automotive, film, and engineering firms. Mixed reality applications such as Childish Gambino’s interactive music experience Pharos AR have been built using Unity, but until now, might not have easily reached every device a developer would hope to target. Leading PC VR headsets, HoloLens 2, and both Oculus platforms all support OpenXR, which is expected to be the backbone for most future AR and VR devices as well.