1323327 - (webvr-conformance) [webvr] [meta] Implement Cross-Browser WebVR conformance suite and tools

Status: NEW

(Core :: WebVR, defect)

Description

[:kip (Kearwood Gilbert)]

In the WebVR implementers meetup, there was interest in sharing a conformance suite of tests, in the same spirit as the WebGL Conformance Tests.

For this conformance suite to work cross-browser, either an inter-operable API or script file format describing the events to be played back on the simulated VR hardware needs to be specced.  An OpenVR driver could be implemented to enable these tests to be run on both Firefox and Servo desktop browsers.  It is not feasible for all other implementers to use an OpenVR based simulation tool, so the formats and/or protocols used to direct the simulated VR hardware should be agnostic of the underlying API.

I'd recommend that we create such an OpenVR based simulation tool and work with the other browser vendors on an interoperable format for describing the simulated events.

There will be some implementation-specific tests, such as verifying our performance optimizations in the WebVR rendering path.  I'd suggest that these tests be built on a separate tool, integrated within Gecko as a subclass on VRDisplayHost.  This Gecko integrated driver would be enabled with a pref and expose a set of privileged API's used by our implementation specific reftests and mochitests.  Additional functions may be added to support Firefox specific devtools features.

The separate Gecko / Quantum's "Puppet VR" implementation will continue to be tracked in Bug 1229480, while the interoperable conformance suite and tools will be tracked under this meta bug.