How to choose a platform for a virtual or immersive showroom

What Meta's change of direction shows

Reality Labs results show that maintaining a platform and its hardware requires sustained investment. For a client project, the exact figure matters less than the dependency: an experience tied to one store or application must adapt when the manufacturer's strategy changes.

What happened with Horizon Worlds in March describes the moment better than the income statement. On 18 March Meta announced the platform would stop working in virtual reality on 15 June; on 19 March, Andrew Bosworth, head of Reality Labs, said they had decided that same day to keep it running in VR. One day apart. The turn towards mobile, announced in February, still stands, and there is nothing official about new Quest headsets in 2026.

Apple: the platform yes, the sales no

visionOS 27 has been available since 14 September, and the most relevant part for a showroom is not in the system but in the browser: Safari 27 opens a 3D model in immersion from a web page with the <model> tag and one JavaScript call, with no app. A showroom on the client site works on Vision Pro without developing anything specific, as the arrival of <model> on the iPhone explains.

What Apple does not publish is Vision Pro sales. The figures in circulation, a few hundred thousand units, are press and consultancy estimates and cannot carry a budget.

Google and Samsung: glasses announced for the autumn

Android XR has had a headset, Samsung Galaxy XR, since October 2025. At Google I/O on 19 May 2026 the company announced glasses: the audio ones, with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, arrive in the autumn; the display ones have no date.

Chrome on Android XR supports the full WebXR stack, with augmented reality, hand tracking, anchors and depth sensing, according to documentation updated in August. It is the platform where the web has the most capabilities today.

Snap: a platform that still needs context

Snap presented its Specs on 16 September and demonstrated augmented-reality commerce uses. Before including them in a Spanish project, confirm current availability, distribution, tools and support at the time of delivery.

Build on the web and add the immersive layer

A 3D website often provides the most accessible entry because it opens from a URL, but it still needs compatibility, performance and a useful fallback. WebXR or the model element can extend the experience on supported devices.

A dedicated application can suit trade fairs, training or physical showrooms with controlled equipment. For an open audience, compare the added reach with installation, support and update costs. The useful decision is which route completes the task with least friction and remains maintainable. If the space already exists, consider gaussian splatting for a web showroom.

To decide the platform for a specific case, tell us who the audience is and which devices they use on your site today.