The Coming VR Software War

Since 2007, Google, Apple and others have been sparring over who controls the software that powers our phones. Now, a battle that some hope could similarly reshape power structures is brewing over software that powers virtual reality.

It’s early days for the simulation technology, and even some of VR’s biggest supporters say it may not go mainstream. But that hasn’t stopped Facebook and Google from staking out a claim to the software that powers the devices and the storefronts to sell apps—so far targeting opposite sides of the market.