So we've finally seen the launch of the iOS 8. For all you PlayCanvas users out there, this is fantastic news as it means PlayCanvas games work straight off the web in mobile Safari on hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads.
To celebrate this, we've launched a cool little demo to discover the new (and not quite released) iPhone 6. Take a look, and remember now it works on desktops, on Android and on iPhones and iPads!
If you've been following the tech news over the last few months you'll have noticed that Apple is about to launch the latest version of their mobile operating system iOS 8. For us game developers this is awesome news because iOS 8 supports WebGL in mobile Safari (the news we broke on this blog a few months ago).
It's not just browser support for PlayCanvas games we're interested in though. We also want to make sure you can get your PlayCanvas into the App Store. So, in advance of the iOS 8 release, we're really pleased to be launching a new feature today for our Pro users.
PlayCanvas is designed to use all the best features of the web, online collaboration, accessible from every device and shareable links. But that doesn't mean we don't see the advantages of native applications, especially on mobile. Installed games are run offline and can be easier to monetize.
You can now get the best of both worlds by releasing your games on the web and on iOS. Use the web to build viral, shareable games and release the same game on iOS, where the audience is ready to monetize.
If you're a Pro account holder, you'll see the iOS download right now in your exports tab. Get yourself a copy of the XCode 6 GM from the Apple Developer site and try it out. If you're not a Pro account holder, what are you waiting for? Get yourself upgraded right now! 😉
Looks like Will was right with his predictions for the Apple announcements at WWDC. Our friends at Ludei have confirmed that WebGL is supported on iOS devices.
This is great news for PlayCanvas users who can now deploy games to every major browser, whether mobile or desktop.
In July 2011, Apple released Safari 5.1 bringing WebGL to OS X users. WebGL advocates the world over rejoiced - except there was a catch. WebGL was disabled by default, hidden behind a flag buried deep within Safari's preferences panel. The general expectation was that a switch to 'on by default' could not be far behind. Almost 3 years on, it seems this view was seriously misjudged.
But now, it seems things might be about to change due to some exciting developments. Apple has just published the session schedule for WWDC 2014. If you scan the session list, you will find this:
So what can we deduce from this (and do excuse the speculation):
Apple would not be running a session on WebGL if it was not supported on its browser platform. Therefore, an update to Safari with WebGL 'on by default' must be imminent.
The bigger question is whether Mobile Safari will also support WebGL. The WWDC app actually has a filter so that you can display sessions relevant to iOS, OS X or both. If you just select iOS, Apple's WebGL session is still displayed. Interesting, I think you will agree. I would also suggest that Apple would not want to enable a feature or API on desktop and not support it on mobile (and vice versa). It is more likely that Apple has delayed enabling WebGL by default on desktop until they considered it ready for general release on mobile.
So, it seems that the final domino is teetering, about to fall. WebGL on Safari is coming. Happy days.
Safari 7.1 should have WebGL enabled by default. See here for a feature comparison against Safari 7.0 - scroll down to the section entitled '3d graphics'.
