Since the release of the new Oculus Quest Hand detection update it’s been many months. However, much has changed since then. The update itself debuted back in April of this year, but it wasn’t until some time later that we were able to see its true meaning for developers. There have really been a lot of great productions in recent months that have brought the full potential of this update to life and really made it worthwhile. Many apps have been created that base their mechanics on hand detection, and many developers have decided to add hand detection capability to their apps after the update is released. How Has Hand Tracking 2.0 changed the developer approach? What has been made possible by the new update and how does it work in everyday VR use?

Hand Tracking 2.0 w goglach Oculus Quest

The new version of hand detection is a huge leap between what the meta offered us before. Hand Tracking was previously available on Oculus glasses, but with just this update, it feels like it’s become completely complete. Not because it is perfect and there are no complaints about it, but because it is completely usable. What this new update has brought us is, first of all, completely new features. Individual finger detection, improved hand grip accuracy, movement, and gesture modification improvements… this is just a short list of these features. It’s hard to even believe that this was just an update, and not a demonstration of the capabilities of the next-generation glasses.  In addition, it was completely free and did not require any additional installations or any intervention from the user. It was automatic, simple, and the upgrade process went smoothly. I still can’t help but admire the fact that, using the same hardware, so much could be changed with the same software. New direct hand detection capabilities encourage the user to put the controllers aside and use the new features of their glasses. Of course, in many cases it is still more efficient to use controllers (especially when typing on a virtual keyboard). Controllers are still more accurate and more efficiently used, especially in actions that require special precision. However, Hand Tracking isn’t just a feature built into the glasses ‘ user interface, it’s also an amazing experience. Its use gives users a lot of pleasure. This is certainly a technology that is being intensively developed and will continue to improve in the future. I think so, because despite the really big leap that has been achieved with this update, it still has a few shortcomings that need to be improved. However, this does not prevent creators from using this technology in their productions, as well as users from using it in the daily operation of their glasses. Hand Tracking 2.0 brought really huge changes and contributed to the creation of a completely new vision related to VR support.

Hand detection in everyday VR use

I was a little biased at first when I first heard about the upcoming update. I’ve used hand Tracking on Oculus glasses before and had very mixed feelings related to its activities. I remember that earlier its very implementation in the project was quite problematic m.in due to shortcomings in the accuracy of hand gripping. This is exactly why I’m discouraged by Oculus ‘ manual tracking. It caused a lot of frustration related to the loss of a hand, causing apps that used it to lose value as well. In some games that use this technology, it happened that the difficulty of completing a level was caused not by the lack of user skills, but by the quality with which Oculus detected hands. This was very discouraging from continuing the game.

The Hand Tracking 2.0 update changed my approach. Oculus has introduced a new quality of this technology in its devices. The function has not so much stopped frustrating, but has become a daily practice of using glasses. Hand tracking has become a fun and enjoyable way to navigate the Oculus virtual space. As I mentioned earlier, there are a few other drawbacks disadvantages, however, it is difficult to compare what was before the update with what is available now. We’ve moved from comparing the capabilities of manual tracking to something that could be used at all, to comparing the ideal vision. It is possible that the next 2-3 generations of VR glasses will be released without any controllers, because they will not be needed. It is this vision of the futurethat encourages an increasing number of developers to work on implementing these solutions in their projects today.

Developers ‘ approach to updating from Meta.

Recently, many developers have decided to use the potential of the new update in their productions. Within a few months, many new projects were created based on the added Meta functionality. After updating Hand Tracking 2.0, a significant number of developers also decided to expand their applications that previously did not support this technology at all. Updating the hand detection system contributes to a significant increase in interest in this problem and an increase in production volumes supporting this solution. They have benefited from this m.in applications such as:

– Youtube VR

– Vacation Simulator

– Chess Club

– Liteboxer

– Pokerstar VR

– Hand Physics Lab

– Startenders

– Little Cities

– Elixir

– Rogue Ascent

– Bone Works

– VR Chat

Of course, the list is much longer. However, I decided to talk in detail about these applications because of their popularity and the interesting form of implementing new solutions. I would like to pay special attention to VR Chat, because the new solution works perfectly with the Avatar Dynamics mechanics introduced by the developers. Lets you log in m.in avatar-avatar interaction, which strongly develops the app’s social competence. Ability to interact, for example m.in Getting a high five, passing a hand, or tying up your friend in the virtual world adds a whole new experience to the gameplay. Such interactions may not be impressive for some, but thanks to this solution, we stopped being just a transparent Avatar in VR and became a virtual entity that really reacts to interaction. This is a big difference, and it is only the beginning of the future development of such solutions in the virtual space. New features of Hand Tracking 2.0 they have accelerated this process, and we can expect completely new solutions that use the potential of this technology in the near future.

Hand tracking and further development of the VR industry.

Hand detection is the future of using VR glasses and more. Its development will also benefit the XR/AR/MR industry, for which manual tracking will be a fundamental part. So there are many industries that care about the development of this technology. Currently, most applications are mainly related to the entertainment industry, but using hand detection in educational applications is only a matter of time. However, this still needs to wait (this type of application requires perfect accuracy with which hands are detected), but this is a goal that developers strive for every day in their work. One can only imagine how important the development of this technology will be in the field of medicine or physiotherapy. Currently, most developers are probably focused on simpler applications (such as the ones I listed earlier). However, this does not change the fact that their discoveries and achievements greatly contribute to the further development of this technology and the discoveries associated with it. Meta Company it has shown that it can improve the quality of its software by relying on the same hardware, and squeeze even more out of it. I expect that there will be new updates related to hand detection technology in the future, and I hope that they will be as fruitful as Hand Tracking 2.0.