Oculus Quest Becomes the First VR Headset With Hand Tracking
A good VR experience can make you feel like you could reach out and touch things in the virtual world. You can’t of course, but the Oculus Quest is getting you one step closer with full hand tracking technology. You can set down the controllers, and the headset will follow your hands, rendering them in the virtual world with the help of its cameras.
With the newest software update, you might be able to ditch the controllers completely… in certain situations. The headset has four built-in cameras, and it uses those to identify your hands, allowing the software to incorporate them into the virtual landscape. Theoretically, that will allow you to manipulate objects and play games sans controller. This feature doesn’t work with any games yet, though. You’ll only be able to go controller-free in the Oculus Quest’s root menu, but there is an SDK for developers to begin adding hand tracking.
The Quest has very rudimentary controls for hand tracking right now. When you leave your hands open, the system uses them like cursors in the same way it does the motion controllers. You can tap your thumb and index finger together to “click” on menu items. It also supports dragging items when you hold those fingers together.
The hand tracking features are rolling out on the Oculus Quest now. Developers should have the updated SDK within a week to start developing games with the feature.
Continue reading
Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset to Cost $3K, Could Include 8K Displays
Rumors of an Apple-designed AR/VR product have rumbled around for years now, with nary a launch to show for it. New data, however, shed more information on the hardware than we've seen before.
Microsoft Wins $21.9 Billion Contract to Supply AR Headsets to the US Army
Microsoft has signed a 10-year, $21.9 billion contract with the US Army to provide augmented reality technology based on its HoloLens devices.
Valve Appears to Have a Standalone VR Headset in the Works
The prototype is suspected to be able to operate without a companion device or tracking boxes—perfect for a type of gaming that's never been exactly spontaneous.
HTC Announces Smaller, Lighter Vive Flow VR Headset
The lightweight headset is styled more like a pair of glasses, making it easier to pop them on to watch some Netflix or play a simple game. However, you're going to need an external power source, and the Flow headset isn't cheap at $500.