Meta Quest’s new hand tracking update adds button tapping, perhaps better typing

The Meta mission 2 and Quest Pro I already have hand tracking which works in many apps and in the headset OS without using a controller, but still isn’t necessarily good enough to replace your controllers. The latest update to Meta’s Quest OS looks like it’s trying to change that, and it might work interactions in VR feel a little less awkward.

The Quest v50 update, announced Tuesday and rolling out now, adds an experimental mode called “Direct Touch” that changes the hand interaction metaphor a bit. You used to point at objects and pinch your fingers to choose where you were pointing. Direct Touch allows you to instead reach out and simply tap a button with your virtual finger.

Direct Touch also works on virtual keyboards, which means typing on the Quest pop-up keyboard when it appears floating in the air can also feel less awkward.

Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth believes that future Quest headsets could potentially ship without controllers, but right now hand tracking isn’t good enough yet for that to happen: “I think it’s quite possible someday being able to ship headsets that don’t have controllers with them for audiences whose use cases don’t need the extra weight overhead. But we’re not there yet.” Bosworth told CNET last December.

Now playing:
Watch this:

Meta Horizon Workrooms with Quest Pro: Peek into…

1:00 p.m

Meta is expected Mission 3 the headset is expected later this year on Apple as well own VR/AR recording is also expected to be announced soon. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, appears to be continuing to develop Quest’s interaction language as it begins to move into mixed reality.

The v50 update also adds multitasking of 2D apps in other games and apps to Quest 2, a feature that was already available on Quest Pro.