While the Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro virtual reality headsets already offer hand tracking that doesn’t require direct conroller input, it isn’t always very precise.
The latest update to the Quest’s operating system, v50, changes this by adding ‘Direct Touch,’ a feature that allows users to reach out and point to interact with a button. Previously, you needed to point at an object and then awkwardly pinch your fingers to select it, so this new form of interaction removes the additional, slightly awkward gesture from the equation to make things feel more natural.
Meta says Direct Touch works on virtual keyboards, allowing users to tap the headset’s floating keyboard directly without moving a cursor around with its controllers. Controls have always been an issue for VR headset manufacturers, and while physical controllers get the job done, their motion controls aren’t always very intuitive.
Though it’s still in the early stages, Meta seems to view gestures like Direct Touch as the future of interacting with its headsets’ virtual worlds.
The v50 update also adds app multi-tasking within games and apps to the Quest 2, a feature already offered by the Quest Pro. Meta says that the update is gradually rolling out “over the next few weeks.”
Meta is expected to reveal its rumoured Quest 3 virtual reality headset later this year
Image credit: Meta
Source: Meta
