Headset Quest Meta Hand Tracking Motion Can Detect High Five And Applause

Quest headset experimental interface just gets better (Photo: Oculus)

JAKARTA - Within two years, VR Meta hand tracking has grown rapidly. Since then, the company has seen many developers build hand mechanics into their immersive experiences.

On Tuesday, April 19, Meta made API (Application Programming Interface) improvements to support Presence Platform hand tracking for its Quest headset application to allow for much more natural movement, especially those involving hand-to-hand interactions.

"This update also allows for fast, overlapping hand gestures, enables clapping and other hand interactions, and opens up nearly limitless object manipulation possibilities," the developers wrote in the Oculus blog.

This update provides more consistent tracking, including for fast movements like waving. Meta notes improvements to the new AI-based approach, such as deep learning that is better at understanding your hand pose when the camera has only a limited view.

Additionally, the update allows the tool to track new hand-to-hand interactions such as crossing hands, clapping, or giving a high five. A more accurate representation of the thumb-up motion when your other fingers are blocked from view by the palm of your hand.

While Meta promises relatively little work for this update, it appears to be a while before the Quest app can take full advantage of the improved hand tracking.

Many VR apps ask you to avoid certain movements. However, after this upgrade, you can use your hands more like you would in real life. Don't be surprised if you see more apps and games that allow you to be controller-free.