Oculus Quest’s hand tracking has been available as a beta feature since December, providing limited functionality across system menus and first-party apps. Today, Oculus has announced that the technology is moving into general release with third-party apps adding hand tracking later this month.
Hand Tracking has been an optional extra which Oculus Quest owners could switch on via the Experimental Features section. It never meant you could put away your Oculus Touch controllers, simply helping you see where the tech was heading.
With the anniversary of Oculus Quest’s launch this week, that experimentation begins to change. On 28th May, Oculus will begin accepting third-party titles that include hand tracking to the Oculus Store, starting with Elixir from Magnopus; The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets by Fast Travel Games and Aldin Dynamics’ Waltz of the Wizard: Extended Edition.
Elixir puts you in an unstable alchemy lab where you can cast spells, mix potions, and poke a nauseated dragon. Actions allow you to obtain new and powerful hands, altering their anatomy in the process. Puzzle title The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets has been available for a while, with the developer previously teasing hand tracking capabilities. The same can also be said for Waltz of the Wizard: Extended Edition which recently rolled out new locomotion updates.
“Hand tracking really does enhance immersion and is the perfect fit for
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets“, says James Hunt, Creative Lead on
the game in a statement. “It adds a whole new level of connection between the player and the miniature worlds with all their interactive elements. Things like picking up snowballs, waving a magic wand or just petting the pets once you’ve found them feels more real – and fun! – than ever before.”
In addition to those three videogames, Oculus will also be launching the Cinematic Narratives Set featuring Gloomy Eyes and The Line. Two award-winning immersive experiences, their official Oculus Quest launch with native hand tracking will be on the 28th.
SideQuest has allowed developers to release hand tracking features (Tea for God, Interdimensional Matter) for Oculus Quest users since the SDK went live but this will be the first time via Oculus Store. Where appropriate – not all games will suit the tech – the store should see an influx of hand tracking over the summer, allowing gamers to put their controllers down for the first time.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Oculus Quest and its hand tracking, reporting back with further updates.