meta quest – Page 26 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

November 2, 2021

Zuckerberg: Meta Will Continue To Subsidize Headset Cost

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave insight into the company’s current and future hardware business model at Connect 2021, indicating that the plan is to continue to sell devices at cost or with subsidies to help build a larger ecosystem with as many users as possible.

The Quest 2 starts at just $299 despite having a higher resolution, more features, and less weight than its predecessor. That entry level price, however, may just be the start for Meta’s long-term ambitions.

Back in March, Zuckerberg confirmed that the company’s business model for headsets was focused on offering a low price above everything else.

Last week at Connect 2021, Zuckerberg gave further details about Meta’s commitment to this model, now and going forward. You can read a transcription below or watch from the 43:15 mark on the video embedded above.

Most of all, I’ve come to believe that the lack of choice and high fees are stifling innovation, stopping people from building new things and holding back the entire internet economy. We’ve tried to take a different approach. We want to serve as many people as possible, which means working to make our services cost less. not more.

Our mobile apps are free. Our ads’ business model is an auction, which guarantees every business the most competitive price possible. We offer our creator and commerce tools either at cost or with modest fees to enable as much creation and commerce as possible.

And it’s worked. Billions of people love our products. We have hundreds of millions of businesses on our platform, and we have a rapidly growing ecosystem and a thriving business.

That’s the approach that we want to take to help build the metaverse too. We plan to continue to either subsidize our devices or sell them at cost to make them available to more people. We’ll continue supporting sideloading and linking to PCs, so consumers and developers have choice rather than forcing them to use the Quest Store to find apps or reach customers. And we’ll aim to offer developer and creator services with low fees in as many cases as possible. So we can maximize the overall creator economy, while recognizing that to keep investing in this future we’ll need to keep some fees higher for some period to make sure that we don’t lose too much money on this program overall.

After all, while a growing number of developers are already profitable, we expect to invest many billions of dollars for years to come before the metaverse reaches scale. Our hope though is that if we all work at it then within the next decade, the metaverse will reach a billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce and support jobs for millions of creators.

October 29, 2021

Quest Users Unlinking Facebook Account Keep Their Purchases, Meta Confirms

Oculus Quest 2 owners forced to use a Facebook account with the headset and those that merged their Oculus account with the social network will be able to unlink and retain their software purchases in the future.

The confirmation comes from incoming Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth (head of the company’s Reality Labs future-building effort). We asked Bosworth directly if we could unlink and delete our Facebook accounts from Quest and still keep our software purchases, to which he simply replied: “Yup”. This follows the announcement of a rebranding that will see Facebook’s corporate name and identity go Meta.

Once unlinked, Quest owners should even be able to delete their Facebook account and retain their VR software purchases.“From now on, we will be metaverse-first, not Facebook-first. That means that over time you won’t need a Facebook account to use our other services. As our new brand starts showing up in our products, I hope people around the world come to know the Meta brand and the future we stand for,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Founder’s Letter.

Last year Facebook revealed that “all future unreleased Oculus devices” would require a Facebook account and then released Quest 2 with the requirement.

Now, though, Zuckerberg and Bosworth seem to be steering Meta’s VR work in a different direction. We previously reported Meta Quest 2 branding will replace Oculus Quest 2 as Zuckerberg sheds the most visible elements of the team he acquired in 2014 from Brendan Iribe, Palmer Luckey, and others for $3 billion. We also reported Meta would allow the use of an “account other than your personal Facebook account,” though the wording in yesterday’s keynote was vague.

There’s still more to learn about how this will work, but the changes come as Zuckerberg recently signaled the Reality Labs effort at Meta would require continually growing investment starting with $10 billion this year.

“Our mission remains the same — it’s still about bringing people together. Our apps and their brands aren’t changing either. We’re still the company that designs technology around people.”

Meta starts with a headcount of nearly 70,000 and the bulk of the revenue fueling the organization comes from its legacy “family of apps” like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp. So while “the metaverse encompasses both the social experiences and future technology”, future Reality Labs are planned to sell “at cost or subsidized to make them available to more people.

October 29, 2021

Facebook Rebrands as ‘Meta’, Oculus Branding to be Phased Out

Facebook today announced that it’s changing its name to Meta. The rebrand comes as the the company shifts its primary focus toward building the metaverse and the XR products that will support it. The Oculus brand will be phased out, with the Quest product line becoming Meta Quest.

Facebook has been increasingly signaling the shift toward its forward-looking metaverse efforts, and today that shift has culminated in a complete rebrand of the company.

Henceforth, the company will go by the name Meta, while the name Facebook will be reserved for the company’s social VR platform specifically, alongside its other products like Instagram and WhatsApp.

The goal, the company says, is to realign its name with its primary objective of building out the metaverse—a sort of immersive internet that the company believes wholeheartedly is the future of human communication and interaction.

The Oculus brand, which has existed alongside the company’s other products, will be phased out in order to allow the company’s metaverse and XR efforts to be positioned under Meta as the parent brand.

Oculus was acquired by Meta back in 2014 and after a few years of relative independence it began steadily merging with the company. The decision to dissolve the Oculus name into Meta finally brings a symbolic end to the company which was partly responsible for reigniting the VR industry as we know it today.

Image courtesy Meta

Meta’s VP of XR, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, explained how the rebranding will trickle down to (former) Oculus products.

For one, the company’s leading VR product, Oculus Quest, will become Meta Quest starting in early 2022.

Other ‘Oculus’ branded properties like the Oculus smartphone app will become the Meta Quest app in due time.

“We all have a strong attachment to the Oculus brand, and this was a very difficult decision to make. While we’re changing the brand of the hardware, Oculus will continue to be a core part of our DNA and will live on in things like software and developer tools,” wrote Bosworth.

Additionally Meta is pulling its overall XR organization (formerly Facebook Reality Labs) under the Meta brand as well, which will be known going forward as Meta Reality Labs. Meanwhile, the company’s social VR apps have steadily shifted under the Meta Horizon brand, which now includes Horizon Worlds, Horizon Workroom, Horizon Venues, and the newly announced Horizon Home which will enhance the Quest home space with social features.

The post Facebook Rebrands as ‘Meta’, Oculus Branding to be Phased Out appeared first on Road to VR.

January 18, 2021May 18, 2022

Oculus Quest 2 vs PSVR: What’s The Difference, Which One To Buy

For newcomers to VR, there are two headsets that you’re most likely to have heard about — Meta Quest 2 and PSVR.

There’s no doubt that Quest 2 and PSVR are the most mainstream and recognizable headsets for those with just a passing interest or limited knowledge of VR. However, it can be hard to figure out which would be best for you and what the differences are between the two.

Here’s our breakdown of how these headsets differ and why you would pick one over the other.

PSVR vs Quest 2: Which headset is best?

Meta Quest 2: Overview

The Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus Quest 2) is one of the most versatile headsets available on the market. It’s Meta’s (formerly Facebook) most recent headset, released in late 2020, and features hardware that is modern, up-to-date, and (for the most part) industry-leading.

The real benefit of the Quest 2 is that for $299 you get a full standalone headset that works straight out of the box — no other equipment is required — making it fully wireless and self-contained. It also has a selection of some of the best experiences and games on any platform. However, the big trade-off is that you need to log in to a Facebook account to use the headset — for now, at least.

The headset was introduced in 2020 with a mandatory Facebook login policy. However, at Connect 2021, Meta (formerly Facebook) announced changes to the mandatory Facebook requirement — from sometime in 2022, you will be able to login to your Quest headset with an account other than your personal Facebook account. Users will even be able to unlink their Facebook account from their headset and keep all their purchases.

For now though, any Quest 2 headset still requires connection and login via Facebook — while Meta says it is still working on the login changes, there’s still no set date for their arrival.

If you’re OK with that though, then the Quest 2 has some huge benefits. You can take it anywhere, use it anywhere, and let anyone else try the headset in a matter of seconds. The Quest 2 provides the least friction of any headset available at the moment.

Provided you’re not bothered by the required Facebook login, then the Quest 2 is our recommended headset for any newcomer to VR. One $299 purchase and you have everything you need to get into wireless, state-of-the-art VR. There are even some amazing free Quest games to try immediately.

The Quest 2 is available on Amazon, frequently going in and out of stock. When in stock, the 128GB model is available for $299 and the 256GB model for $399. There’s also the refurbished Quest 2 in limited quantities, available for $249 either direct from Meta or, stock levels depending, from Amazon.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you have a gaming PC that is powerful enough to support a VR headset, you can also plug the Quest 2 into your PC to experience even more VR games. Many of the best VR games are exclusive to PC VR and can’t run on Quest 2’s standalone hardware natively, so using Quest as a PC VR headset is a great way to expand your selection. We’ve got a guide on how to play PC VR games on Quest right here.

PlayStation VR: Overview

The PlayStation VR headset is an accessory for recent PlayStation consoles. Without a console, the headset cannot play anything or do anything. This means that you need to separately purchase (or already own) a PS4 or PS5 to use the headset. PSVR uses a wired connection to a processor box that then plugs into the console, so it needs to be plugged in the entire time you’re using it. It also requires the PS Camera to function.

The PSVR system has one of the best VR libraries available, with some fantastic exclusives. However, it also has some technological limitations. The headset originally released in 2016, so it’s hardware is now over six years old, and it shows. The tracking isn’t up to par with more modern systems, and the headset’s screen is woefully old in VR years. The system as a whole won’t offer the same graphic fidelity in games as other systems. Plus, almost all of PSVR’s non-exclusive games are available on Quest 2, on which they’ll likely also perform better.

That being said, the PSVR headset is quite comfortable, using a then-innovative halo strap design, and has a nice field of view.

Many PlayStation VR bundles only come with the headset and the PSVR camera that connects to your console. Some PSVR games also require (or improve with) PlayStation Move controllers or the PS Aim controller, which are usually sold separately but occasionally are included with the headset in a bundle. This means that you’ll need a PlayStation console, the headset and the controllers, all of which you might have to buy separately.

Sony confirmed that a next-generation VR headset for PS5 is on the way. It’s not a matter of if, but when. UploadVR even exclusively revealed the specs of the new headset in May 2021, confirming an increase in resolution, inside-out tracking and much more.

So while we don’t have a release date for Sony’s next headset, we do know it exists and will release sometime in the near future.

In 2022, the only reason to buy a PSVR headset over a Quest 2 would be if you already own a PS4 or PS5 console and you’re vehemently opposed to logging in with Facebook. The PSVR exclusive games are excellent though, so if those experiences look appealing then there is some great value here. When you factor in the price of the console, controllers and headset for PSVR, the Quest 2 does comes out as much cheaper overall.

Given its at the end of its life cycle, it’s also increasingly hard to find available PSVR bundles for sale. You can check on Amazon, but stock and price is now highly variable.

In Summary

Meta Quest 2 is wireless and requires nothing except what comes in the box. PlayStation VR is tethered by a wired connection at all times, and requires multiple pieces of hardware that are hard to find and now technologically outdated.

Quest 2 is a current, near top-of-the-line piece of hardware, whereas PSVR is already out of date in almost every aspect, and will soon be superseded by PSVR 2.

Quest 2 has a great library of VR games, including many games also available on PSVR, but is missing some of the exclusives available in the PSVR ecosystem. When you factor in the cost of the headset, controllers, and console needed for PSVR, the Quest 2 remains a significantly cheaper and future-proofed option — it’s what we’d recommend for almost everyone.

That being said, logging in and connecting your Facebook account is still required for Quest 2, and will be until sometime later this year. If that’s a deal-breaker, then PSVR (or waiting for PSVR 2) might be a more appealing option.

Other Options

Oculus Quest 2 and PSVR are not the only options for someone looking to get into VR — to learn more about PC VR and other options available, read our beginner’s guide to VR and check out our guide to the best headsets available as of 2022.

Looking for more guides like this one? Check out the New to VR? section of our site.

When you purchase items through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission from those sales.

This article was first published in January 2021, updated and republished in October 2021 and May 2022.

October 13, 2020May 17, 2022

How To Play PC VR Content On Oculus Quest & Quest 2 (Oculus Link, Air Link, Virtual Desktop) – Updated 2022

Want to play PC VR content on your Oculus Quest or Meta Quest 2? Here’s everything you need and how to do it.

This guide was first published in October 2020, but has been updated and republished several times since then — most recently May 2022 — to ensure all information remains correct and up-to-date.

The Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus Quest 2) is a fantastic standalone headset from Meta (formerly Facebook). There’s heaps of native content available on the Oculus Store, but one of the key features of the Quest and Quest 2 is their ability to also play PC VR content as well, while connected to a VR-ready PC — wired and wirelessly.

First and foremost, there’s Meta’s official wired method called Oculus Link, which uses a USB cable. However, there’s also more advanced wireless options — Meta’s official wireless option, Air Link, and a third-party app, Virtual Desktop.

We’ve outlined what you need and included instructions for setup of all three methods below, focusing primarily on Oculus Link.

For wireless options, we’ve written up a quick how-to summary on each and then linked to our other, more detailed guides for those methods, if you need them.

VR-Ready PC

In addition to your Quest headset, you’ll also need a VR-ready PC.

Take a look at Meta’s Oculus Link compatibility page to see if your computers meet the minimum requirements for Oculus Link. Also check that all your hardware is compatible — not everything is compatible with Link yet (but it’s getting better).

The specification requirements will change depending on the game as well — some PC VR games require beefier specs than others — so be sure to check game requirements too.

Cables

For Oculus Link, you’ll need a USB-C cable to connect your Quest to your computer. The benefit of using a wired connection is reliability. The wireless connections — Air Link and Virtual Desktop — can be less reliable, depending on your conditions.

Depending on what cables you have on hand, you may not need to purchase a new cable to use with Link. Any USB-C cable that meets at least USB 2.0 specification should work, but USB 3 and above is preferable. The cable should be at least 3 meters minimum, ideally 5 if you want a maximum range of movement.

The original Oculus Quest included a long Link-compatible USB C to C cable in the box. The Quest 2, however, does not come with a cable that is an appropriate length for Link — you’ll need to buy one.

Depending on cable, you may also need to buy an adapter to plug it into your computer. Most Link-compatible cables are USB C on both ends, but not all PCs have USB-C ports. You can buy a USB-C to A adapter if so, but you’ll need to make sure it’s also at least USB 2.0 (or matching the specification of the cable, if higher than USB 2.0, for best performance).

Regardless of what cable and adapters you use, make sure they’re from reliable brands — we’ve found Oculus Link can act a bit funny when you’re using less reliable equipment.

We’ve got an entire guide on building an Oculus Link cable, so read that if you’re still unsure.

Software

Download the official Oculus PC app, which will run Oculus Link (and Air Link) and allow you to play PC VR games on your headset. You can get it here, listed as a download for Air Link and Link Cable.

Oculus Link also works with SteamVR, so make sure to download Steam and install SteamVR if you want to play any of that content.

Oculus Link Setup

Before using Oculus Link, you’ll need to perform a first-time setup.

Make sure your Quest is turned on and connected to your computer with your USB cable. From there, open the PC Oculus app and press ‘Add a New Headset’ and select either the original Oculus Quest or Quest 2. The app will then run you through an easy first-time setup process.

After you’ve set up Oculus Link, it will be available to use whenever you plug your headset into the PC — a prompt should appear in VR asking if you want to enable Link.

From there, you can launch any Oculus games directly or start up SteamVR on your PC to jump into other experiences. You’re good to go!

Adjusting Oculus Link Refresh Rate on Quest 2

When using a Quest 2, you can adjust Link’s refresh rate to run at higher rates than the default 72Hz. The original Quest is limited to just 72Hz, so the following steps won’t apply.

Once you’ve got Link up and running, you can tweak its refresh rate to run at either 72Hz (the default, recommended option), 80Hz, 90Hz or 120Hz. To do this, connect your Quest 2 to your PC and go to the Devices tab in the Oculus PC app.

If you click on the active Quest 2 headset, a settings sidebar will be brought up.

Click on Graphics Preferences to adjust the refresh rate and rendering resolution, as pictured above. Setting these options too high will impact performance — it depends on your PC hardware and potentially what game you’re playing, so test and adjust accordingly.

This method works for setting Air Link’s refresh rate and rendering resolution as well — your preferences should be carried over.

Air Link Setup

Note: The Windows 11 update earlier this year brought with it some performances issues for those using Air Link. We strongly recommend not using Windows 11 if you’re looking to play PC VR content on Meta Quest 2 until the issue is resolved.

The official method for playing PC VR content wirelessly on Quest is Meta’s Air Link software, available in beta in the Oculus PC app. It was originally only available for Quest 2, but was later expanded to the original Quest in the v30 software update.

Keep in mind that Air Link won’t necessarily work for everyone — depending on your personal setup and your network hardware, performance and reliability may be unstable or vary.

Here’s a short summary of the setup process (for more detail, see here):

First of all, you’ll need an AC or AX router with a 5Ghz network for good performance, with your PC connected via Ethernet. Meta warns that mesh wifi networks or computers connected wirelessly are known to cause performance problems.

Ensure you have the Oculus app open on your computer. Then, go to the settings menu on your Quest and go to the Experimental tab. Here, you can enable Air Link and pair your headset with your desktop PC running the Oculus software.

After that, you’ll be able to start Air Link in the Quick Actions menu of your Quest — just select your PC, connect, and you’re good to go.

If you’re having trouble or need greater explanation, we have a separate guide with more detail on setting up and using Air Link here.

Virtual Desktop Setup

An alternative to Air Link is the third-party app Virtual Desktop, which allows you to bring your computer’s display into VR and interact with it from within your headset. However, it also has similar functionality to Air Link, allowing you to stream PC VR content wirelessly to your Quest.

The app has quite the history and was actually available long before Air Link — some users find the former works better than the latter, or vice versa. Virtual Desktop is available for both Quest and Quest 2 (but performance may not be quite as good on the former).

Virtual Desktop’s performance will really depend on your individual setup and internal network. If you’re having trouble with Air Link, Virtual Desktop may be an alternative to try instead. That being said, you might still encounter unreliable or varying performance depending on your setup. It’s really hard to say.

Just like Air Link, you’ll need a ‘reliable’ router with a 5Ghz network and a computer connected via Ethernet. You’ll also need to install the Virtual Desktop streamer app for PC and purchase a copy of Virtual Desktop for Quest.

Once you have those downloaded, just make sure the streamer app is running on your computer and open up Virtual Desktop on Quest to connect. Once connected to your computer, you can launch your PC VR content and adjust the streaming settings in Virtual Desktop’s menus to optimize performance. You can also use Virtual Desktop’s ‘Games’ tab (pictured above) to start playing.

If you’re having trouble and need a more detailed explanation, we have a separate, longer guide on how to stream PC VR content using Virtual Desktop here.

So those are your options for playing PC VR content on the Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2. Got any questions? Leave them in the comments below.

July 7, 2020July 4, 2022

Top 10 Best Quest 2 Hand Tracking Games & Apps – Summer 2022

One of the biggest post-launch features added to the Quest has been controller-free hand tracking. With more and more experiences implementing support, we’ve narrowed down the best Quest 2 hand-tracking games so far.

When the original Quest launched, the only input option was the included Touch controllers. However, Quest headsets now support controller-free hand tracking. This allows you to use your hands for navigation in the Quest UI, as well as an input method for games and apps that implement support. Even better, the recent Hand Tracking 2.0 software update has resulted in huge performance and reliability improvements in select games.

While it started out slow, more and more games are supporting hand tracking on Quest — with some using it as an exclusive input method. Here’s our list of the best hand tracking experience available on Quest 2.

Honorable Mentions

First Steps with Hand Tracking

This alternate version of the introductory Quest experience is available through App Lab, and provides this same experience but altered to solely use hand tracking instead of controllers. You can read more here.

Tea for God

It’s a little scrappy, but this experimental FPS uses roomscale navigation and design in an innovative way to keep you fully immersed. It does support hand tracking, but it’s a little buggy. You can read more here.

Virtual Desktop

When using hand tracking, Virtual Desktop allows you to log into your PC on your Quest from anywhere with just your hands, no controllers needed. If you’ve sideloaded the alternate SideQuest version of the app, the feature even extends (in an experimental capacity) to control of PC-based VR games, where your hands act as emulated Touch controllers. You can read more about the feature and how it works here.

Best Quest Hand Tracking Games

10. Elixir

This game initially debuted at Oculus Connect 6, where attendees could try it out as a demo, after hand tracking was announced at the opening keynote. Once hand tracking moved out of beta and into full release, the game was made available to the public as a free download.

It’s free and a good demo for what you can do with hand tracking, so you’ve got nothing to lose. You can read more here.

9. The Line

Similar to Gloomy Eyes, The Line is a short immersive experience that follows the story of Pedro, a miniature doll and newspaper delivery man. It only lasts about 15 minutes, but unlike Gloomy Eyes, you’ll actually use your hands to interact with things in The Line. The animation is absolutely superb and the narrative is quite charming. It may be a small package, but it’s definitely worth it.

8. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets

This wholesome VR title released towards the end of last year, but was one of the first games to officially support hand tracking in the Quest store a few months ago. Each level is a diorama-style world with layers of puzzles and collectibles. We had a few nitpicks in our review (written pre-hand tracking) but were still big fans of the game. Unlike some other games on this list, Curious Tale supports hand tracking as a input method for the entire game — it’s not a dedicated or different mode specifically for hand tracking, so you’ll be able to play the game start to finish without controllers if you like.

You can read our review of the game (written before hand tracking support was integrated) here, and watch an interview about hand tracking support with Curious Tale developer Kristoffer Benjaminsson from Fast Travel Games above.

7. Richie’s Plank Experience

Even before hand tracking support, Richie’s Plank Experience was known for producing some of the most immersive moments in VR — you’ve all seen that video of the guy jumping into the TV.

However, with the latest update for the Quest version of the game, the immersion just got upped even more with the addition of hand tracking support. While the support is only for the main plank sections of the game for now, it’s still a fantastic and terrifying experience. The lack of controllers makes everything feel a little bit more real, just like you’re standing on a plank suspended off the side of a skyscraper.

You can read more of our impressions here. That piece was written when the feature was still in beta, but hand tracking support has now been implemented into the public release of the game on Quest.

6. Horizon Workrooms

One of Meta’s suite of social apps for Quest, Horizon Workrooms is a remote work application that allows you to use an Oculus Avatar to meet in a virtual boardroom with others. Not only does the game support hand tracking — which adds great expression and realism to everyone’s interactions — but it also lets you bring your computer into VR and use the space like a virtual office. With supported tracked keyboards, you can use hand tracking to type in VR just as you would in real life. Or, if you prefer, Workrooms can even fade a passthrough cut-out on top of your desk, so you view your real-life keyboard and surroundings with ease.

It’s a nifty use of hand tracking and probably the best remote work software we’ve tried on Quest so far. You can read more about Workrooms here.

6. Vacation Simulator

Vacation Simulator added hand tracking support pretty late in the game compared to some other titles, but it remains one of the most prominent and popular games on this list to have added support. The free Back to Job expansions also adds in several mechanics from the previous game, Job Simulator, so you should have plenty of content to keep you going.

5. Waltz of the Wizard

There’s a lot of hand tracking experiences available on Quest, but one is particularly magical. Waltz of the Wizard’s hand tracking support allows you to use your hands to cast spells and manipulate the environment around you in a multitude of different ways. Like any hand tracking experience, it’s not perfect but it is still one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had with the technology yet.

You can read our full impressions here.

4. PianoVision

There’s been a couple of education piano apps on Quest, but PianoVision is the best one yet.

PianoVision essentially lets you align a virtual piano to your real keyboard, and then uses passthrough to teach songs by displaying notes falling in sequence toward the keys. It uses hand tracking to achieve this, in combination with real-time responses to what you play through a connection with a MIDI-enabled keyboard. It’s one of the most interesting pieces of VR-based music education software we’ve seen so far, presenting a fascinating glimpse at the potential benefits and avenues of using VR as an educational tool.

PianoVision is currently only available in Early Access, but you can sign up for access over on its website.

3. Hand Physics Lab

Hand Physics Lab started as a demo available to sideload via SideQuest with a limited amount of environments and interactions design to experiment with the then-new hand tracking support on Quest.

Now, Hand Physics Lab is available on the official Oculus Store for Quest, supports hand and controller input and presents many of those original interactions (and new ones) as part of a fully-fledged puzzle game campaign. It’s a one-of-a-kind experimental playground that can be both immensely frustrating and satisfying. Recent updates have also improved the experience, thanks to implementation of Hand Tracking 2.0.

The Hand Physics Lab is available on the Oculus Store. You can read our review here.

2. Cubism

Cubism is a deceptively simple game. Its puzzles are easy to understand but perfectly challenging to finish. It’s a slow and measured experience, which makes it the absolute perfect fit for hand tracking.

It’s not that Cubism does anything revolutionary with its hand tracking implementation – all you’re really doing is picking up and placing pieces of its 3D building block puzzles. But that’s all that’s needed to make an absolutely sublime hand tracking game that’s easy to understand while also avoiding some of the friction found in other experiences on this list.

Not to mention that the game is one of the few (if only) hand tracking experiences to offer 120Hz support on Quest 2 as well. You can read our review of Cubism here (written before hand tracking support was added) and read our impressions of the hand tracking update here — while we were always impressed, hand tracking should perform even better now, thanks to implementation of Hand Tracking 2.0.

1. Unplugged

As a hand tracking game, Unplugged showcases a concept and use of the technology that is completely unmatched by anything else on this list.

Where other apps and games use hands in ways that replace controllers, Unplugged uses hand tracking to create an experience that isn’t possible or supported with controllers.

This game has the DNA (and excellent soundtrack curation) of rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band but ditches the plastic peripherals for just your own two hands, allowing you to shred rock songs on an air guitar brought to life with virtual reality.

While the game was certainly playable at launch, it had some limitations linked to the level of hand tracking available at the time. But in May 2022, Anotherway added support for Hand Tracking 2.0 and the difference in reliability and performance is day and night. It’s so much better, in fact, that all of the tracks have been re-mapped to be more complex, lifelike and challenging, thanks to the new capabilities of hand tracking software.

Unplugged uses hand tracking as a way to fulfill a fantasy and bring to life something that previously only existed in your imagination and in doing so surpasses any other hand tracking app on Quest by a country mile. You can read our updated 2022 review here.

What’s your favourite hand tracking game or app available on Quest? Let us know in the comments.

This article was published in May 2021 and updated in October 2021 and May 2022 in light of new releases and updates.

July 18, 2019September 21, 2023

The best Meta Quest 2 games

The Oculus Quest offers a fantastic virtual reality experience without the need for a gaming PC. These are the best Oculus Quest games available right now.

October 8, 2018May 2, 2024

The best VR games

Whichever brand of VR headset you own, you have many different choices when it comes to games. These are the best virtual reality games you can play today.