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Oculus Connect

Oculus Quest Pro Reference Hidden in Latest Software, Mentions Face & Eye Tracking

September 13, 2021 From roadtovr

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about the idea of a ‘Quest Pro’ headset back in May, saying that it could include sensors for both face and eye tracking. The v32 firmware release for Oculus Quest last month ostensibly confirms that the company is moving forward with the device, as it contains hidden reference to an “Oculus Quest Pro” headset along with text mentioning both eye and face-tracking.

Reddit user ‘Reggy04’ did some deep-dive sleuthing and has posted a number of strings found within the Quest v32 firmware which not only includes Quest Pro by name, but also notes a few features that would mean a dramatic increase in the number of sensors embedded within the alleged headset.

Sensors are said to improve hand tracking, something that feels a bit like a hit and miss on current-day Quests.

“QUEST PRO ESTIMATES YOUR HAND SIZE AND HOW THEY MOVE SO YOU USE YOUR HANDS INSTEAD OF CONTROLLERS IN VR.””

Eye-tracking sensors, which can be used for a number of tasks like foveated rendering and smarter UI navigation, are also supposedly onboard. This string of text below refers to an eye-tracking setup which, like many such calibration tests, requires you to look and hold your gaze on virtual objects so the system can correctly model your unique eye movement.

“”FOLLOW THE TARGET WITH YOUR GAZE””
“”EYE CALIBRATION FAILED””

“”EYE MOVEMENT ESTIMATION COMPLETE””

Mentions of facial tracking, which is important to social VR interactions, are also found in the v32 firmware. It seems a calibration test is needed here too to get a good bead on how you smile, frown, bare your teeth in anger, and act surprised.

“COPY THE DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS””

“”SMILE NATURALLY UNTIL THE CALIBRATION IS COMPLETE. YOU MAY NEED TO HOLD THIS POSE FOR A FEW SECONDS.””

“”SHOW AN ANGRY EXPRESSION UNTIL THE CALIBRATION IS COMPLETE. YOU MAY NEED TO HOLD THIS POSE FOR A FEW SECONDS.””

“”FROWN NATURALLY UNTIL THE CALIBRATION IS COMPLETE. YOU MAY NEED TO HOLD THIS POSE FOR A FEW SECONDS.””

“”SHOW A SURPRISED EXPRESSION UNTIL THE CALIBRATION IS COMPLETE. YOU MAY NEED TO HOLD THIS POSE FOR A FEW SECONDS.””

“”FAILED TO CALIBRATE THE EXPRESSION. RETRYING…””

“”FACE MOVEMENT ESTIMATION COMPLETE””

Further in the firmware, Reggy04 also find mention of sliding lenses, which could denote that Quest Pro will include some form of interpupillary distance (IPD) hardware adjustment that, much like the original Oculus Rift, will require you to move the lenses to get a clear picture.

“”SLIDE THE LENSES CLOSER TOGETHER OR FURTHER APART TO IMPROVE VISUAL CLARITY.””

There’s mention of depth adjustment too, which sounds similar to how it’s done in Rift S. Reggy04 notes that the string below was specifically added in v32, so it’s possible it’s also referring to Oculus Quest Pro too.

“”PRESS AND HOLD THE DEPTH BUTTON AND MOVE THE HEADSET CLOSER OR FURTHER AWAY FROM YOUR FACE. THE LENSES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO YOUR EYES, BUT NOT CAUSE DISCOMFORT.””

“”ADJUST LENS DEPTH””

“”TURN THE WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT TO ADJUST TIGHTNESS. THE FRONT PADDING SHOULD FIT DIRECTLY OVER YOUR FOREHEAD.””

An all-digital version of Facebook Connect, the company’s AR/VR developer conference, is coming October 28th. We’re hoping to learn more then since Connect has been a historic venue for insights into the company’s research.

We’re also hoping to learn more about the company’s Project Aria AR glasses, future plans for its new Ray-Ban Stories camera glasses, and how experimental pass-through AR capabilities are coming on Quest 2.

Filed Under: News, oculus, Oculus Connect, Oculus Quest, oculus quest 2, Oculus Quest 3, Oculus Quest Pro, quest 2 pro, quest 3, quest pro

Facebook Connect Will be Held Online on October 28th

August 18, 2021 From roadtovr

Facebook today announced that its XR conference, Facebook Connect (previously called Oculus Connect) will be held on October 28th. This is the second year running that the event has been in an online format due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Facebook Connect is the company’s annual conference for AR and VR developers. It’s also often used as a platform for the company to make major announcements relating to its XR initiatives.

While prior versions of the event have been an on-site multi-day affair, for the second year running the event will be hosted online. The company announced today that Facebook Connect will happen on October 28th, likely comprised of pre-recorded video segments.

Beyond the date and confirmation that this year’s event will once again happen online, there’s no information yet about the event’s program, with the official website asking visitors to “check back for registration and event updates.”

By my recollection, October 28th is the latest in the year that the event has ever been held. In 2020 it happened on October 13th and in 2019 it kicked off on September 25th.

Considering that the event is being hosted online, Facebook doesn’t have to contend with venue schedules, which likely means the company carefully picked late October to align with its strategic objectives. The holiday shopping period has been huge for Quest and Quest 2 in years past; a late October event seems poised to generate excitement on the run up to the holidays.

Last year Facebook announced Quest 2 at Facebook Connect. It was somewhat surprising considering that the company had just shipped the original Quest the year before, and it was unclear whether they would follow up so quickly with a successor (especially during the pandemic chaos).

It’s similarly unclear this year if the company will attempt to keep up a yearly pace for hardware improvements, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has spoken about the idea of a ‘Quest Pro’ headset. There’s also those AR glasses the company has been working on.

If anything, Facebook’s greatest interest in upgrades to Quest 2 right now is likely focused on upgrading its cameras to support the headset’s experimental AR capabilities.

Filed Under: Facebook, Facebook Connect, Facebook Connect 2021, News, Oculus Connect

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