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‘VRChat’ Begins Open Beta for Hand-tracking on Quest 2 & Quest Pro

From roadtovr

VRChat has brought hand-tracking to its social VR platform in a recent update, letting users opt-in to the experimental feature on Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

“This isn’t just the ability to use your real hands via the Quest’s powerful finger tracking—it also means you don’t have to use your controllers at all in VRChat,” the studio says, describing its recent 2022.4.1 patch. “You can move around, jump, and use your menu, all with just your hands.”

Check out the intro video below to see hand-tracking in action:

For now, the hand-tracking system only works on VRChat via Quest 2 or Quest Pro in standalone mode.

Notably, the studio say this doesn’t extend to the PC VR version accessible via Quest Link/Airlink, Virtual Desktop, or other PC-connected solutions for now, which is due to “platform and technical restrictions,” VRChat says, although the studio is currently looking into ways to get this same capability on the PC version of VRChat.

Probably the least intuitive control of the bunch is jumping, which requires you to tap your thumb and ring finger together. Granted, if you’re just there to chat and not parkour around a user-built environment, the additional immersion for you and your fellow chatters ought to be a pretty big bonus.

HBO Documentary ‘We Met in Virtual Reality’ Explores the Real People of ‘VRChat’

From roadtovr

A new documentary that was filmed entirely in VR is coming to HBO later this month that focuses on the individuals and communities growing in social VR spaces.

Created by director Joe Hunting and premiered at 2022 Sundance Film Festival, We Met in Virtual Reality explores the lives of real VR users who met in VRChat and their experiences living on the platform.

VRChat is one of the most popular social VR platforms thanks to its ability to allow custom avatars and user-generated content such as rooms and experiences. The platform, which is available on Quest and PC VR headsets, is also free as well as being open to non-VR users on PC.

The film is said to reveal “the growing power and intimacy of several relationships formed in the virtual world, many of which began during the COVID-19 lockdown while so many in the physical world were facing intense isolation.”

The film follows a few people on their journey through VR, such as Jenny, an American Sign Language (ASL) teacher who’s dedicated to building a welcoming community for deaf and hard of hearing VRChat users. The film also follows a number of long distance relationships sparked and maintained in VRChat. A fitness dance instructor named ‘DustBunny’ talks about building a career in social VR dance classes.

The creators say the film has “elements of humor, serendipitous interactions and unexpected events that characterize real life.”

“We Met in Virtual Reality tenderly documents the stories of people experiencing love, loss and unexpected connection, expressing vulnerability around mental health struggles and questions about identity, offering a hyper-real journey into the human experience of an online world that may soon shape the future,” the film’s description reads.

We Met in Virtual Reality debuts on July 27th on HBO (schedule here), and will also be available to stream on HBO Max.