Meta Quest 3 And 3S Finally Get Important Mixed Reality Upgrade
Mixed reality and augmented reality are at the heart of the Meta Quest 3 series VR headsets, but it has taken until now for third-party developers to truly get their hands on the hardware proper.
Meta Quest 3
The latest version of the Meta Quest software development kit finally unlocks API access to the passthrough camera.
This has been part of the experimental version of the platform for a few weeks, but the full release means developers can now use it to publish Quest 3 and Quest 3S software to the official store.
Why does this matter for the average Quest 3 owner? It means we’re likely to see a slew of third-party apps and games that make much smarter use of passthrough tech.
The developer can get access to your video feed and, machine learning compute willing, analyze the world around you beyond its basic structure to enrich apps and games.
It may not take long for the first these apps to appear either, given developers have been able to experiment with the API for a short while.
Before you start picturing a sudden revolution of mixed reality experiences, though, there are some key limitations.
The quality of the feed available is quite limited, a 1280 × 960 resolution image at 30 frames per second. This is going to limit its visual acuity — it won’t be able to recognise fine detail or small objects from any grand distance.
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Meta announced this upcoming capability in late 2024 as part of its Meta Connect conference, and made a pitch we now hope to see realised.
“This will enable all kinds of cutting-edge MR experiences. You’ve got tracked objects, AI applications, fancy overlays, scene understanding, and so much more,” said Meta, as reported at the time by Upload VR.
The future may see more of the onus for keeping the Meta Quest 3 ecosystem healthy placed on third parties too. Last week, Meta announced more than 100 layoffs associated with its Oculus Studios in-house developments teams and the Supernatural team.
Meta acquired VR fitness app Supernatural’s creator Within back in 2023 for a deal worth a reported $400 million.
In February, gamesindustry.biz reported Meta’s Reality Labs losses for the preceding 12 months amounted to $17.7 billion. While huge losses from its mixed reality and metaverse division have been its core characteristic since its inception in 2020, the restructure suggests even Meta has had to get real in the current climate.