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.

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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.

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • kontis

    It’s possible to get all Pro’s tracking data to PC (as proven in ALVR and there is already a custom client with face tracking), but I’m not sure if Guy will bother adding it to Virtual Desktop.

    Meta probably won’t support it purposefully via Link to increase value of standalone over PC.

    • ViRGiN

      Blablabla. You’re talking once again about things you have zero idea?
      How did it go, SteamVR supports full body tracking?
      Yet another week and you’re incapable of telling us, the developers where to find FBT SDK?

      Link me to SDK that SteamVR is using to enable eye and face tracking and I’ll write you a compatibility layer in a week. For free.

      • Nico Pucho

        Driver4VR?

    • silvaring

      The article says that the hand tracking incompatibility with PC is due
      to “platform and technical restrictions”. So are Microsoft the ones blocking hand tracking via the Quest 2 being used in Windows? And if so what are their main reasons for doing so?

  • risto

    2ill this work with quest 1 since it has hand tracking 2.0

    • PrimalGod

      Late reply, but yes. This does work with the original quest.

  • Karzahni

    As for this manga, it seems to stick with the plot.