Meta Quest’s latest update enhances hand tracking, adds FB livestreaming

This is your friendly reminder that our software updates roll out gradually. If you don't see the v56 update yet, don't panic. It's on its way and should be in your virtual hands soon

San Francisco: Meta has announced that it is rolling out a new update ‘v56′ for the Quest headsets, which includes improvements to hand tracking, live captions at the system level, livestreaming to Facebook, and more.

“This is your friendly reminder that our software updates roll out gradually. If you don’t see the v56 update yet, don’t panic. It’s on its way and should be in your virtual hands soon,” the company said in a blogpost on Thursday.

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With the v56 update, the company is rolling out Hand Tracking 2.2, which focuses on hands’ responsiveness, bringing the experience closer to controllers.

This includes up to 40 per cent latency reduction in typical usage and up to 75 per cent during fast movement.

There are also additional improvements to make fast-paced games even more responsive.

The company is also rolling out an experiment to help users share their experiences with friends in real-time via livestreaming to Facebook.

To get started, users just have to add their Facebook account to the same Accounts Center as their Meta account.

“Back by popular demand, the livestreaming to Facebook feature was redesigned to be as seamless and easy-to-use as possible, with high-quality video output and persistent access to a live chat panel so you can stay in touch with your friends as you go about your stream,” the company said.

Moreover, with the new update, when users start a call, a chat thread is automatically created with all the members invited to the call.

The update also includes system-level live captions to improve the Quest experience.

Live captions are rolling out in Quest TV, Explore and the Quest Store in-headset.

Moreover, the company is providing users with the ability to swap buttons, create custom layouts, and tailor their controller settings to best meet their unique needs.

“Now, when your headset’s charging, it’ll automatically power on and perform seamless app and OS updates and cloud backups so you can get back into the action with as little friction as possible,” Meta said.

The v56 update also includes a new toggle in Experimental Settings to turn on system-wide local dimming on Quest Pro that improves colour contrast, especially in dark scenes.