Over 11 mind-blowing experiments and tools now available free via SideQuest.
Despite having only been available on Oculus Quest for roughly three months, independent developers have already established a sizable catalog of unique hand tracking applications pushing the boundaries of Oculus technology. This includes everything from procedurally-generated first-person shooters to educational piano learning apps.
Last week VR developer Holonautic through its hat into the ring with the release of Hand Physics Lab. Directed by Dennys Kuhnert, the experimental VR hand tracking experience is composed of over 11 reality-defying experiments and tools designed to showcase the potential of Oculus Quest hand tracking technology. Available free via SideQuest, Quest players have access to the following interactive experiences:
- Interactive Buttons and Controllers
- Tools including Hammer, Knife, and Crowbar
- Building blocks playground
- Drawing board with Pen
- Egg Painting Station with your own fingers
- Typing on a mechanical keyboard
- The famous Useless Machine
- Weight-lifting
- Interactive and animated Puppet
- Anti-gravity mode
- Play with Telekinesis and Force Fields!
It definitely takes some getting used to at first. The lack of any haptic feedback makes it significantly more difficult to grasp objects than with a controller; grab too loosely and the object falls from your hand, tighten your grip too much and you’ll send it flying across the map when it clips through your player model. Eventually I did grow used to the lack of hapics, at which point the experience became significantly more enjoyable.
Being able to control all of your fingers individually adds a new layer of detail to even the smallest interactions. Personally, my favorite tool is the “slicer”. This laser-like device dismembers your hands while keeping you in control of your fingers, allowing you to crawl your lost appendages around the virtual environment like a pair of creepy five-legged spiders.
The app is still in early access, so expect to come across plenty of bugs as you poke, squeeze, and stab your way through each mini-activity. Moving forward, Holonautic plans on updating the app with additional activities and tools as development progresses.
Hand Physics Lab is available free on Oculus Quest via SideQuest.
Image Credit: Holonautic
