Developers have begun using Passthrough API Experimental to create mixed reality experiences on Quest 2 headsets.
Last month, Facebook introduced Passthrough API Experimental, a new feature for the Oculus Quest 2 that allows developers to create mixed reality experiences using the headset’s cameras. Available as part of the v31 SDK release, developers can customize their passthrough experience—including composition, style, and geometry—to better suit their needs.
In terms of potential use-cases, Passthrough API Experimental can be used for everything from productivity and co-working to gaming and social interaction. Despite having only been available less than a month, Quest developers have been having a field day with the new feature.
Interestingly enough, some creators have begun using the technology to bring existing VR games to life in AR; games that, while rough, could set the stage for a new genre of gaming on Oculus Quest.
Here are just a few developers who’ve already begun experimenting with this game-changing feature.
CRAZY KUNG FU
Developer Field of Vision released Crazy Kung Fu on the Oculus App Lab this past April, allowing Quest players to battle a wooden training dummy using a series of sweet Kung Fu moves that would make even Keanu Reeves jealous. This physically intense VR game has you using nearly every part of your upper body to block and dodge spinning arms. The more you practice, the greater your muscle memory will become.
In a video shared on Reddit, the developer teases a version of the game that uses Oculus Passthrough to blend the real-world with the virtual, resulting in your own personal mixed reality dojo. Being able to see the real world as you throw punches in VR could be a game-changer for physically intense games like Crazy Kung Fu.
GRAVITY LAB
Mark Schramm’s finely-tuned VR puzzle game Gravity Lab is one of the most unique on the Oculus Store. In this physics-driven puzzler, players explore an abandoned moon base while solving a series of futuristic puzzles by designing complex machinery. There’s even an integrated level editor and a dedicated workshop designed to shine a spotlight on community-created levels.
In a post shared on Reddit, Schramm shows off an AR version of Gravity Lab powered by Oculus Passthrough. In the GIF, we see one of the games’ 37 puzzles floating in the center of the room. Schramm can freely walk around his creation without having to worry about knocking into any real-world objects, opening up new possibilities for the unique VR puzzler.
CACTUS COWBOY AR
Originally released on SideQuest this past May, Cactus Cowboy – Fully Loaded is a simplistic VR shooter that has you saving the world from an invading robot army. Using an arsenal of powerful weaponry, you’ll take on a variety of chunky enemies across several unique environments, from the Cacti Desert to Cactus City.
Cactus Cowboy AR offers a fresh take on the original action-adventure game by transforming real-world locations into AR battlefields. In this barebones VR wave shooter, players take on a never-ending army of mechanical creatures using a basic arsenal of weaponry.
For more information on Passthrough API Experimental visit here.
Feature Image Credit: Facebook, Oculus
