A new video appears showing the potential of hand tracking in VR.
When Facebook announced that they were bringing native hand tracking to the Oculus Quest back in September during Oculus Connect 6, attendees gleamed with excitement. Since rolling out on standalone headsets through a December software update, users have been having a blast navigating through the Oculus Home interface using their own two hands. But how exactly does this exciting new feature apply to VR gaming?
In a new video released by Aldin Dynamics, the VR developer shows how hand-tracking technology is already being used as part of their popular VR magic game Waltz of the Wizards.
Throughout the 1-minute video, a player can be seen using hand-tracking technology to interact with a variety of magic objects and spells. He begins with smaller interactions at first; drawing lines on a skull with a digital quill, using telepathy to move small objects across the room, etc.
As the video progresses, however, the wizard-in-training steps it up with more complex interactions. At one point he pours a mysterious potion on his hand which then magically extends each of his fingers, resulting in a sort of frog-like appendage. By wiggling his fingers, he’s able to transform random objects into fluttering butterflies. There’s even an impromptu puppet show.
Unfortunately, the developers state that this was merely an experiment and it’s unclear at this time when official support will arrive.
“We are excited to get features out but don’t have a release timeline yet,” states a member of the development team on Reddit. This is also only a few of the features we’re considering. A big factor will be Oculus’ roadmap for tracking improvements and third-party release rollouts, which will hopefully get clarified soon.”
Feature Image Credit: Aldin Dynamics
