December 10, 2024 – Meta has recently announced the rollout of the Quest v72 update, introducing a slew of new features that enhance the virtual reality experience. These advancements include accelerated hand tracking, easier pairing with Windows 11 PCs, and improved keyboard visibility in the VR environment. The update will be gradually released, meaning some features may take time to become fully available to all users.
According to Meta, users can now seamlessly utilize Quest’s remote desktop functionality by simply looking at the paired PC and tapping the “Connect” button that appears. This feature bears similarities to Apple’s Vision Pro, but requires users to install the Mixed Reality Link app on their computers before pairing the devices in the Quest headset’s settings. Compatibility is limited to Windows 11 versions 22H2 and above.
Quest v72 also brings a more universal keyboard tracking system, capable of detecting any surrounding keyboard and displaying it through a transparent “window” in the virtual world, echoing the functionality of Vision Pro. While Quest headsets have had the ability to show a virtual keyboard since 2021, this was previously restricted to specific keyboards.
Meta further noted enhancements in hand cursor stability, ensuring smoother navigation, pinch-to-select, and pinch-to-drag window operations. Additionally, the company optimized hand interactions within confined spaces and introduced a “hand ray visualization” feature to assist users in locating and targeting objects more accurately.
Beyond these updates, Quest v72 incorporates various other improvements, such as real-time captions during calls in the People app, direct messaging in the Instagram app, and a new media gallery app for viewing images, videos, including spatial videos, and screenshots.
