Meta Quest V49: the beta of this next firmware suggests three nice new features

The Meta Quest system software continues to evolve and many new features have been added since launch. If the Oculus Quest, first of the name, will no longer see its possibilities increase, it is not the same for the Meta Quest 2, the Meta Quest Pro and the following. To believe the leaked of the moment, dropped by a certain Samulia, the next firmware for these VR headsets should not be the V48 but the 49 (it wouldn’t be the first time a number jumps) but above all would bring three new things: lying down mode, a “touch” interface in the VR menu and a simplification of the transition from using controllers to tracking hands and vice versa.

Here are the three new features discovered by Samulia:

• Switching controllers to simplified hand tracking mode:
  Currently, to switch from one to the other, we have to move the controllers away, out of sight of the headset and wait for the latter to “understand” that we want to use our hands to interact. With V49, it should be possible to double tap between the controllers to switch to hand tracking. A priori, the return could be done in the same way but with our minions. Not stupid and above all very practical because the rocker, currently, is sometimes long to do.
• Laying Down mode:
  Without further details, we must therefore try to imagine what this “elongated” mode will offer. Indeed, for the moment, it is possible to align the menu horizontally in front of us, including while lying down. By being on your back, it even allows you to “stick” your interface to the ceiling, by being on your side it “lays” the interface like a television on a TV cabinet, ie horizontally. It is therefore possible that this new mode makes it possible to link the interface to the position of the head and no longer in relation to the ground. Thus, the screen would be vertical if our head is on the side so that the screen remains “straight” from our point of view. This is an option that existed on the Oculus G+O.
• “Virtual” touch interface:
  Currently, the principle of selection consists of pointing a laser at an element and validating by clicking with the trigger or with your fingers. A priori, the V49 update will allow direct interaction with the various elements of the interface by allowing validation by contact (controller or fingers) as with a touch screen. If, at first glance, this development seems nice, it should remain optional because the laser option allows you to choose without having to actually move your hands, which is practical for people with reduced mobility.

Now we just have to wait a few days to find out what the V49 update will really bring. even a little more because, as you all know, a firmware that deploys does not provide everyone with the same functionalities at the same time. If you haven’t taken the plunge yet, you can treat yourself to a Meta Quest 2 to the Fnac, Darty Where Amazon from €449.99.