Quest Pro doesn’t person a extent sensor, contempt Zuckerberg saying it would.
It was antecedently referred to arsenic “Project Cambria” – the codename fixed erstwhile it was teased astatine past year’s Connect. Zuckerberg told Protocol successful May Cambria volition “ship aboriginal this year” with an IR projector for progressive extent sensing. When referring to Quest 2’s camera-based extent reconstruction helium said “it’s benignant of conscionable hacked”, going connected to accidental “on Cambria, we really person a extent sensor”. Hardware-level extent sensing is besides “more optimized towards hands”, helium said.
From the 2nd I saw Quest Pro successful person, I looked for the extent sensor successful the presumption the leaked schematics suggested it would be. But I saw nothing, adjacent arsenic I shined my phone’s flashlight straight astatine the spot. So I asked Meta for clarification. A institution typical responded with the pursuing statement:
Meta Quest Pro uses guardant facing cameras to measurement depth in your environment. This works with 3D reconstruction algorithms to render your carnal situation wrong your headset via Passthrough.
Mark was referring to a antithetic depth sensing strategy included successful a erstwhile prototype mentation of the device.
For context, we’re perpetually investigating and refining our products earlier motorboat and it’s communal for hardware changes to hap betwixt versions of the instrumentality arsenic we physique and develop.
Interestingly though, manus tracking did enactment amended connected Quest Pro in my little clip with it than I’m utilized to connected Quest 2. That’s astir apt down to the forward-facing cameras having four times the fig of pixels. Meta made significant improvements to manus tracking connected adjacent Quest 2 acknowledgment to caller advances successful neural networks, truthful it’s imaginable these advances mean a extent sensor is nary longer strictly indispensable for high-quality manus tracking.
But a extent sensor astir apt would person had important benefits for 1 of Quest Pro’s cardinal usage cases: mixed reality. Devices with extent sensors similar HoloLens 2, iPhone Pro, and iPad Pro tin scan your country automatically to make a mesh of the walls and the furnishings successful it truthful that virtual objects look down oregon connected existent objects. This is important for convincing mixed oregon augmented reality.
Right now, mixed world connected Quest Pro requires manually marking out your walls, ceiling, and furniture, conscionable arsenic it does connected Quest 2. This is an arduous process with imperfect results, adding important friction to mixed reality.
Meta told america it’s looking into automatic level detection – referring to level surfaces similar walls and tables – but said it won’t beryllium determination astatine Quest Pro’s launch.
David Heaney
Writes astir VR & AR exertion quality & manufacture trends. Usually connected VR Download.