Menlo Park-based Meta this week updated its release notes for its Quest mixed reality headsets to include a slew of enhancements, including two notable ones geared towards greater accessibility for disabled people.
“Wondering what’s new with Meta Quest? Check out our release notes to learn about the latest new features and enhancements we’ve made to your Meta Quest experience,” Meta wrote on its updates webpage.
The new version, build number 56 and scheduled to ship next week, adds support for closed captions and the ability to remap the buttons on the Quest’s touch controller peripheral. According to Meta, the captions capture “system-level closed captioning for audio from 2D apps, videos, and other media.” They do not, however, transcribe speech from other people at this time. As for the configurable buttons, Meta says users are now able to customize the touch controller’s buttons “to any layout you prefer.” Some apps, the company added, may continue to recognize the default button layout despite any change(s). The remapping can be done by navigating to Accessibility > Mobility > Re-map Controllers.
Although not specific to accessibility yet still relevant to disability in Meta’s latest update is the addition of Hand Tracking 2.2. The company claims the new software has up to 40% latency reduction in normal usage, as well as 75% latency reductio in fast movement. Additionally, the so-called Fast Motion Mode is able to “[provide] improved tracking of fast hand movements common in fitness and rhythm apps.”
Version 56’s accessibility improvements are joined by several other general enhancements, including the ability to install updates while the Quest device is off, swipe typing on the virtual keyboard, better notifications, local dimming support on the Quest Pro, and much more.
Last month, Meta announced its forthcoming Quest 3 headset. The device will cost $500 and starts shipping sometime this fall. The introduction occurred days before Apple unveiled its decidedly high-end Vision Pro headset at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple says Vision Pro costs $3500 and begins shipping early next year.
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