Meta Quest 3: Camera access API still on track for early 2025
Camera access for Quest developers is still planned for early 2025 and will "unlock a lot of capability in mixed reality," says Meta's CTO.
Andrew Bosworth, head of Reality Labs, was asked during a recent AMA on Instagram whether the Passthrough API announced at Connect 2024 would be released in early 2025 as planned.
His answer, translated from English:
"Yes, we're very excited about this. We've had some early access developers playing with it. We have noticed that our kind of announcements on this front have prompted some of our competitors to reevaluate their stances on the same thing. That's also progress, I think. So I'm really excited about this. I think we're gonna unlock a lot of capability in mixed reality with this functionality."
What's the Passthrough API, and why is it important?
Currently, third-party mixed reality apps can only access abstract data about the environment. This includes a 3D mesh of the room and boxes that represent individual pieces of furniture.
The Passthrough API, announced in September 2024, will give these mixed reality apps access to the passthrough camera feed for the first time. This will enable apps to better sense, analyze, and respond to their environment and individual objects - a key enabler for advanced mixed reality.
"This will enable all kinds of cutting-edge MR experiences. You've got tracked objects, AI applications, fancy overlays, scene understanding, and so much more", said Meta's Mark Rabkin at the announcement last year.
It is still unclear how far the camera access will go. Until recently, Meta has taken a conservative stance, fearing a public backlash over privacy concerns. Apple grants companies access to the passthrough cameras in Vision Pro, but only for non-public internal applications.
What do you think of the Passthrough API? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.
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