Upper body tracking for Quest 3 is here and you can try it out
Meta Quest 3 now supports upper body tracking and AI-generated legs. A VR game from Meta demonstrates these unique features.
Meta announced these features at Meta Connect 2023, and they were rolled out to developers in mid-December. This means that these features can now be implemented in apps offered on the Quest Store or App Lab.
Upper body tracking, which Meta calls "Inside-Out Body Tracking" (IOBT), is supported only by Meta Quest 3. The new headset has two side cameras that work with the other sensors and AI algorithms to capture additional body joints such as wrists, elbows, shoulders and torso for more accurate upper body tracking.
The feature, which is not yet available on any other standalone VR headset, will greatly benefit fitness apps, combat games, and social VR, among others.
See the difference in tracking quality
The second new feature, AI-generated legs, which Meta calls "Generative Legs," enables more realistic avatar legs.
Unlike IOBT, the position of the user's legs is not tracked by Quest's built-in sensors. It is estimated by an AI model that works more accurate with IOBT's tracking data. However, the Generative Legs also work without IOBT and are supported (with less accuracy) by the older Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets.
The combination of IOBT and Generative Legs creates avatars that better reflect the user's movements and display them more naturally.
The video above taken from an upcoming update for the VR game Drunkn Bar Fight illustrates the qualitative difference. On the left you can see the avatar without IOBT and Generative Legs, on the right with the new features enabled.
Try upper body tracking with Meta's tech demo
If you like, you can now try out the upper body tracking and AI-generated legs for yourself with Meta's Dodge Arcade tech demo, which is available in the App Lab. Meta describes the VR app as follows:
"You use body movement to dodge incoming fireballs and block soccer balls. You can squat, lean, and jump to avoid the balls, and your movement will be reflected both by the character on the field in front of you and in replays on the overhead arena replay screen."
IOBT and Generative Legs will be implemented in first third-party apps next year. Supernatural, Swordsman VR and the aforementioned Drunkn Bar Fight have been announced by Meta. Many more will likely follow.
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