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Oculus Quest's Insight system promises VR tracking beyond the box

During today's Oculus Connect keynote, the company promised that the standalone Oculus Quest would allow players to use VR in larger, less constrained environments.

Bryant Francis, Senior Editor

September 26, 2018

1 Min Read
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Oculus Quest, the standalone headset announced by Facebook and Oculus today, came out of the gates promising an experience that wouldn't rely on any tethering to a high-end computer. 

But what should be especially interesting for VR developers is the headset's Insight system, which is promising more flexible headset tracking that creates possibilities for virtual reality experiences outside of the traditional roomscale size. 

During the earlier livestream, Oculus explained that the headset relies on four wide-angle cameras for the included Touch controllers, and to keep an eye on what's surrounding the headset user in a room. 

Combined with the Guardian system found in current Rift headsets (which sets boundaries for players across all VR programs they load up), this means users and developers can expand a game space to be larger and more flexible then current restrictions. 

Oculus touted the possibility of "arena-scale" VR experiences, but the possibility of multi-room VR, along with warnings for players drifting too close to walls or furniture, can help developers break out of the box of VR design. 

About the Author

Bryant Francis

Senior Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Bryant Francis is a writer, journalist, and narrative designer based in Boston, MA. He currently writes for Game Developer, a leading B2B publication for the video game industry. His credits include Proxy Studios' upcoming 4X strategy game Zephon and Amplitude Studio's 2017 game Endless Space 2.

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