Quest v71 is a large replace, bringing numerous enhancements and new options to Meta’s Horizon OS.
In no explicit order, the v71 replace is bringing: a refresh of the system interface design, an AI mannequin that converts microphone audio into estimated facial expressions, smoother passthrough, prepare help for Journey Mode, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Encompass, a first-party calendar app, a shortcut to Distant Desktop in Fast Settings, enhancements to Scene Mesh scanning, a quantity mixer for app and name audio, the flexibility to ship flat and spatial movies in Horizon chats, the flexibility to pair controllers and styluses contained in the headset, and an app permissions indicator on the menu bar. That is so much!
As with all Quest updates, v71 will “roll out” progressively, so it might take just a few days and even weeks on your headset to get the v71 replace.
Design Refresh & New Settings
Quest v71 brings a design refresh to Horizon OS.
Meta stated it “made assorted adjustments to the way in which panels look and behave, the place the management bar resides, the colours of assorted UI parts, and so forth”. This contains, in accordance with Meta, an improved Mild Mode, and Darkish Mode’s look has been modified too.
Probably the most important change although is to the Settings interface, which has been fully revamped with a facet tab design that resembles iPadOS and common Android on tablets. Meta says it is also improved search inside Settings, so you possibly can “discover precisely what you had been in search of”.
AI Audio To Expression
Meta says v71 brings Audio to Expression, an on-device AIΒ mannequin that “derives compelling facial movement and lip sync indicators” from solely microphone enter, offering estimated facial expressions with out face monitoring {hardware}.
Audio to Expression might be offered as a part of the identical API that builders can already use to entry Quest Professional face monitoring.
There was an Oculus Lipsync SDK for builders since 2015, a mannequin which converts microphone audio into believable lip motion (we even use it in our weekly from-VR podcasts). However Audio to Expression additionally supplies generated higher face actions, together with higher cheeks, eyelids, and eyebrows. And remarkably, Meta claims Audio to Expression truly makes use of much less CPU than Oculus Lipsync.
Smoother Passthrough
Meta says it “improved the digicam body charges to align together with your show body charges”, which ought to make passthrough look smoother.
That is the third introduced enchancment Meta has made to its passthrough expertise for the reason that launch of Quest 3. Replace v64 in April introduced improved publicity management and dynamic vary, making it simpler to learn bodily shows like your cellphone or monitor, after which replace v66 introduced considerably decreased warping distortion.
Journey Mode On Trains
As Meta teased at Join, v71 provides help for trains to Journey Mode.
Initially designed for airplanes, Quest 2 and three bought a Journey Mode again in Might, and it is supported on the brand new Quest 3S too.
However Why Is A Journey Mode Wanted In The First Place?
Folks usually assume that markerless inside-out monitoring methods on headsets, glasses, and self-tracking controllers solely use the cameras, however this is not the case. These methods rely simply as a lot on the inertial measurement unit (IMU), a chip that accommodates a tiny accelerometer and gyroscope.
Whereas cameras sometimes run at 30Hz or 60Hz, the IMU sometimes supplies updates round 1000Hz, enabling a lot decrease latency. Nevertheless, an IMU cannot truly detect absolute motion – at the least in a roundabout way. The accelerometer within the IMU senses acceleration relative to gravity, and you’ll take the integral of acceleration over time to get velocity. And for those who once more take the integral of these velocity values over time, you get displacement from the unique place.
This course of known as lifeless reckoning. From second to second, itβs how each headset and controller tracks itself, and the optical side like cameras or laser base stations are primarily solely used to appropriate for the cumulative error that outcomes from the noisiness of IMU knowledge. However in a shifting automobile the accelerometer will choose up the acceleration of the automobile itself, considering it is the headset itself shifting, which ends up in sudden and speedy positional drifting.
Some Quest homeowners reported that Journey Mode already works with trains, however this official help will possible make it extra dependable.
Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional has had a Journey Mode since launch, which we praisedΒ in our evaluation, and Apple additionally simply added official help for trains in visionOS 2.
Dolby Atmos & Dolby Digital Encompass
Quest v71 provides help for each Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital 5.1/7.1 encompass audio, with the headset’s rotation panning the soundscape.
Meta says this might be supported in “content material on choose web sites in Browser” and that it’s going to “increase to different service suppliers quickly”.
A Calendar App
With v71 Horizon OS now has a built-in Calendar app.
The Horizon OS Calendar helps Google Calendar and Microsoft’s Outlook Calendar, in addition to Horizon Worlds occasions and Horizon Workrooms conferences.
Distant Desktop in Fast Settings
With v71, you possibly can entry your PC as a digital display in Horizon OS utilizing Meta’s first-party software program by way of a shortcut in Fast Settings, which means you now not have to hunt by means of your app library for it.
Quests Can Quickly Prolong Home windows Laptops By Simply Wanting At Them
Quest headsets will quickly be capable of lengthen Home windows 11 laptops by simply taking a look at them, and with out putting in particular software program.
Sooner or later Meta plans to cut back the friction of Distant Desktop even additional for Home windows 11 laptops, by way of a partnership with Microsoft that can allow you to lengthen them by simply taking a look at them.
Scene Mesh Scanning Enhancements
With v71, Meta says you’ll replace the mesh for a room from Settings, constructing on and refining the unique mesh, as a substitute of needing to rescan it from scratch.
You may additionally, the corporate says, see a miniature 3D illustration of every room you may have saved.
Quantity Mixer
With v71 you possibly can regulate the quantity of Calls individually from the quantity of App & Media audio, from Fast Settings.
This implies you will now not have to deliver down the audio quantity of every sport to listen to different folks in your Horizon Get together, WhatsApp/Messenger name, or different communications platform.
Share (Spatial) Movies In Horizon Chats
With v71, you’ll ship movies to your Horizon followers in Horizon chats.
Meta says this helps each flat movies and Apple spatial movies, which means you possibly can instantly ship spatial movies you seize together with your iPhone 15 Professional or iPhone 16 sequence cellphone, and others will be capable of see them of their headset.
In-Headset Controller & Stylus Pairing
Beforehand, you would solely pair new Contact controllers, for those who bought a substitute for instance, utilizing the Meta Quest cell app (now referred to asΒ Meta Horizon).
With v71 Meta says you possibly can pair Contact controllers and Logitech MX Ink styluses contained in the headset, identical to you already can with gamepads.
Nevertheless, we should always word that the corporate truly initially stated this might arrive in v68, and it did not, persevering with the complicated pattern of Meta placing issues within the official Horizon OS hangelog that are not truly there within the construct.
With v71, Meta says it added “real-time permissions indicator” to the common menu bar of Horizon OS, letting you realize which options are at the moment being accessed by apps.
This performance can also be current on iPhone and Android telephones, in addition to different platforms, and is now thought of a basic privateness function.
