Meta, Formerly Facebook, Unveiled a Quality Mixed Reality Platform for Oculus Quest Headsets
At the Facebook Connect event, the company renamed Meta unveiled something called the Presence Platform. It’s a new way to create new mixed reality experiences for the Oculus Quest VR headset. It includes a suite of artificial intelligence tools for developers that make mixed reality more immersive by helping to merge virtual reality with the physical world.
Presence Platform includes three main sets of tools: Insight SDK, Interaction SDK, and Voice SDK. The Insight SDK, based on the summer’s Passthrough API, allows developers to overlay virtual objects onto the Oculus Quest end-to-end video stream.
Meta also adds a system called Spatial Anchors, which will allow developers to bind a virtual object to a specific physical area so that it maintains its position under different conditions.
Although the Passthrough API was launched as an Oculus Quest 2 exclusive, the new platform will support both generations of the headset. Essentially, the Insight SDK is responsible for understanding the scene. It allows developers to create virtual reality experiences that adapt to the size of the user’s room. Meta notes that thanks to Insight, users can attach a virtual screen to a wall or have a virtual character move across the floor with realistic occlusion.
The Interaction SDK is designed to make it easier for developers to integrate controller and hand-centric interactions. Meta will make the Unity library available to developers next year, and it will contain ready-made interactive elements such as grab, push, and more.
The Voice SDK can give users a hands-free virtual reality experience. It allows developers to create voice navigation and search functionality.
The Voice SDK can give players the ability to use their voice during gameplay, such as when talking to a character or casting a voice-activated spell.
According to Meta, the Presence Platform “will be the key to a connected experience in the metaverse,” allowing developers to more naturally blend virtual content with the real world.
