Meta VR headsets recently received v64 update, which according to Meta added several improvements to their software – like a better quality mixed reality relay in the case of Meta Quest 3 (although I didn’t see a huge difference after installing the update on my headset).
It has now been discovered (first by Twitter user @Squashi9) that the update also included another upgrade for Meta’s hardware, with Space Scan, the Quest 3’s room scanning feature, getting a major buff thanks to AI.
Quest 3’s Space Scan is different from its usual boundary scan, which configures your VR-safe gaming space. Instead, Space Scan maps your room for mixed reality experiences, marking out walls, floors, and ceilings so experiences are properly calibrated.
You also have the option to add and label furniture, but you had to do this part manually until the v64 update rolled out. Now, when you do a room scan, your Quest 3 automatically highlights and labels furniture – and in my testing, it works perfectly.
Unfortunately, the headset didn’t allow me to take screenshots of the process. So you’ll have to trust me when I tell you that each piece of furniture was not only detected by the scan and correctly marked, but it was also accurately labeled. it even spread to my windows and doors, which I didn’t expect.
The only error I’ve spotted is that a chair I have in my living room has been designated as “sofa”, although this seems to be more due to Meta’s lack of more specific labels than the ability to Space Scan to detect what type of object each item. furniture is.
Posted by @edwardrichardmiller
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This feature isn’t a total surprise, as Reality Labs showed off a version of it on Topics in March. What’s surprising, however, is how quickly it was rolled out after its unveiling – although I’m not complaining, considering how well it works and how easily it makes analyzing data your room.
So what?
Adding furniture is useful for MR and VR applications. Tables can be used by applications like Horizon Workshops as designated desks, sitting down or getting up from a designated couch will change your VR experience between a standing or sitting mode.
Meanwhile, some apps can use detected doors, windows, walls, and furniture, like a bookshelf, to adjust how mixed reality experiences interact with your space.
With Meta making it less tedious to add these data points, app developers have more reason to consider furniture when designing VR and MR experiences, which should make them feel more immersive .
This also gives Meta a head start on the Apple Vision Proas it’s not yet capable of creating as detailed a room analysis as that found on Meta’s hardware – although until the software starts to actually take advantage of this feature, it’s not that bad .
We’ll have to wait and see what comes of this improvement, but if you’ve already done a spatial scan or two on your Quest 3, you might want to do them again, as the new scans should be much more accurate.
