The latest Oculus Quest 2 update includes references to features it lacks – indicating that Meta’s Project Cambria headset may be closer than we think.
Currently, those who have subscribed to the Oculus Quest 2 public trial channel can download an in-progress version of the v43 update. In exchange for some features potentially being a little more troublesome than Meta would like a full version, you can try out new settings and options before most other users.
But new features sometimes mean you have to give your headset and games new permissions so they can use your personal data in a different way than before.
as seen by u/deliciouspotato2 on Reddit (opens in new tab)the latest update now includes Oculus Quest 2 asking to access your eye tracking and facial expressions – with options currently only available for Meta’s Horizon Worlds metaverse platform.
What’s interesting about these permissions, though, is that they’re completely irrelevant on the Oculus Quest 2. No matter how hard the headset tries, it doesn’t have the necessary hardware to track your face and eyes.
Instead, these permissions will likely be vital for the next Project Cambria headset. When Meta announced on Facebook Connect in October 2021, these next-gen features were highlighted as the technology needed to elevate their VR hardware.
Since the announcement, Meta has reaffirmed its plans several times to launch the Cambria in 2022 (as in this recent mixed reality demo), but at the moment there’s nothing concrete. However, the new permissions from the v43 update suggest that a release is near.
Cambria is coming, but when?
It’s August already, so Meta has just five months to live up to its 2022 release date promise for the Cambria. As such, we expected the news to arrive soon, but the update details indicate that an announcement could come in the next few months.
Given how important it is to give people control over their personal data, it’s no surprise that Meta wants to tweak the above features, which are designed to allow us to control when our eyes and expressions are tracked (and to stop that tracking when we don’t want to be tracked). monitored).
However, Meta cannot ask for the right permissions to track a user’s face and eyes until it has figured out exactly how the features work and what data they need to collect. As such, the addition of permission requests would likely be one of the last details to tweak before Cambria’s release, as at this stage the features themselves must be finalized. This means that Cambria is probably in the final stages of development and is almost ready to be used by everyday people.
Because of this, there’s a strong chance that we’ll hear more about Project Cambria in August or September (which is also when the v43 update is likely to roll out to all users). We’ll have to wait and see what Meta announces in the coming months. Be sure to check back regularly for all the latest Project Cambria news.
Want something you can wear today? Check out the best Oculus Quest 2 games you can play right now.