VR Hand Interactions Explained: Developer Deep Dive for Meta Quest (Unity & Unreal)
Unlock the full potential of hand interactions on Meta Quest in this technical deep dive from members of the Meta Interaction SDK team. Product Designer Stella Mühlhaus and Software Engineer Dave Nelson explore the core principles, best practices, and powerful tools available to create intuitive and engaging hands-first interactions.
💡 In this deep dive, you’ll learn:
- The key advantages of hands over controllers: embodiment, ease of use, and flexibility.
- How to implement core mechanics like Direct Touch, Grabbing, Hand Posing, and Gestures.
- Advanced techniques for Locomotion, Improved Throwing, and physics-based Natural Interactions.
- The latest system-level improvements in hand tracking, including Hands 2.3 and fast motion updates.
- A complete overview of the Interaction SDK for both Unity and Unreal Engine.
Whether you're starting a new project or adding hand tracking to an existing app, this session provides the expert guidance you need to make your hands interactions feel amazing.
🎙️ SPEAKERS
Stella Mühlhaus, Product Designer
Dave Nelson, Software Engineer
▶️ VIDEO CHAPTERS
👋 Introduction
🕒 00:00 - Welcome & Speaker Introductions
🕒 00:27 - Agenda Overview
🕒 00:47 - Why Build for Hands? Industry Trends & Core Benefits
✨ Core Interaction Mechanics
🕒 05:16 - Direct Touch & UI Interaction
🕒 06:04 - Grabbing, Posing & Object Interaction
🕒 07:27 - Pose & Gesture Recognition
🕒 08:14 - Hand Menus, Microgestures & Multimodal Input
🚀 Upcoming Features & Experiments
🕒 10:40 - Improved Throwing Mechanics
🕒 11:59 - Locomotion Experiments (Telepath, Walking Sticks, Climbing)
🕒 13:31 - Natural Interactions: Physics-Based Hands
🕒 15:39 - CARL: Custom Action Recognition Library
⚙️ System-Level Hand Tracking Improvements
🕒 17:21 - Overview of Core Tracking Updates
🕒 17:49 - Microgesture Improvements & Hands 2.3
🕒 19:55 - Fast Motion Improvements for High-Speed Tracking
🛠️ Building for Hands: Best Practices & Tools
🕒 21:25 - Best Practices for Designing Hands-First Experiences
🕒 25:31 - Deep Dive: Interaction SDK for Unity & Unreal
🕒 28:27 - Resources: Sample Apps to Get You Started
🕒 29:40 - Closing Remarks
📚 RESOURCES
➡️ Hands Design Guidelines: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/design/hands/
➡️ Interaction SDK: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/unity-isdk-interaction-sdk-overview
➡️ Microgestures Open XR extension: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/unity-microgestures
🔗 CONNECT WITH US
➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/
➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/
➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter
💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM
The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with the resources, hands-on support, and expert guidance needed to accelerate their app development. Join a thriving community to get the tools and go-to-market guidance you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS.
Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
