🚀 Build a Hand-Tracking Experience in 4 Weeks with the Hands-First VR Accelerator

The Hands-First VR Accelerator is a new 4-week program designed to help you build a working prototype that shows off a hand-tracking mechanic—even if you’ve never touched hand-tracking before. You’ll get weekly workshops from subject-matter experts, continuous mentor support, and a built-in community of developers building alongside you so you can focus on making your interactions intuitive, responsive, and fun.

Most VR titles still don’t use hand tracking, which makes it one of the clearest ways to set your build apart. Over four weeks, you’ll go from setup to a working hand-tracking experience ready to demo.

🔁 Weekly Rhythm

Every week follows the same loop: Learn → Build → Playtest → Iterate. Each build week has two touchpoints: a workshop with the week’s focus, and a playtest where you share progress and get feedback. Mentor office hours and 1:1 sessions are available throughout.

📅 The 4-Week Timeline

Week 1: Learn Hand Tracking
Set up the SDK, detect your first gestures, build your first hand-tracking interactions, and learn best practices for reliable input. By the end of this week, you should have a working interaction driven entirely by hands.

Week 2: Design for Hand Tracking
Study what successful hand-tracking titles are doing and apply those insights to your build. Focus on interaction design, affordances, and making your mechanic feel natural and discoverable without controllers.

Week 3: Advanced Techniques and Polish
Refine your interactions, optimize performance, and polish the UX. This is where your prototype goes from functional to impressive—smooth gesture recognition, responsive feedback, and edge-case handling.

Week 4: Playtest Week
Participants try each other’s builds. Get real feedback from peer developers, observe how new players interact with your mechanic, and iterate based on what you learn.

👥 Who This Is For

The program accommodates three developer profiles—all of whom have built at least once in XR:

• Developers who want to learn hand tracking from the ground up—foundational SDK work
• Developers with an existing game or app who want to add hand tracking—integration guidance
• Developers building a new title centered on hand tracking—interaction design and polish

You can participate solo or as a team. If you’re joining as a team, we recommend 2–3 members with complementary skills.

Note: All participants must be Start Program members.

🤝 Mentor Support

You’re not doing this alone. Throughout the program, you’ll have access to dedicated support, including:

• Weekly themed workshops
• Mentor office hours + bookable 1:1 sessions
• Community playtesting sessions
• Weekly group syncs to maintain momentum
• A private space for collaboration, help, and technical support

Your mentor quentin.valembois​ kicks off the program during orientation with a full rundown of what to expect. Meet the cohort and gain the context you need to dive into building in Week 1.

🏆 What Success Looks Like

By Week 4, you should have:

• A working prototype demonstrating a hand-tracking mechanic, OR
• A hand-tracking feature successfully added to an existing title
• Feedback from peer developers through structured playtesting
• A deeper understanding of hand-tracking interaction design and best practices

🖥️ What You’ll Need

• A Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S headset
• A computer that can run Unity (Windows or Mac) or your preferred engine
• Hand tracking enabled on your device (built-in on Quest 3/3S)

❓ FAQs

Do I need to be a Start program member to participate?
Yes. If you’re not already a member, you can apply to the Start Program here.

Do I need prior hand-tracking experience?
Nope! The program is designed to accommodate developers at all levels—from first-time hand-tracking learners to experienced developers looking to add it to an existing title.

Can I add hand tracking to an app I’ve already built?
Absolutely. That’s one of the three tracks the program is designed for. Bring your existing project and we’ll help you integrate hand tracking into it.

What if I don’t have a project idea yet?
That’s fine. Week 1 is designed to get you up and running with the SDK and building first interactions. Your idea can emerge from experimentation.

Can I participate solo?
Yes! Solo developers are welcome. You can also team up with other participants if you’d like complementary skills on your project.

What game engine and programming language will be used?
Unity is the primary engine and language used in workshops and examples—you’re welcome to use any engine that supports Meta’s Hand Tracking SDK.

Does my project need to be a game?
Not at all. Creative tools, productivity apps, accessibility experiences, and non-traditional interactions are all welcome. If it uses hand tracking, it fits.

Can I use hand tracking alongside controllers?
Yes—your experience can support both input methods. The accelerator focuses on building strong hand-tracking interactions, but hybrid input is absolutely valid.

Is there funding associated with the Hands-First VR Accelerator?
No, the Hands-First VR Accelerator does not provide funding, grants, or financial compensation of any kind.

What happens after the program ends?
Alumni retain community access, and mentors remain available for follow-up sessions. Standout projects may be featured in community spotlights.

📝 Sign Up Now

Ready to get started? Sign up for the Hands-First VR Accelerator here! 

Join us for Orientation on Tuesday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m. (PDT): Zoom link 

Sign-ups close during the Orientation event.