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Can I use avatars without passing a concept review?

polka_panda
Protege
I understand I can upload a build to the Quest via USB.

I also understand that the Oculus Avatar SDK will *not* work unless the app passes entitlement, and the only way to do that is to have the app come from Oculus' online service (typically Alpha channel at first).

So what I'm afraid of is that it is impossible to run code that uses the Avatar SDK (that is, code that shows the Oculus avatars) unless Oculus gives the OK via a concept review.

Is this true or is there some reasonable solution I'm not aware of?
6 REPLIES 6

Stefferp
Protege
There is no such requirement to use the Avatars SDK, I've been working with it for half a year now and only recently have I uploaded my first build to the alpha channel.

beaulima9933
Expert Protege

In the same subject...

@Stefferp I always thought you had to have an RiftAppID/GearVRAppID # to connect to platform features and use Avatars/matchmaking? I know entitlement is optionnal (unless publishing on store) for testing. I will have to test that.

@NinjaGaijin 

Brian, for our apps will go through the official submission process for Quest.  However,
our well-known, open-source project Proteus Template for Unreal is
the go-to template to use Avatars with multiplayer support for Go, Quest, Rift,
S.



We
use this template as a “test-bed” to test new features and then offer them to
the community.



Incidentally,
because of this new process, we don’t have an AppID, and therefore no access to
platform features.



Do
you think they would allow us an access to the platform through the submission
process for our template?



I
think the community would gain a lot if we can test and offer them platform
features for the Quest.



After
having implemented these features in their respective project, devs will then
go through the official submission process.



Thanks
and continue the good work!



Mat,
at Proteus

polka_panda
Protege
So I'm hearing from @Stefferp that they can use the Avatar SDK just fine without an AppID, and I'm hearing from @beaulima9933, developer from the well-known Proteus, that they cannot.

I'm going to believe @beaulima9933 on this one. Oculus, please fix this?

beaulima9933
Expert Protege
@NinjaGaijin
@polka_panda

Some precisions:

Ok after having done extensive tests with Rift S & Quest, in latest 4.22-Oculus branch:

What you can do WITHOUT having access to platform services:

Play single player
Use Avatars (single player), by manually setting your OculusID

What you CANNOT DO WITHOUT having access to platform services:
Play multiplayer
Retrieve OculusID
Check Entitlement
Rooms and Matchmaking
All other platform services

So yeah, you can test Avatars with Quest in singleplayer. I'll update the template this week with a working example.

However, I keep asking the usefulness of gatekeeping access to platform services for the Quest.
On one hand, I understand they wish to refrain devs to go too deep in a bad project;
On another it keep the later from testing platform and multiplayer features on the Quest.

Well, well, Brian, what do you think of all that ? :))


polka_panda
Protege
Thank you @beaulima9933! I see, so if I hardcode the OculusID instead of retrieving it, it's possible to use avatars, that's better than nothing.

But of course, since I'm interested in making a social app, I'm blocked unless I can have access to reading the OculusID, multiplayer, rooms and matchmaking.What these restrictions are doing for developers like me is a push to either use different hardware (perhaps I don't need VR for the apps I was thinking about?), or alternatives to the Oculus platform SDK. I don't think either of these things are in Oculus/Facebook's best interest.

beaulima9933
Expert Protege
@polka_panda I still have tests to do, but the way I've been able to use Avatars (I develop on S and deploy on Quest):
I create a desktop (Rift/S) game ID on Oculus dashboard
I create also a mobile (Gear VR/Go) game ID
I package for PC, send it to alpha channel on desktop dashboard
I package for Go, send it to alpha channel on mobile dashboard
I then share platform services
I test run the PC version with an S online, retrieve the OculusID
Put the Oculus ID in the Go (now Quest) version, and it works.

You cannot uase any social services without a Quest app ID, and you need to be greenlighted before by Oculus for that (good luck).

They are suppose to open the store to professional apps this fall, but you'll have to use the 999 USD$ Quest-business edition to access these key-only apps.

So in short you can test single-person avatars, but that's all you can do right now. 🙂