Meta Community AMA: May 2024 Q&A Thread!

[neurodivrgent]

Here for the May 2024 AMA? Then you’ve made it to the right place! This is the thread where we’ll gather your questions and get the highest voted questions answered by the team.

This month’s guest team hosting the AMA with us is the Link team! This is the team responsible for both the user experience for Link in the HMD, as well as for the Link PC app. For more information check out the May AMA Announcement here and if you’re curious for how our AMAs work check out all about them here.

[neurodivrgent · Accepted solution]

Alright ya'll, the day that we've been waiting for.....the answers to the May AMA are up!

Thanks to you all and your participation, the Link team came back with tons of inspiration from this thread. Appreciate everyone who came in with their questions for the team. Without further ado, these are the answers to the Top 5 most kudoed questions, including a few bonus questions:

1) Question: As a developer, I have only one question: When can we get access to the camera? Without it, we cannot read QR codes, we can't take pictures of mixed reality content, we can't detect or track real objects with CV and many more. This is one of the biggest pain points for business applications. - @lukaszdu

We take our commitments to privacy extremely seriously, none more so that when it comes to how we handle the output of the Quest cameras. While we support streaming of camera outputs to the PC for development purposes, we have no near term plans to enable this for PC applications offered to end users.

2) Question: Will PC Link ever have anything other than the awful white grid again? - @Choleni 

We know this has been a long standing request from the community, and we are actively investigating how to address it. Stay tuned!

3) Question: Do you plan to support the AV1 codec in future releases? - @ZenekiVR 

Yes we do! This is something the team will be working on in the near future.

4) Question: Any chance you could add some options for disabling the background sound in the link home?  - @StorminLightEyes 

Yes, we’ll make sure to take this into consideration. Thanks for the feedback!

5) Question: Stereo Video Recording Directly From the Quest 3

Hi Team,

Following the pretty impressive v64 improvements that bring the Quest 3 even closer to the much more expensive spatial computing device, will you consider adding 3D recording and posting from the Quest 3 itself instead of relying on the iPhone?

This would be a game changer, giving every Quest 3 owner the capability to generate 3D content for the ecosystem. I would even bring my Quest 3 while travelling. - @chris.o.yul 

Yes, this was a feature we were considering and something that may be on the table.

[BONUS QUESTIONS]

**Could we have an option to save the position of displays in link?  - @TheJ0rma 

Yes! You may be referring to Link Remote Desktop, and if so it is already supported. All you have to do is “grab" a display using the grip button (on the side of the controller handle) and place it anywhere around you!

**When will hand tracking be natively supported? - @tanubon 

It’s coming soon! We are excited for you to use it!

[TheJ0rma]

I know the displays can be moved. My question was could you save the position so you don't have to move them every time as they spawn on top of eachother and way too close.

[Administrator19781]

Currently, Horizon Worlds does offer a "Snapshot" feature, which allows you to save the state of your world, including the position of objects, for later use. That I do know of this helps

[TheJ0rma]

Horizon worlds isn't available where I live and has nothing to do with link home enviroment afaik.

[Sohail8002]

Nyc

[lukaszdu]

@neurodivrgent, thank you for your answer. As my question received the most Kudos, I hope you notice how important it is for developers. Have you considered exposing at least a QR code reading API that can be used for object (like machine) recognition or room detection? I know that the Meta Quest app on mobile can share a Wi-Fi password with a QR code, so I know that it is possible. I agree that privacy is very important, but there should be a way to provide critical environmental context for Mixed Reality apps without putting privacy at risk. 

[user_913389200073121]

Recently meta is breaking lot of out of warranty devices by sending software updates that is known to brick the device. When meta support is contacted they are asking them for 149$ for a refurbished replacement.

Users cant disable software updates so device is bound to be bricked when meta wishes. 

Is there any plan that meta will allow user to install fresh os or disable software updates or fix bricked devicea with some patch or tool? 

[Daxmanp]

Bring Back Echo VR

[Administrator19781]

I don't have information about any specific plans or timelines for Meta to release a tool or patch that would allow users to install a fresh OS, disable software updates, or repair bricked devices in Horizon Worlds or any other Meta platform.

However, Meta has a history of releasing tools and features that give users more control over their devices and experiences. For example, Meta Quest devices have a built-in feature called "Factory Reset" that allows users to restore their device to its original settings.

It's also worth noting that Meta has a community of developers and creators who build custom software and tools for Meta's platforms, including Horizon Worlds. These community-created tools and software may offer additional features and functionality beyond what's available through official Meta channels.

Keep an eye on Meta's official blog and social media channels for updates on new features and tools, and join the Meta developer community to stay up-to-date on the latest developments and innovations from the community!

[Administrator19781]

I hope that helped a little