Designing for Emerging Player Motivations | The Blueprint for Game Retention & Growth
In this data-driven session, Anish Baby George (Meta’s Head of Games Growth & Monetization) breaks down the psychological drivers behind the most engaging game experiences. Discover how to translate core motivational insights into game mechanics that foster social connection and player agency. You’ll also explore how to structure effective live service events and high-impact holiday campaigns that drive retention and growth on the Meta Horizon Store. 💡 What you’ll learn: How to turn player motivations into actionable game design A full playbook for building and running high-impact seasonal events A proven framework for live service operations Recorded live in September 2024 as part of the Meta Horizon Start Summit. 🎙️ SPEAKER Anish Baby George, Head of Games Growth & Monetization ▶️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING THE AUDIENCE 🕒 00:00 - Welcome & Introduction 🕒 01:33 - Defining the Teen & Young Adult (TAYA) Audience (Ages 13-24) 🕒 05:19 - Core Principles for Designing with Safety & Privacy 🧠 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TAYA PLAYERS 🕒 06:52 - The 6 Key Aspects of Successful TAYA Games 🕒 10:02 - The Science: Self-Determination Theory (PENS Framework) 🕒 12:01 - Motivation 1: Relatedness (Social Connection) 🕒 14:11 - Motivation 2: Competence (Skill & Mastery) 🕒 15:52 - Motivation 3: Autonomy (Choice & Control) ⚙️ ACTIONABLE DESIGN & MONETIZATION PRINCIPLES 🕒 17:26 - Principle 1: Foster Skill Building with Simple Interactions 🕒 18:29 - Principle 2: Integrate Deep Customization 🕒 19:11 - Principle 3: Create Flexible Social Spaces 🕒 20:17 - Principle 4: Structure Progression (e.g., Season Pass) 🗓️ LIVE SERVICE & HOLIDAY EVENT STRATEGY 🕒 21:25 - The Live Service Cadence: A Framework for Ongoing Content 🕒 25:02 - Why Holiday Events Are Critical for Growth 🕒 26:12 - The 5-Factor Playbook for a Successful Holiday Event ✅ CONCLUSION & AUDIENCE COMPARISON 🕒 30:12 - Key Differences: Designing for Older Audiences (25+) 🕒 31:52 - Summary: How to Combine Motivations for a Hit Game 📚 RESOURCES ➡️Growth Insights Series: Tips for Monetizing In-App Purchases on Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/tips-monetizing-in-app-purchases-free-to-play-strategies ➡️ Growth Insights Series: Building Competency in New User Onboarding: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/growth-insights-series-building-competency-new-user-onboarding/ ➡️ Growth Insights Series: Effective Expectation Setting in Your Product Details Page https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/growth-insights-series-effective-expectation-setting-product-detail-page-engagement-retention/ ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter 🚀 ACCELERATE YOUR JOURNEY WITH META HORIZON START Meta Horizon Start offers the expert guidance and technical resources you need to take your development journey to the next level. Join a community of forward-thinking developers and get go-to-market support to successfully deploy and scale your app on Meta Horizon OS. Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
Runtime Optimizer Part 3 - AI-Assisted Performance Optimization on Meta Quest | Performance Series
Who says performance optimization has to live behind expert-only tooling? In this Start Performance Series session, Meta software engineers Jay Hsia and Nico Lopez show you how the Meta Quest Runtime Optimizer pairs with Perfetto and large language models (LLMs) to turn dense performance data into clear, actionable insights. You’ll also see how Unity developers can use the Runtime Optimizer for GPU analysis, then use Perfetto traces with an LLM to surface bottlenecks and generate specific fixes you can test right away. 💡 By viewing this session, you’ll learn: How to use Runtime Optimizer to profile GPU performance in Unity, including deep captures and “what-if” analysis How to capture rich Perfetto traces and use them for system-level performance profiling How to use an LLM to turn trace data into plain-English bottlenecks and concrete fix ideas How to validate improvements with a repeatable before-and-after trace comparison loop Recorded on December 4, 2025 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 - What the Runtime Optimizer does and why it matters ⚙️ RUNTIME OPTIMIZER UPDATES 🕒 03:21 - What’s new in Runtime Optimizer 0.2.2 🕒 03:35 - Hierarchy view for GPU cost analysis 🕒 04:14 - Batch profiling game objects 🤖 AI MEETS PERFORMANCE PROFILING 🕒 04:39 - Why Perfetto changes the optimization workflow 🕒 05:32 - Where AI fits into performance analysis 🕒 06:02 - What an MCP adds to LLM reliability 🧪 LIVE DEMO: PERFETTO AND LLM ANALYSIS 🕒 08:42 - Capturing a Perfetto trace 🕒 09:56 - Reading frame breakdowns with an LLM 🕒 10:38 - Detecting anomalies and GPU bottlenecks 🛠 FROM INSIGHT TO FIX 🕒 11:15 - Turning analysis into actionable changes 🕒 12:35 - Applying suggested code changes 🕒 13:02 - Tuning Unity settings with performance context 🔁 THE NORTH STAR OPTIMIZATION LOOP 🕒 16:05 - Runtime Optimizer, Perfetto, and Immersive Debugger together 🕒 17:27 - Running before and after trace comparisons 🕒 18:50 - Measuring real improvements ✅ BEST PRACTICES AND TAKEAWAYS 🕒 19:28 - How to get reliable results from AI-assisted profiling 🕒 20:06 - Why profiling markers matter 🕒 21:00 - Managing tokens and context for better AI results 🕒 22:15 - Applying AI across your profiling toolchain 🧰 TOOLS REFERENCED Perfetto: https://perfetto.dev/ Unity Profiler: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Profiler.html Cursor: https://cursor.com/ RenderDoc: https://renderdoc.org/ 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Fix Performance Bottlenecks with Meta Quest Runtime Optimizer: https://communityforums.atmeta.com/discussions/Community_Resources/fix-performance-bottlenecks-with-the-meta-quest-runtime-optimizer--performance-s/1356116 ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ 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
What's Trending in VR Development? | Tech, Content & Community
What does it take to succeed as a VR developer today? Join renowned YouTube creators and expert developers Dilmer Valecillos, Quentin Valembois, and Roberto Coviello in a roundtable discussion hosted by Darby Blaney. They explore the latest tech trends, such as the Passthrough Camera Access API and essential optimization tools, and share proven strategies for accelerating your workflow, creating content, and building an engaged community. 💡 In this session, you’ll learn: Insights into the latest VR technologies, including the creative potential of the Passthrough Camera Access API and underutilized tools like the Immersive Debugger. Best practices for optimizing performance and accelerating your development workflow using tools like Building Blocks and open-source projects. Proven strategies for building a personal brand, creating effective content, and fostering an engaged community around your work. Recorded in October 2025 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program. 🎙️ FEATURING: Darby Blaney, Metaverse Program Manager, Start Lead Roberto Coviello, Software Engineer Quentin Valembois, Start Mentor Dilmer Valecillos, Developer Advocate 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 - Welcome & Host Introduction 🚀 PART 1: THE DEVELOPER JOURNEY 🕒 02:13 - Panelist Origin Stories: How They Got Started in VR ⚙️ PART 2: TECH TRENDS & TOOLS 🕒 08:22 - Tech Trend: The Passthrough Camera API & AI 🕒 13:12 - Underutilized Tools: Immersive Debugger & Runtime Optimizer 🕒 17:12 - Best Practices for Performance Optimization 🕒 19:41 - Accelerating Development with Building Blocks & Open-Source Samples 📈 PART 3: CONTENT & COMMUNITY GROWTH 🕒 23:20 - Strategies for Content Creation & Building a Personal Brand 🕒 28:18 - The Role of Community Feedback in Development 🕒 32:47 - Inside the Meta Start Mentor Program ✅ CONCLUSION 🕒 35:06 - Final Thoughts & Thank You 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Dilmer’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dilmerv ➡️ Valem’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ValemTutorials ➡️ Roberto’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@xrdevrob ➡️ Spatial Scanner project available on GitHub: https://github.com/meta-quest/Meta-Spatial-SDK-Samples ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ 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
Build VR Apps Fast with Immersive Web SDK
Discover the Meta Immersive Web SDK, a powerful “batteries-included” framework designed to make immersive development as approachable as traditional web development. In this session, Meta Software Engineers Felix Zhang and Jianmin Zheng are joined by founder of Drawcall.ai, Bela Bohlender, to deliver a deep dive into the SDK’s features and developer-first workflows. By the end of the session, you will know how to build and test a complete immersive application right in your desktop browser, then carry that same project into a headset when you are ready. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 - Intro To Immersive Web SDK And Three Pillars 📈 SETUP AND WORKFLOW 🕒 02:00 - One Command Setup And Project Structure 🕒 04:07 - Headset Free Development With Built In Emulation 🕒 06:52 - Scene Composition And Asset Optimization 📊 CORE ARCHITECTURE AND INTERACTION SYSTEMS 🕒 08:15 - Entity Component System Overview 🕒 14:15 - Input Handling And Locomotion System 🕒 18:50 - Grab Interaction System 🕒 23:24 - Physics System With Havok 💡 UI AND Q&A 🕒 30:31 - Building UI Panels With UI Kit 🕒 38:29 - Audience Q&A And Hackathon Notes 📚 RESOURCES & DOCUMENTATION ➡️ Community Resources: https://communityforums.atmeta.com/category/horizon-developer-forum/discussions/Community_Resources ➡️ Developer Docs: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/develop/ ➡️ Developer Forum: https://communityforums.atmeta.com/category/horizon-developer-forum 🤝 STAY CONNECTED ➡️ News & Announcements: https://communityforums.atmeta.com/category/horizon-developer-forum/discussions/News_and_Announcements ➡️ Developer’s Blog: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog 🚀 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with the resources 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
Passthrough Camera Access (PCA) + AI Building Blocks on Quest 3 | Developer Workshop
With Passthrough Camera Access (PCA), your Quest 3 app reads the real-world camera feed as GPU textures you can use in Unity for mixed reality. In this session, the Meta XR team walks through the new PCA component in the Meta XR SDK and its privacy-first design that replaces the internal Medici prototype. You’ll see how PCA connects with AI Building Blocks for object detection and guidance, and how to use these tools in your submission to the 2025 Meta Horizon Start Developer Competition. 💡 By viewing this session, you’ll learn how to: Set up the PassthroughCameraAccess component in Unity and choose the right permissions and resolution for your use case. Map 2D coordinates from the camera to 3D rays with depth so virtual content stays locked to real surfaces. Use AI Building Blocks for on-device object detection and LLM prompts that respond to what the camera sees. Plan a PCA-powered prototype that meets the requirements of the Meta Horizon Start Developer Competition. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW 🕒 00:00 - Introduction and Agenda 🕒 00:52- What Is Passthrough Camera Access (PCA)? 🕒 03:20- Inspiring Use Cases: Industry & Community Projects 🛠️ TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION 🕒 07:29 - Technical Deep Dive: The New PCA Component in SDK v81 🕒 12:10 - New & Upcoming PCA Features 🕒 15:52 - Mastering Coordinate Systems: 2D to 3D and 3D to 2D 🤖 AI INTEGRATION & OPTIMIZATION 🕒 19:47 - Introducing the AI Building Blocks 🕒 22:51 - Deep Dive: The Object Detection Building Block ✅ Q&A AND BEST PRACTICES 🕒 24:46 - Competition Details & Q&A Kick-off 🕒 28:14 - Q&A: Handling Latency and Inspiring Use Cases 🕒 40:44 - Q&A: PCA vs. Scene API & Visual Design Best Practices 🕒 45:46 - Q&A: Offline Voice Recognition & Final Remarks 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ 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
Runtime Optimizer Part 2 - GPU Textures and Mixed Reality | Performance Series
In Part 2 of our technical deep dive, Meta software engineers Jay Hsia and Nico Lopez move from high-level profiling into real GPU problem solving for mixed reality on Meta Quest. You’ll see how they use the Runtime Optimizer to study Passthrough projects and large texture collections, then turn that data into shader changes and day-to-day profiling routines that keep performance predictable. 💡After viewing this session, you’ll understand how to: Configure Runtime Optimizer experiments for Passthrough and mixed reality projects. Choose between Texture 2D Array and atlases for large texture sets. Stream high resolution textures in smaller chunks. Move UV work into the vertex shader and add profiler markers. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 - Welcome & Agenda Overview 🛠️ DEBUGGING & MIXED REALITY 🕒 03:19 - Profiling Passthrough & Mixed Reality 🕒 06:24 - Texture Arrays vs. Texture Atlases 🎨 Shader & Code Optimization 🕒 12:52 - Fixing Texture Fetch Stalls (Vertex Shaders) 🕒 16:52 - Best Practices for Profiler Markers ✅ FINAL THOUGHTS 🕒 20:20 - Recap & Next Steps 📖 OPTIMIZATION EXAMPLES REFERENCED IN THIS VIDEO 🔖 Meta Quest Runtime Optimizer Docs: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/unity-quest-runtime-optimizer/ 🔖 Unity Profiler Documentation: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Profiler.html 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ 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
Fix Performance Bottlenecks with the Meta Quest Runtime Optimizer | Performance Series
In this technical deep dive, Meta Software Engineers Jay Hsia and Nico Lopez walk you through the complete workflow for identifying and resolving latency issues in real-time using the Meta Quest Runtime Optimizer. If you’re looking to optimize your build, this session is an essential resource for fixing performance bottlenecks prior to launch. 💡After viewing this session, you’ll understand how to: Enable and configure Runtime Optimizer overlay in Unity Interpret real-time metrics to distinguish between CPU and GPU bottlenecks Apply actionable insights to reduce draw calls and texture overhead 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 - Introduction to the Performance Series & Runtime Optimizer 🕒 01:52 - The Optimization Profiling Funnel 🛠️ RUNTIME OPTIMIZER SETUP 🕒 05:31 - Core Concepts of the Runtime Optimizer 📉 ANALYZING METRICS 🕒 09:32 - Bottleneck Analysis: Finding What's Expensive 🕒 15:27 - What-If Analysis: Quantifying Performance Costs 🛠️ LIVE DEMO & WORKFLOW 🕒 20:51 - Live Demo: Putting the Tool into Practice 🕒 26:12 - Final Recap and Recommended Workflow 📖 OPTIMIZATION EXAMPLES REFERENCED IN THIS VIDEO 🔖 Meta Quest Runtime Optimizer Docs: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/unity-quest-runtime-optimizer/ 🔖 Unity Profiler Documentation: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Profiler.html 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ 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
Build Intuitive Experiences with Hands & Microgestures
You can build powerful immersive experiences with Hand Tracking using the Meta Interaction SDK. Watch as Meta Engineering Manager Jesse Keogh shows you the essential steps to go from a blank Unity project to a fully interactive prototype with UI and 3D object interactions. You’ll walk away with production-ready techniques for Quest-specific optimization and system-backed gestures like Pinch and Microgestures that deliver reliable input across all users. 💡After viewing this session, you’ll understand how to: Configure the Interaction SDK using Quick Actions Implement system-backed gestures like Pinch Streamline project creation with the Meta Quest Developer Hub Test interactions using the XR Simulator 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 - Introduction to the Hands Workshop 🕒 02:41 - Overview of Hand Tracking System Features ⚙️ CORE CONCEPTS 🕒 05:35 - System-Backed Gestures & Interaction SDK 🕒 08:25 - Tour of Interaction SDK Capabilities 🕒 11:48 - Design Principles & Best Practices 🛠️ Workflow & Demo 🕒 14:23 - Project Setup with Meta Quest Developer Hub 🕒 20:39 - Live Demo: Building UI Interactions 🕒 34:02 - Live Demo: Adding Grabbable 3D Objects ✅ FINAL THOUGHTS 🕒 37:15 - Q&A: Advanced Use Cases & Debugging 📖 HAND TRACKING EXAMPLES REFERENCED IN THIS VIDEO 🔖 Interaction SDK Overview: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/unity-isdk-interaction-sdk-overview/ 🔖 Hand Tracking Design Guidelines: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/design/hands/ 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ 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
