These features and enhancements will become available starting the week of June 21st, 2023 and will be rolling out to Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2 headsets.
Quest performance improvements
We’re continuing to move VR forward by pushing the boundaries of what Quest Pro and Quest 2 are capable of. With v55, we’re enabling higher clock speeds for the CPU and GPU for all Quest Pro and Quest 2 headsets, giving you smoother gameplay and a more responsive UI. This update also adds more power for developers to take advantage of for both existing and upcoming apps.
These performance improvements include:
Up to 26% increase in CPU speed for Quest Pro and Quest 2
Up to 19% increase in GPU for Quest 2
Up to 11% increase in GPU for Quest Pro
Passcode
We’re adding the ability to use a passcode to unlock your device, which will work like the unlock pattern. As this feature gradually rolls out, you’ll be able toset up a numerical passcode between 4 and 12 characters to unlock your device, enter saved passwords, and more. You’ll be able to manage your passcode from Security in Settings.
Messenger in VR
We’re updating the Messenger experience in VR to help you connect and make new friends while in the metaverse. With v55, we’re bringing the Messenger app, including messaging and audio calling to VR, so you can hang out with those who matter most regardless of which device they use.
People you follow are online indicator
You’ll now see a green circle on the People tab in the universal menu to help you know when people you follow are online.
Explore redesign
We’re gradually rolling out an experimental design with new content for the default landing page in VR, Explore, so you can effortlessly engage with your communities, compelling entertainment, and immersive experiences.
A few of the Explore changes we’re experimenting with include:
New layout formats
Reels in VR
Reels in VR will only be shown to users who have a Facebook or Instagram account in the same Accounts Center as their Meta account
Meta Avatars Store
Meta Horizon Worlds featured worlds
Media content from Peacock, YouTube VR, Pluto TV and Xtadium
Easier avatar editing in real-time
We made it easier to travel to the mirror in your Horizon Home to edit your avatar. With just one click on the mirror, you will be transported and ready to view real-time edits to your avatar in an optimal position.
This will be rolling out gradually.
Eye tracking improvements
We’ve improved eye tracking on Quest Pro to make it more accurate across a broader field of view and during expressions like winking. For the most accurate eye tracking, you can always recalibrate by going to Movement Tracking in Settings, then Eye tracking,then Calibrate eye tracking.
Use hands on notifications
We’re gradually rolling out a new way to interact with notifications in VR using your hands. With hand tracking turned on, you’ll be able to tap on icons or buttons, or swipe to dismiss a notification.
New virtual environments
We’re releasing two new virtual environments:
Futurescape: As featured in this year’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, Futurescape combines futurism with the beauty and tranquility of nature. You can try out this new environment by going to Personalization in Settings.
The Great Sand Sea: Available for download to all Meta Quest users who pre-ordered Asgard’s Wrath 2, The Great Sand Sea is a large, free roaming, living world that allows you to immerse yourself in the mysterious sands of a vast desert landscape in VR. Once you pre-order Asgard’s Wrath 2, you can download this new Home environment from the Meta Quest app or directly from your Meta Quest headset and then launch the environment from the Home screen.
Browser multi-touch support
Quest Browser now has multi-touch gesture support, allowing you to use Touch controllers or your hands to zoom in, zoom out, or interact with other web elements.