It’s time for the monthly Oculus software update and v35 is a big one, adding previously revealed features, improving others and bringing some out of the experimental section. The rollout begins this week so you might have to wait a short while as it’s made available to everyone.
So let’s start with more advanced ways to share and improve all that lovely virtual reality (VR) gameplay footage. Mixed reality recording has become the de facto way of showcasing players in VR as it gives a better sense of what’s going on. To that end, v35 will feature a new experimental Casting capability called mobile mixed reality camera, a more advanced version of Live Overlay. There are some limitations to the feature currently, it’ll only work with 11 titles currently (Beat Saber, SUPERHOT VR, Job Simulator, Richie’s Plank Experience, Pistol Whip, Racket NX, Synth Riders, Space Pirate Trainer, Racket Fury, Vacation Simulator and Gravity Sketch), an iPhone XS or above running iOS 11.0 or higher and v139 of the Oculus mobile app.
Next up is staying connected. Messenger was integrated earlier this year in v25 so you could stay in contact with friends in VR via text. This new update adds Messenger Calling in VR, jumping into a call with anyone using a Messenger support platform.
Now for something that’s really going to be useful, Cloud Backup. There previously was a system in place but it didn’t work well so that was shelved, meaning that if you deleted a game then your save progress went with it. The new version was announced during Connect in October, so that when you do need to remove a title to make way for a new one all your progress and settings will be saved in the cloud. Also great if you’re planning on upgrading your Quest. Meta says that Cloud Backup “will be opt-in by default” for developers, so they’ll have to actively opt-out to avoid the feature.
While Cloud Backup is part of the v35 update it’s actually going to get a slower rollout as Meta continues testing. So you may have to wait a bit for this particular feature.
Also on the v35 roster, Multi-User and App Sharing are both moving out of the Experimental Features section, Horizon Workrooms will start letting you customise your virtual office workspace; more 2D panel apps including MURAL, Miro, and monday.com are set to arrive in the coming weeks; and there’s now a Public Test Channel for Quest software you can sign up to.
For continued updates, keep reading VRFocus.
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