Meta Plans To Make Quest Scene Mesh Scans Update Automatically

Meta’s Quest, Set to Automatically Update 3D Scene Mesh

In an exciting development, Meta is reportedly planning to make Quest headsets’ 3D scene mesh automatically update, keeping pace with changes in your physical environment. This move, spotted in the v72 changelog of the Meta XR Core SDK, signals a shift towards a more seamless mixed reality experience.

Currently, Quest 3 and Quest 3S generate a 3D scene mesh by scanning your room, allowing mixed reality apps to interact with and reskin your environment. However, these scans capture a single moment in time, leaving out recent changes like moved furniture or additional objects. Users must manually re-scan to update the mesh, a process that won’t capture spontaneous or continuous changes.

In contrast, Apple Vision Pro and Pico 4 Ultra use hardware-level active depth sensors for continuous, automatic scene meshing. Meta’s approach, hinted at in the SDK changelog, seems to strike a balance.

"We’re working towards removing user-editable space settings by 2025," Meta stated in the changelog. This suggests Meta will enable background mesh updates after an initial scan, adapting to environmental changes without user intervention.

While this advancement promises a smoother mixed reality experience, it could potentially impact battery life for apps utilizing the scene mesh, given Meta’s computational approach.

We’re eagerly anticipating Meta’s upcoming Horizon OS updates, where this feature could make its debut, significantly enhancing the mixed reality capabilities of Quest headsets.