We’ve all faced the dilemma when sitting down to play a videogame and you find that the controller is dead. Whether that’s because you’ve forgotten to charge the damn thing or those cheap AA batteries you picked up only managed to last a few paltry hours. If you’ve got a Meta Quest 2 virtual reality (VR) headset then there’s always a third option for that gaming fix, hand tracking.
This was the position I found myself in recently but not because of a battery issue. Heading out the door one cold December morning, I quickly grabbed my Quest 2 alongside other belongings to provide some immersive entertainment later that day. Alas, in my haste to get out the door, I forgot one important bit of kit, the controllers, only realising once it was too late, ruining what was going to be a couple of hours playing The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution.
So, with the controllers absent it was time to delve into to the world of hand-tracking titles. Thankfully, Quest 2 has a veritable selection of games to choose from that utilise this cutting-edge tech. Some have been built specifically for hand tracking whilst others have managed to jimmy it into their projects.
The games…
Straight away I wanted to try Cubism, a simple yet devilishly fun puzzle title I’d played beforehand tracking was available. A great way to relax and pass the time, adding the additional hand-tracking element gave the experience a whole new lease of life, great when there are 90+ puzzles to solve. There’s even a new passthrough feature so you can now see your actual surroundings.
It was then time to expand my scope a bit further by deploying city builder Little Cities. Another VR title that’s added hand tracking after launch, taking away the controller barrier becomes very natural. Being able to select the various building options via the watch is slick and intuitive. The best hand-tracking games are you’re not having to rush at all, as the tech is best suited to gentle movement. Which Little Cities expertly caters to.
Finally, it was time for the delightful The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets. In these gorgeous, miniature dioramas the goal is to find all the hidden pets, poking, prodding, and connecting various parts of the environment along the way. Ideal for hand tracking! Nothing quite like getting your fingers into the inner workings of a puzzle, especially since the hand tracking 2.0 update removed the issue of finger occlusion.
There very plenty of Quest 2 hand-tracked games I didn’t try, any suggestions on which should be next?