The open beta for VRChat on PC now natively supports hand tracking via the SteamVR skeletal input system.
The VRChat standalone app on the Quest Store will support hand tracking starting in late 2022. But of course, the best way to experience VRChat is on PC, where you’ll see higher quality versions of most avatars and worlds, and have access to PC-exclusive avatars and worlds that go far beyond what’s possible on mobile.
VRChat’s latest open beta brings hand tracking, including the finger gesture control system originally designed for the Quest, to PC.
Previously, it was possible to emulate the Valve Index controller on PC using hand tracking, but this didn’t offer full finger articulation.
VRChat doesn’t yet use OpenXR, so to use hand tracking on PC you’ll need software that supports transferring hand tracking to SteamVR Skeletal Input.
If you have a Meta Quest headset you can do this using the latest beta version of Virtual Desktop, if you have an Apple Vision Pro you can use ALVR, or for a native PC VR headset you can use the open source SteamVR drivers for the Leap Motion 2 add-on.
There’s a caveat, though: Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin told UploadVR that the app’s current support is strictly an experimental beta version, meaning it’s still in development and not stable for general use.
When VRChat on PC gains this hand tracking support, it will greatly improve the expressiveness and scope of what can be expressed through sign language, and when combined with the platform’s eye-, face-, and body-tracking support, VRChat (at least in beta) will be able to achieve a deeper social presence than most other widely available technologies.
