Meta Quest VR headset adds new avatar creator customization tools, Horizon Feed, more

Meta has started rolling out its Meta Quest v57 update for its Quest virtual reality headsets. The update brings a range of new features and upgrades for Quest users such as unsending image messages, horizon feed, and more. But one of the most important feature upgrades to come from the update is an improvement to the avatar creator, as the company adds better customization options for users to fine-tune their appearance. Users will now be able to do a bunch of customization previously not possible such as adding highlights to hair, using a slider to pick a specific base hair color, and even choosing the color of your eyebrows. This was a feature many had asked for in the past and Meta has finally delivered.

Announcing the new customization features, Meta said in its blog post, “With v57, we’re rolling out a new update to our avatars to help bring those details and more to life. Now you’ll be able to fine tune things like your hair and eyebrow color, more accurately adjust your skin tone, add makeup and face paint, and otherwise make your VR persona better reflect how you see yourself IRL”.

Meta Quest v57 adds new features to the VR headset

While the avatar customization is the main highlight of the update, there are other features to be excited about. Let us take a look at them.

Horizon Feed: According to Meta, Horizon Feed will be the go-to to find content relevant to the passions and interests of the users. They can find new content to explore in Feed, like games, apps, and Reels. Horizon Feed will be replacing the Explore tab in the game.

Unsend image messages: Users of the Meta Quest VR and mobile app will now see an option to unsend image messages for those occasions when they send an accidental message or send a message to the wrong person. This feature is initially being rolled out for users residing in Australia, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the US.

Free-form locomotion in Horizon Home: Earlier, users were only able to move between predefined hotspots in the Horizon Home. But now, Meta is allowing free-form movement through the Home Horizon to let users explore their home environment more. However, this comes with some restrictions such as users can’t teleport through walls, furniture, or virtual objects like Avatar Mirror. They also cannot teleport too close to another person’s avatar.

These features have begun rolling out in a phased manner and should reach all users in a few days.