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Facebook's Oculus wants to let you control VR with your hands

A new capability coming to Oculus VR headsets next year will allow you to control the device without a controller.

Ian Sherr Contributor and Former Editor at Large / News
Ian Sherr (he/him/his) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so he's always had a connection to the tech world. As an editor at large at CNET, he wrote about Apple, Microsoft, VR, video games and internet troubles. Aside from writing, he tinkers with tech at home, is a longtime fencer -- the kind with swords -- and began woodworking during the pandemic.
Ian Sherr
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Say goodbye to the controllers.

Scott Stein/CNET

For decades, science fiction has predicted that we will eventually control computers without a keyboard, mouse or controller. Instead, we'll wave our hands and control the virtual world.

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Mark Zuckerberg announces hand tracking at Oculus Connect.

Angela Lang/CNET

Starting next year, Facebook says it'll be a step closer to that promise. New software being created for its $399 Oculus Quest headset will allow you to control the VR world with your hands, pointing and grabbing things with your real-life hands and seeing them manipulate things in the real world.

"The hardware is getting out of the way, and with each step, we're getting to a more immersive and natural experience," said Mark Zuckerberg , Facebook's CEO, during a presentation at his company's Oculus Connect developer conference in San Jose Wednesday. "The first time you just wiggle your fingers and you see that full range of motion in your hands, it takes the experience to a whole new level."

Watch this: Controlling electronics with your mind!

Oculus Quest is fully mobile VR

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