How To Run The Meta Quest AR Chess Demo

Version/Date: 23.11.2023

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Requirements
  3. Instructions

Overview

This demo is a showcase of the augmented reality(AR) capabilities of the Meta Quest headsets. By running it you will be able to experience playing chess by interacting with a virtual chess board that will appear within your surrounding environment.
The headset uses its passthrough cameras to capture your surroundings. Then, it combines the 3D models of the chessboard and the chess pieces with the headset's model of your environment to render them together. As a result, you get to visualize and interact with a chessboard that seems to appear in your real environment.

Hands-On Interaction

You can interact with the chessboard and the pieces using your hands. This is the list of supported interactions:

  • To move the board grab the board with one hand and move your hand around while keeping a hold of the board.
  • To resize the board grab the sides of the board with both hands and start distancing your hands to expand the board, or moving your hands closer together to contract the board.
  • To change the orientation of the board grab the board's sides and rotate your hands around the central axis of the board(similar to how you would do it IRL).
  • To move a chess piece pinch the piece while moving it on top of the square that you want to place it on. When the glowing yellow circle appears on the square, release the chess piece. The piece will snap to the square that had the yellow circle.
    • Note: if you release the piece when there's no square with a yellow circle, the piece will return to its previous square.
  • To reset the position of the pieces, push the “Reset Game” button on the side of the chessboard with your finger.
Hand Tracking Limitations

When you use hand tracking to play virtual chess, take into consideration that hand control is implemented by tracking the position and the state of your hands using the headset's cameras. This technology comes with its own set of limitations that need to be considered while running the demo:

  • Make sure that there is a strong source of light in the room. If your hands are in the dark, the cameras won't be able to track them.
  • Make sure that your hand gestures are visible to the headset. To enable grabbing and pinching interactions, the cameras need to see the fingers that are involved in the gesture.

By making sure that the above conditions are met, you'll increase the headset's chance of correct hand tracking. As a result, you will have a better gameplay experience.

Requirements

  • Hardware:
    • Meta Quest headset (tested on Quest Pro and Quest 3)
    • USB type-C cable
  • Software:
    • Oculus/Meta Developer Account
    • SideQuest

Instructions

How to Run the Demo:

Step 1

Install SideQuest:

  • Download the Advanced Installer for SideQuest from their website.

  • Run the installer and follow the instructions from the installation wizard.
Step 2

Download the APK file of the Chess Demo from the demo's project repository on GitHub

Step 3

Log in on the Meta Quest using a developer account. Then, to connect the Meta Quest to SideQuest:

  • Open SideQuest, then follow the setup instructions from the top left corner to connect the headset:

Note: Ask the administration team for the credentials of the Interaction-Lab's Meta account
Step 4

Upload the APK file to the Meta Quest headset through SideQuest:

  • Open SideQuest, then click on the “Install APK” icon on the right side of the top menu bar:

  • When prompted, open the APK file that you have downloaded in step 2.
  • The APK file should be installed on the headset in a few seconds:

Step 5

Run the Demo on the Meta Quest headset:

  • Open the apps menu
  • Select “Unknown Sources” from the cell next to the search bar
  • Run the application named “My Project”

Possible Issues:

  • The Meta account is in non-developer mode:
    • Solution: Make sure that two-factor authentication is enabled for this account. If it is not enabled, add a phone number and an authenticator at https://auth.meta.com/settings/security/. Connect the headset to the Meta Quest app on your smartphone. In the app, go into settings and enable developer mode for the headset.

Interaction Lab