In preparation for our launch on the Oculus Quest next week, we?ve created a new VRChat Home and VRChat Hub for both our PC and Quest users! Both of the worlds are cross-platform, and will allow Quest and PC users to interact and chat with each other.
VRChat Home
For the Home, we wanted to create a space where it was easy to find the content you?d like to explore for the day. There are buttons next to portals that let you switch between a variety of worlds, as well as a new avatar selector next to the mirror. We?ll be updating these avatars as we move forward, sourcing from our Featured Avatar submissions. Not all of the submissions we?ve chosen are available here, but we?ll be updating the selection over the next few weeks (as well as adding them to the Avatar menu).
The layout has been changed to give you a bit more room to move while avoiding the boxy feel of the previous Home. We?ve also taken the opportunity to start fresh in the interest of increased performance, so we?ve removed some of the toys and objects previously present. We?ll continue iterating on the world going forward, so keep an eye out for more changes.
VRChat Hub
The Hub has received quite a makeover. We?ve found that users tend to prefer smaller (but not too small) instances to chat with their friends, with areas that naturally lean into permitting groups to separate out and have conversations. A darker evening lighting scheme tends to be more favorable and provides an ?after-hours? feel.
The new VRChat Hub is designed with these concepts (among others) in mind. It is small enough to ensure users don?t get lost or confused, but large enough to permit groups to break off and have separate conversations from the main area. The campfire provides a comfortable, natural area to gather up.
We?ve also brought along the most popular feature of the previous Hub with wearable props like hats, moustaches, and various other objects. Pick them up, position them on your head, pull the trigger, and let go. You?ve got a fresh new look.
There?s a whole portal section in the Hub that?s temporarily split. We?ve split the portals between cross-platform worlds (that we?ve pre-set) and active PC worlds. In the near future, these portals will change to active cross-platform worlds.
Of course, it wouldn?t be the Hub without a big mirror. In the interest of performance, the new mirror starts as a ?2D mirror?, and can be toggled into a standard VRChat Mirror by pressing a button on the right side.
Finally, just like the Home, the Hub is cross-platform. It will provide an excellent starting space for both Quest and PC users to meet up and find new worlds to explore.
How does Cross-platform work?
Cross-platform content is indicated with an icon on the thumbnail. This icon also appears on portals!
This icon indicates what platforms the content is available for. The left (blue) side is PC, and the right (green) side is Quest. If content is available on both platforms, then both circles will be lit up. If it is only available for a specific platform, it will only be lit on the appropriate side. For example, if an avatar is Quest-only, it will only have the right (green) side lit up.
Additionally, if you are in a cross-platform world while on Quest and encounter a user who is using a PC-only avatar, they will be displayed as a placeholder avatar. This avatar will have a blue icon on its chest that says ?PC?. The same occurs if you?re on PC and encounter a user wearing a Quest-only avatar.
Keep in mind that if a world is built for only PC or only Quest, users on the other platform cannot access it. If you?d like users from both platforms to see your world, make sure you build it for both platforms. Learn how to do so in our documentation.
There?s a bit more to go over regarding cross-platform content, but this is the short version. We?ll expand on it more in upcoming blog posts and documentation.
Goin? Live
Both the new VRChat Home and VRChat Hub will be going live shortly after this post is made. The cross-platform icons will start appearing when we push our next client update. We?ve already been seeing many authors set up their content for cross-platform play. We?re glad that our community is just as excited as we are to bring our new Quest users into the VRChat universe.
