Meta is investigating Quest 3 issues after controller tracking complaints

Meta is investigating Quest 3 issues after controller tracking complaints

Meta has yet to confirm the cause of the tracking issues, or provide a possible workaround. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Meta is investigating reports of tracking issues blighting its Quest 3 VR headset following user complaints that controller tracking performance is “much worse than the Quest 2” in some games. Over on the Meta community forums, user NotDream flagged issues with tracking performance on the Quest 3 controllers while playing Gorilla Tag (a VR game that requires users to run, jump, and climb by moving their arms around) claiming that they “lose tracking during medium-fast to fast hand movement” such as throwing or catching a ball.

“This is a big issue for games/activities involving fast-paced hand movement as it’s not nearly as reliable as the Quest 2 controller tracking performance,” said NotDream.

Other forum members in the same thread claim to have encountered similar tracking issues across other VR titles like Beatsaber, Supernatural, and Tennis Esports. One comment from a game developer (known as carrotstien) for Eleven Table Tennis claims the issues stem from the LED arrangement on the controller. “Oh how I wish the developers of sports games were invited to the table when discussing controller design,” said carrotstien, adding that “there are users which are simply sticking with their quest2 headsets and returning their quest3s because of the tracking issues.”

“I wish the developers of sports games were invited to the table when discussing controller design”

As reported by New World Notes, complaints have also been posted to Reddit in the last few weeks echoing similar tracking problems. The issues seem especially noticeable for competitive gamers who utilize adapters — controller attachments like batting handles that make gameplay feel more natural.

In response to NotDream’s post, Meta Quest Support said that the team is actively investigating tracking issues and is working to improve performance, especially for “competitive players” across titles like Gorilla Tag, Supernatural, IB Cricket, and Eleven Table Tennis. Some of these improvements are expected to roll out in upcoming releases. We have reached out to Meta for more information on what’s causing the tracking issues and to clarify when a fix will be released.