VRChat, the Steam platform that lets players explore and socialize, has received its 2024.4.2 update, adding a few new features and fixing a slew of bugs.
Now, players with VRC+ can virtually print their photos directly from the camera and give them to other players. Those without VRC+ can receive pictures and add them to their new and improved gallery. A developer update last month explained a bit about how prints work, including their frisbee-like mechanics.
Prints aren’t all that players can give – a new gift bundle feature lets players give others VRC+. They can be gifted to random users nearby or bound to a specific item you drop for a friend. This can be stacked, and players who gift VRC+ will get a special badge on their bio.
Age Verification is also being tested. It’s not available for everyone, but Age Verification badges are rolling out in groups that players can get. However, they’re optional to use, and there’s one that shows players are over 18 or a more generic one that just shows that they’ve gone through the Age Verification process. Certain instances may require people to have verified their age.
The Vtuber experience is improving with mobile face tracking for Android users. This works on most avatars, and it’s found in settings under Selfie Expression. The camera image processing is done on the device itself, so there’s no way for anyone in VRChat to see players’ actual faces.
A ton of changes and fixes were also added to VRChat with the 2024.4.2 update. A full list of them and details can be found here, but some of the biggest ones include the following:
- Players can now stream mipmap
- Untrusted URLs are no longer automatically played in public
- Standalone quest users now have the same hand-tracking system as PC players
- DPID is now re-enabled, which improves the graphics for some players
Android Mobile users can now use the Avatar Picker onboarding UI as well.
VRChat released a video detailing a lot of the changes, which players can view below:
If you’re interested in the metaverse, check out how Roblox has let players buy movie tickets in-game for IRL movies, and our thoughts on whether or not the metaverse has left virtual reality behind.
