Yahoo Finance Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.
Oculus Quest 2 and Portal devices now respond to 'Hey Facebook'
The new wake word will start rolling out to Quest 2 devices this week.
You can now issue voice commands for the Quest 2 and the Portal video chat devices by prefacing them with "Hey Facebook." Oculus launched voice commands for the Quest last year, but you'd still have to press the "Voice Commands" button in the menu or double-press the controller button before the device can listen to and recognize what you're saying. The new wake word will make the feature a true hands-free experience, so you can issue commands like "Hey Facebook, take a screenshot" or "Hey Facebook, open Supernatural" without having to press anything beforehand.
Oculus will start rolling out the new wake word to the Quest 2 this week, but it plans to make it available to older Quest devices in the future. In its blog post, the Oculus team said the feature is completely opt-in — you'll have to activate it through the Experimental Features panel, and you can switch it off anytime. Also, the wake word doesn't work if the mic is turned off or when the headset is asleep or powered down. You'll also be able to view, hear and delete your voice commands, as well as turn off voice storage anytime.
As for Portal devices, the new wake word is just another option to be able to issue hands-free commands. The video chat devices already respond to "Hey Portal," but you can now switch it up with "Hey Facebook" anytime.
