Design

Input modalities

Updated: Sep 4, 2026

Overview

Meta Horizon OS supports a range of input modalities, in two categories:

Primary inputs are full-fidelity modalities capable of driving all core app interactions on their own.
Supplemental inputs augment a primary input for specific use cases.

Design your app around at least one primary input, then use supplemental inputs to extend it where they add value.

Supported input modalities

Modality	Type	Description
Controllers	Primary	Combine an ergonomic form factor with haptic feedback, precise tracking, and reliable input controls to make hand and tool interactions believable.
Hand tracking	Primary	Delivers higher-fidelity hand presence for more natural interactions and stronger social engagement, with no additional hardware. Not intended to replace controllers in all scenarios, especially games that require a high degree of precision.
Eye tracking	Supplemental	Targeting by looking, on devices that support eye tracking. Pairs with a separate actuation input, such as a hand pinch, rather than driving selection on its own.
Head gaze	Supplemental (fallback)	The user targets with head movement. Used as a fallback input in the system when controller tracking and hand tracking are not available.
Gamepad	Supplemental	Traditional console controllers, specialized for gaming experiences. Offer precise control over movement and actions, are familiar to many users, and are designed for comfort over extended sessions. At system level the gamepad actuates a ray aimed by head position rather than pointing on its own.
Voice	Supplemental	Can be faster than typing with controllers or hand tracking, and useful where hand mobility is limited. The system keyboard provides built-in voice dictation for faster text input.
Keyboard	Supplemental	Meta VR devices support physical keyboards, letting users enter text quickly by leveraging familiarity and existing muscle memory.
Mouse	Supplemental	Meta VR devices support physical mice. Enables precise control for tasks like selecting small objects or navigating complex menus.
Stylus	Supplemental	The Logitech MX Ink, a third-party 6DOF tracked stylus, lets users draw and sketch on 2D surfaces or in 3D space, with high precision for writing, drawing, and selecting small objects.
Body tracking	Supplemental	Tracks the user’s body pose to drive avatar movement and embodiment. It does not target or actuate; it augments a primary input rather than replacing it.

Choosing whether to support hands or controllers

Most apps should make a deliberate choice between hands and controllers rather than defaulting to one. Work through three questions: who your users are, which input attributes matter most, and whether you have requirements only one input can meet.

Venn diagram comparing when to build for hands, for controllers, and for both.

Start with your target customers

Core gamers are accustomed to controllers and enjoy complex, challenging gameplay that benefits from precision and input range.
Casual gamers and non-gamers typically have limited or no controller experience, so hands feel more natural and accessible.
Apps targeting a mix of both audiences benefit from supporting both, which bridges the gap and appeals to multiple audiences.

Decide which attributes to optimize for

Controllers have advantages in:

Input reliability: more reliable than hands for tracking and input detection, which matters in fast, precision-critical moments, for example dodging an incoming attack.
Input breadth: more buttons than there are core hand gestures.
Tracking range: using data from IMUs, controllers can be tracked at an extended range compared to hands, which may matter in certain gaming and fitness use cases.

Hand tracking has advantages in:

Social presence
Comfort: hands free is more comfortable than gripping a controller and can extend session length; users can eat a snack or check their phone between turns.
Natural and intuitive interaction
Real-world multitasking while in mixed reality

Where your experience allows it, support both and let users choose.

Check your interaction requirements

Better suited to controllers:

Sliding locomotion
Shooting mechanics
Out-of-range motions: controllers contain IMUs that report position and orientation even outside the device cameras’ tracking range, which matters for throwing a ball or swinging a club.

Better suited to hands:

Physics-based interactions
Surface interactions
Custom gestures

Many apps should support both

Some apps make sense for controllers only, some for hands only, and many should support both. As hand tracking has improved and the audience has broadened, more developers have found success building for hands, and that trend is expected to continue.

Next steps

Designing experiences

Explore more design guidelines and learn how to design great experiences for your app users:

Input hierarchy: Learn how the system prioritizes input modalities and falls back between them at runtime.
Input mappings: Understand how targeting and selection work across input methods.
Multimodality: Learn how modalities combine in a single experience.
Peripherals: Review guidance for keyboard, mouse, stylus, and gamepad input.