Updated
Updated · UploadVR · Sep 27
Meta Launches $1 Million VR App Contest as 2027 Glasses Push Hands-First Design
Updated
Updated · UploadVR · Sep 27

Meta Launches $1 Million VR App Contest as 2027 Glasses Push Hands-First Design

1 articles · Updated · UploadVR · Sep 27

Summary

  • $1 million in prizes will be split across 20 awards for new or significantly updated Quest and VR Glasses apps, with submissions due Nov. 18 on Devpost.
  • Meta is steering developers toward fully controller-free experiences: entries must be usable end-to-end with hand tracking, though optional controller support is allowed.
  • Top prizes reach $100,000 for new and adapted gaming and entertainment apps, while productivity winners can earn up to $70,000 and several specialty categories pay $25,000.
  • The contest follows Meta's Connect 2026 unveiling of VR Glasses, which ship in spring 2027 without bundled controllers and instead center on eye and hand tracking.

Insights

With massive prizes on the line, are developers secretly building the killer app that makes physical VR controllers completely obsolete?
Meta is ditching controllers for its 2027 glasses, but can a contest truly fix the precision flaws of hand-tracking?