Meta has launched a developer competition worth $1 million to encourage more hand-tracked applications for its VR Glasses, Road to VR reports. The contest is intended to build out the software library for the newly announced headset.
Road to VR reported the competition on Thursday, September 24, 2026. According to the outlet, the goal is to stock the device with apps that rely on hand tracking rather than physical controllers.
The push comes as Meta introduces its VR Glasses, which the company describes as a new era for virtual reality, according to its own announcement. Coverage of the launch has been mixed. CNBC reported that Meta has reached the consumer AI device market ahead of OpenAI, but noted that CEO Mark Zuckerberg's strategy is still unproven. Axios reported that Meta is presenting a new motto centered on privacy. Yahoo Finance reported that Wall Street's reaction to the smartglass lineup and the first Muse "holdable" has been a subject of scrutiny.
The competition signals that Meta sees third-party developers as central to making hand tracking a practical input method on the device. Hand tracking removes the need for controllers, but it depends on a steady supply of software that uses it well.
What to watch next: whether the contest draws enough submissions to meaningfully expand the VR Glasses app catalog, and how developers respond to hand tracking as a primary input.
