The Haptics SDK provides an API for activating haptic effects on controllers. This lets VR application developers enhance the user experience by adding tactile feedback.

By the end of this guide, you will be able to:

Explain what is needed to use the Haptics SDK for Unity

Remember the steps to set up the Haptics SDK for Unity and lay out the content of the asset

Explain how to quickly get started using the minimal integration example and haptic packs

Compatibility

You can use the Haptics SDK on the following hardware:

Meta Quest headset firmware requirement

Meta Quest headsets must use firmware version v47 or later.

Supported headset:

Quest 2

Quest Pro

Quest 3

Quest 3S

PCVR headset

Supported controller types:

Touch

Touch Pro

Touch Plus

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with this tutorial, complete the setup steps outlined in Set Up Unity for XR development to create a project with the necessary dependencies.

Installation

Avoid dependency conflicts

If your project includes the Meta XR Utilities SDK⁠ dependency, remove it before adding the Haptics SDK.

Follow these steps to add the Haptics SDK dependency to your Unity project:

Ensure you are logged into the same Unity account in both Unity Hub and the Unity website.

Navigate to the Meta XR Haptics SDK page⁠ on the Unity Asset Store⁠.

Select Add to My Assets.

From the Unity Editor, navigate to Window > Package Management > Package Manager to view your installed packages.

Navigate to My Assets in the Package Manager, select Meta XR Haptics SDK, and click Install.

Confirm that you see the Meta XR Haptics SDK folder in the Packages directory.

After the installation you will see the folder Meta XR Haptics SDK in the Packages directory

Build for Meta Quest devices

When building for Meta Quest devices, make sure you follow the suggested Build Configuration. To summarize, the following components are essential to guarantee high-fidelity haptics on Quest:

You set your project’s build target to Android.

Use either the OpenXR Plugin with the Meta XR Feature Group enabled; or the Oculus XR Plugin.

When switching to a PCVR build, such as the Windows build target, make sure you use the Meta Horizon Link runtime when running your application. See PCVR with high-fidelity PCM haptics for more information.

Cross-platform PCVR

Cross-platform PCVR haptics are supported in projects that use the Unity OpenXR Plugin for Unity. Unity projects integrating haptics using the Haptics SDK can be configured to play back with both the SteamVR and the Meta Horizon Link runtime. Follow the instructions for the setups that most closely matches your own project.

Quickstart

To ensure high-fidelity haptic playback for Quest in PCVR use cases, please follow the setup configuration outlined in PCVR with high-fidelity PCM haptics.

For cross-platform PCVR to work, we recommend using Unity’s XRRig (a.k.a. XR Origin) instead of the OVRRig (provided by Meta XR Core) in your scene. Furthermore, we recommend disabling the Meta XR Feature Group on the OpenXR plugin, and make sure the Meta Plugin Compatibility is disabled in the SteamVR runtime. With this configuration, haptics will play back using simple haptics (amplitude only) on all PCVR devices. For details see PCVR with simple haptics.

PCVR with high-fidelity PCM haptics (Quest PCVR only)

High-fidelity haptics are only supported for Quest PCVR. Projects must use the Unity OpenXR Plugin with the Meta XR Feature Group enabled, or by using the Oculus XR Plugin.

In your project, navigate to Edit > Project Settings > XR Plugin Management

Make sure you have the OpenXR Plug-in Provider enabled, and the Meta Feature Group enabled:

Project settings window with the Meta Feature Group enabled.

Make sure your build target is set to Windows by navigating to File > Build Settings….

If you want to maintain high-fidelity haptics for Quest devices (PCM haptics), you need to disable the XRRig component and instead add, and enable, the OVRRig in your scene:

The scene hierarchy with the OVRRig enabled.

When running your application, it is important to set Meta Horizon Link as your default OpenXR runtime provider to ensure high-fidelity PCM haptics. With other runtimes, such as SteamVR, the SDK will use lower fidelity haptics with a fixed vibration frequency. For more information, see Runtime Considerations.

This project setup should be used when building for Meta Quest (Android build target) to maintain high-fidelity haptics. However, expect this setup to disrupt tracking, input, and haptics on other PCVR devices when building for Windows.

PCVR with simple haptics (SteamVR)

To ensure compatibility across all PCVR devices, set up tracking and inputs without relying on OVRInput and using OpenXR generics instead. This section proposes a setup using XRRig for tracking. To access controller inputs, use Unity’s Input Manger or generic OpenXR Input Actions. Cross-platform haptic playback is supported in projects that use the Unity OpenXR Plugin, and have the Meta XR Feature Group disabled:

In your project, navigate to Edit > Project Settings > XR Plug-in Management.

Make sure you have the OpenXR Plug-in Provider enabled, and the Meta Feature Group disabled on the OpenXR section under XR Plug-in Management:

Project settings window with the Meta Feature Group disabled.

Make sure your build target is set to Windows by navigating to File > Build Settings….

To make sure haptic playback works on all PCVR devices including Meta Quest, make sure your Scene contains the XRRig prefab, and that it’s enabled:

The scene hierarchy with the XRRig enabled.

With this setup, haptic playback on PCVR devices work with simple haptics (amplitude only). High-fidelity haptics (PCM haptics) do not work with this setup.

OpenXR runtime considerations

When testing on a Quest device, set Meta Horizon Link as the default OpenXR Runtime to enable high-fidelity PCM haptics by following these steps:

Open the Meta Horizon Link⁠ application.

Navigate to Settings > General.

Toggle Unknown Sources on.

Under the OpenXR Runtime setting, click Set Meta Horizon Link as the active OpenXR Runtime if unset.

For other PCVR devices, you can set the OpenXR runtime in SteamVR by following these steps:

Open SteamVR.

Navigate to the Settings > OpenXR.

Click SET STEAMVR AS OPENXR RUNTIME.

If you are building with the Meta XR Feature Group enabled on the Unity OpenXR plugin, make sure Meta Plugin Compatibility is set to On in the advanced settings.

SteamVR OpenXR settings with the Meta Plugin Compatibility set to On.

Asset contents

Here is an overview of each folder:

Editor: This folder contains the scripts necessary for importing haptic clips. It’s essential for working with haptic clips.

Plugins: This folder includes the Haptics SDK for Unity libraries for Quest (Android) and Windows (Link and PCVR), which provide the core functionality.

Runtime: This folder contains all the scripts required to trigger haptic playback. It’s essential for haptic playback.

Note: The .cs in each folder contains API documentation that can provide additional information.

Quickstart

Import the Minimal Integration Example:

Open your Unity project and navigate to Window > Package Management > Package Manager from the menu. Filter packages by selecting “In Project” and select “Meta XR Haptics SDK”. In the detailed view, select “Samples” and click “Import” next to the listed sample.

Please note, that the Minimal Integration Example is only expected to work for Quest devices. Ensuring compatibility with other PCVR devices will require setting up tracking with XRRig and using a different input system (see Cross-platform PCVR for further guidance).

Load the example scene:

Locate the sample scene on the Project tab by following the folder path: “Assets > Samples > Meta XR Haptics SDK > {SDK version} > Meta XR Haptics Minimal Example > Scenes”. The example scene includes the OVRRig (Meta XR Core), an empty game object with the example script (HapticsSdkPlaySample.cs), and guidance text.

Build the example app:

Follow the guide to build the Minimal Integration Example application. Once the application is launched on your device, you can follow the on-screen instructions.

Check out the HapticsSdkPlaySample.cs script:

To see how haptics were integrated into this sample, check out the HapticsSdkPlaySample.cs script in the folder Assets > Samples > Meta XR Haptics SDK > {SDK version} > Meta XR Haptics Minimal Example > Scripts on the Project tab.

Haptic Sample Packs

Alternatively, you can use the Haptic Sample Packs, which are a small collection of haptic clips designed by Meta to get you started. You can find the same haptic samples as preinstalled packs in Meta Haptics Studio.

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