Face Tracking

Face Tracking or "FT" refers to a system in which your eyes, eyebrows, eyelids, and mouth are tracked by cameras (or other tech) attached or built into the headset, that then sends this information to a program such as VRChat to map it to a virtual avatar.

Important: The main author of this doesn't have FT, this is second hand information.

tl;dr:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOIztBXox60

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8CFkwrHX4Y

VRChat

tl;dr PCVR uses OSC and a large parameter count to receive face tracking data from the headset (or tracking addons) and then pipe it to VRC to change blendshapes.

Main Resource:

Read this first. I'm not going to repeat the stuff here. This article I hope to include stuff NOT in the below:

https://docs.vrcft.io/docs/intro

tl;dr

Get a quest pro. While not the best headset, it's the best facetracking headset. Used they go for like $500 as of writing but this is subject to change.

If you don't want a quest pro: another option is the paper tracker on quest 3. Problem is they're hard to buy if you're not in china, BUT here's a review:

https://fixupx.com/_romuko/status/2061717319282245746/en

More detail

What hardware should I get?

If you want FT NOW: See above. Quest pro. No question. Why? One of the cheapest ways in but the main advantage is it works NOW and without much fucking about and tinkering.

If you want FT but on your current headset: Consider slapping together some addons. Might not be compatible with your lens inserts. cheapest option, best for tinkerers.

If you want FT eventually: Wait for eye-tracked headsets Frame, Pico Swan, Quest 4(???)). Leatst cheap option but you get a next gen headset on top. These headsets might not track blink and eyebrows At first? the frame will be super moddable) and you'll need a mouth camera. It is very likely that the frame will get easy mods to convert to full face tracking.

At time of writing, the frame is delayed until late 2026 at best, and Pico's new headset is around that time too. Personally I recommend either quest pro or wait for frame/swan.

Other headsets to mention and mostly to say why you should not:

• Samsung XR - Very expensive, technically a next gen headset but will be the WORST one.
• Vive Pro Eye - Needs mouth camera too - but really aged wired headset nowadays.

Paper trackers

tl;dr sourced from china FT bundle product that slots into a quest 3

https://fixupx.com/_romuko/status/2061717319282245746/en

As one of the first users to pre-order #Paper_Tracker, I've been using it for over six months now, and here's a brief review.

Advantages:

- The main components are injection molded, resulting in a significantly superior feel and strength compared to other third-party eye-tracking facial capture kits.

- The eye-tracking components have safety testing reports.

- It's easy to use and quick to install, with a clear manual and operation guide. Basically, you can start using it immediately after installing the kit and software.

- Built-in Paper Bridge allows direct transmission of OSC data to VRC, directly replacing VRCFT and reducing resource usage.

- Frequent software updates, gradually supporting features such as frameless models, continuous calibration, automatic sleep mode, and in-wear hardware firmware updates, continuously improving the user experience. Currently, it's ready to use immediately after initial calibration.

- The models are becoming increasingly powerful with the growing user base, and users can submit their own datasets for training. The software also supports online hot-update models, with new models showing significant improvements in sensitivity and accuracy compared to previous versions.

- Response to user feedback is swift; bug reports submitted within the software are quickly answered by the development team.

- DLC support. The official website offers the Vive Tracker magnetic quick-release DLC and the PowerHub DLC, the latter now included in the second and subsequent batches. Existing users have also received free replacements of the latest version of the Hub.

Disadvantages:

- Products are supplied on a pre-order basis, with only a small amount of stock released after each pre-order period.

- Currently not very user-friendly for overseas users; the official global store is not yet online, making it difficult for overseas users to purchase. Furthermore, the instruction manual is currently only available in Chinese.

Attached is a sample of the latest version of an eye-tracking facial model, using Eku + Triturbo's facial capture plugin.