New VR Experience ‘Constellations: Touch the Stars’ Launches in Early Access Next Month
A new virtual reality experience, “Constellations: Touch the Stars,” will launch in early access for Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets in the first half of December, offering users an interactive way to explore the night sky.
Developed by Parietal Lab, the application allows users to trace and connect the 88 constellations officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union using a “connect the dots” style interface. The experience utilizes hand tracking, responding to thumb taps to bring constellations into view, and positions the virtual sky based on the user’s real-world location. This immersive approach to astronomy could make learning about constellations more accessible and engaging for a wider audience.
Parietal Lab, also known for their earlier release Connectome, designed “Constellations: Touch the Stars” with a “hands-first” philosophy. Early access versions will feature fully immersive environments, with plans for future updates including a mixed reality mode that overlays constellations onto the user’s actual surroundings, providing constellation names and data. Additional features in development include a ‘lie-back’ mode and social stargazing capabilities.
Pre-early access builds are currently available to those who join the official Discord server. Developers stated that further updates and features will be rolled out following the initial launch, continually enhancing the stargazing experience.
Constellations: Touch the Stars lets you scan the night sky with a connect the dots experience.
It’s the latest experience from developer Grant Hinkson via Parietal Lab, who previously released Connectome earlier this year using the same “connect the dots” engine. Constellations: Touch the Stars includes all 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), letting you trace and connect each constellation until the pattern is complete.
It’s been designed using a “hands-first” philosophy with hand tracking support, using a thumb tap motion to bring constellations forward. The sky is positioned based on the user’s location to determine which constellations you see, and Constellations: Touch the Stars comes with fully immersive environments in early access.
Further updates are planned following the initial launch, such as a mixed reality stargazing mode that sees stars overlaid against their real positions. This pulls up constellation names and data using the immersive view’s overlay. Other promised features are a ‘lie-back’ mode for looking up at the stars while lying down, social stargazing with friends, and creating your own constellation patterns.
Constellations will launch in early access on Meta Quest 3/3S, arriving in the first half of December. Pre-early access builds are also available by joining the official Discord server.
