Web/API/XRInputSource/handedness

Secure contextThis feature is available only in secure contexts (HTTPS), in some or all supporting browsers.

The read-only XRInputSource property handedness indicates which of the user's hands the WebXR input source is associated with, or if it's not associated with a hand at all.

Syntax

let hand = xrInputSource.handedness;

Value

A DOMString indicating whether the input controller is held in one of the user's hands, and if it is, which hand. The value, which comes from the XRHandedness enumerated type, is one of the following:

none: The input controller is not associated with one of the user's hands.
left: The input controller is being held in, worn on, or is attached to the user's left hand.
right: The input controller is being held in, worn on, or is attached to the user's right hand.

Usage notes

If the input source is not a device associated with a user's hand (whether by being held, attached, or worn), the value of handedness is none. This may indicate, for example, an input source which isn't hand-held, such as controls built into a headset or an input device attached to the head or body.

Examples

One important usage scentario for handedness is to determine which hand a controller is in so you can draw a representation of that hand (or the device that hand is controlling) in virtual space.

function updateInputSources(session, frame, refSpace) {
  for (let source of session.inputSources) {
    if (source.gripSpace) {
      let gripPose = frame.getPose(source.gripSpace, refSpace);

      if (gripPose) {
        myRenderHandObject(gripPose, inputSource.handedness);
      }
    }
  }
}

This function, which would be called every animation frame (or possibly just periodically, depending on the degree of smoothness required and any performance constraints), scans the list of input sources looking for any which have a gripSpace which isn't null. If a gripSpace is present, that means the input source is a hand-held device of some sort, so it should be rendered visibly if possible.

If gripSpace is non-null, the function proceeds to get the pose for the gripSpace transformed into the current reference space. Assuming that's then valid, a function called myRenderHandObject() is called with the grip's pose and the value of handedness. WIth these values in hand (no pun intended), myRenderHandObject() can draw the appropriate model positioned and formed for the correct hand.

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
WebXR Device APIThe definition of 'XRInputSource.handedness' in that specification.	Working Draft	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`handedness`	Chrome Full support 79	Edge Full support 79	Firefox No support No	IE No support No	Opera No support No	Safari No support No	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 79	Firefox Android No support No	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS No support No	Samsung Internet Android Full support 11.2

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support