In an effort to increase its sway over the developing virtual and mixed reality markets, Meta Platforms opens new tab stated on Monday that it is now, for the first time, sharing the operating system of its Quest headgear with competitors in the device manufacturing space, including Microsoft.
According to a business blog post, the move would enable partner firms to develop their headsets utilising Meta Horizon OS, a rebranded operating system that gives devices running it characteristics like gesture recognition, passthrough, scene interpretation, and spatial anchors.
The social network business announced that partners Lenovo and Asus would utilise the operating system to create devices customised for certain uses. As to the company’s statement, Meta is also utilising it to create a limited edition Quest headset that is “inspired by” Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console.
The action highlights Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta,’s goal to control the computing platform that drives mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR) devices, much like how Alphabet’s Google rose to prominence in the smartphone industry by making its mobile operating system, Android, open source.
Being an Android-based platform itself, Meta Horizon OS benefits from that Google strategy, particularly for its VR company.
In a video that he shared on Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg gave a sneak peek at three types of specialised headsets that his partners might produce: a lightweight sports headset made of materials that drain away perspiration, an immersive high-resolution headset for entertainment, and a gaming headset with haptic feedback.
ASUS’ Republic of Gamers is creating a gaming headset, and Lenovo is working on an MR device that uses the Horizon OS for productivity, education, and entertainment, according to a blog post by Meta. It might take a few years for these devices to be released, according to Zuckerberg.
Up until now, only a small number of businesses and the gaming community have adopted VR and MR headgear, primarily for training or remote conferences. Although Meta is now leading the market, it is beginning to feel increasing competition.
Long-time rival With its $3,499 Vision Pro headset, Apple joined the market early this year, and Google is apparently developing an Android framework for VR and MR devices as well. In March, Meta’s chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth charged that Google had given partners tight requirements in their system pitches, which might “fragment the ecosystem.”
In his Monday video, Mark Zuckerberg made a hint about the issue by stating that, “if they’re up for it,” he would welcome Google Play apps on devices running Meta Horizon OS.
Google did not answer a comment request right away.
Renamed from Quest Store, Horizon Store allows users to download programmes and experiences as part of the Meta Horizon OS, according to Meta. The Meta Horizon app is the new mobile companion app that the platform will function with.
