Meta Is Opening Up Its VR Operating System For More Companies

Meta has rolled out the license of the Quest headset’s operating system to other hardware manufacturers, beginning with Asus and Lenovo. Additionally, it is developing a gaming-focused, limited-run Quest in partnership with Xbox.

This move by Meta is one towards helping find more ways to explore alternative app stores. It’s also towards increasing the visibility of its experimental App Lab store. Meta is even extending an invitation to Google to integrate the Play Store into its now-renamed Horizon OS operating system. Additionally, Meta stated in a blog post that it is developing a spatial framework to facilitate the easier porting of mobile apps to Horizon OS for developers.

According to The Verge, a major component of Horizon OS is the Horizon social layer, a 3D, Roblox-meets-The Sims open-world platform. Following a slow and glitchy launch on the Quest, Meta has been refining Horizon and has just launched it as a 2D experience on the web. Now, any hardware manufacturer wishing to create a gadget running Horizon OS will contribute to the social network’s growth, which Meta hopes to someday monetize through ads and sales.

Other than the social network tie-in and the need for Qualcomm chips, Meta is yet to release any more details about the business terms of its Horizon OS licensing. In a video announcing the news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated, “You can imagine a lightweight headset that pairs with your computer on your desk to provide the best work experience at home or anywhere you go. Or picture one that is entirely devoted to viewing immersive media, such as films and videos, on the best OLED screens available.” Xbox, Lenovo, and Asus are yet to respond to questions about this.

It’s no secret that Zuckerberg wants his business to operate on a more open platform than Apple’s. And that is why you see him promoting Meta’s Horizon OS here as the Android equivalent of Apple’s Vision Pro. Since Android was mostly a response to the iPhone, he would likely prefer to compare it to how Microsoft licensed Windows to create the early PC market.

With its Windows Mixed Reality project, Microsoft previously attempted to make Windows an operating system for VR headsets as well. However, the company also limited its risks by endorsing Meta’s first Oculus Rift. When Meta’s headgear was first released in 2016, it came with an Xbox gamepad. and Xbox One game streaming was added to it shortly after. Microsoft stated at the time that it would only produce a VR headset of its own if it had “something unique to add.”