Meta Quest’s software is coming to new Asus ROG and Lenovo headsets
It’s a big day for Quest users. Meta announced it gives third-party companies open access to its headsets’ operating system to expand the technology. The tech giant wants developers to take over the operating system, expand to other frontiers and achieve two main goals: giving consumers more choice in the virtual reality gaming market and giving developers the opportunity to reach a wider audience.
Among this first group of partners, some are already working on a Quest device. First, ASUS’ ROG (Republic of Gamers) is said to be developing “an all-new performance gaming headset.” Lenovo is also on the list and they are apparently working on three separate models: one for productivity, one for education and one for entertainment.
Last December, Xbox Cloud Gaming landed Quest headsets in beta, bringing a wave of new games to the hardware. Microsoft is once again teaming up with Meta “to create a limited-edition Meta Quest (headset) inspired by Xbox.”
New philosophy
Meta is also making several name changes to match the transformation of their technology.
The operating system will now be known as Horizon OS. The company’s Meta Quest Store will be rebranded as Horizon Store, and its mobile app will eventually be rebranded as the Horizon App. To ease the transition, third-party developers will receive a spatial app framework to port their software to Horizon OS or help them create a new product.
With Horizon at the core of this ecosystem, Meta wants to introduce social features that development teams “can integrate… into their (software).” They aim to connect multiple platforms, creating a network that exists “across mixed reality, mobile and desktop devices.” Users can move their avatars, friend groups and more to other ‘virtual spaces’.
This design philosophy was echoed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In a recent Instagram videoZuckerberg stated that he wants Horizon OS to be an open playground where developers can come in and create software freely rather than a walled garden similar to iOS.
Breaking down barriers
It will be a while before we see one of these headsets released. Zuckerberg said in his post that “it will likely take a few years for these” products to reach the market. Currently, Meta is “removing the barriers” between its App Lab and the digital store, allowing developers to publish software on the platform as long as they meet “basic technical and content guidelines.” It’s unknown if there will be any more restrictions beyond requiring third-party companies to use Snapdragon processors.
No idea whether other technology brands will join in. Zuckerberg says he hopes the Horizon Store will offer many software options from Steam, Xbox Cloud Gaming and even apps from the Google Play Store – “when they are ready.” It looks like Google isn’t on board with Horizon OS yet.
Rumors have been circulating in recent months that Google and Samsung are collaborating on an XR/VR headset. Perhaps the two Metas are ignoring calls to focus on their “so-called Apple Vision Pro rival.”
Be sure to check out Ny Breaking’s recommendations for the best VR headsets for 2024.