Meta has announced that the operating system of the Meta Quest headsets can now also be used by other parties. Meta says it already has a partnership with some companies such as Microsoft Xbox, ASUS ROG and Lenovo.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this. These parties may come with VR headsets with Horizon OS installed. Meta hopes to become the leader in operating systems on VR and Mixed Reality headsets. Horizon OS is currently used on Meta’s Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 headsets. The operating system is based on Android, so users in the developer mode of the Meta Quest headsets can also install APK files made for Android on the headsets.
Microsoft is an interesting one, because until now Xbox has not been a big supporter of VR gaming. Xbox boss Phil Spencer called VR technology too early to invest hundreds of millions and make AAA games for it. Xbox has had a partnership with Meta for cloud gaming since December 2023. Gamers who have a Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest 3 headset can officially play xCloud (Xbox Cloud Gaming). You then use the headset as a screen, a game is streamed to your screen via the internet and by connecting a Bluetooth controller to your headset, you can play various Xbox games on your VR headset.
The fact that Microsoft has now licensed Horizon OS may be a hint that the collaboration will go much further. There may be an official Xbox VR headset running Horizon OS in the near future. It is not yet known when the first VR/AR glasses will appear from other hardware manufacturers with Horizon OS on them.
According to rumors, Meta itself will release a cheaper Quest 3 headset called Lite sometime this year. Earlier this week, Meta announced that the Meta Quest 2 will be permanently reduced in price to €199.
