Meta’s Quest Operating System Now Open For Third-party Device Makers

Meta has implemented a new business strategy that now allows the sharing of its Quest headset's operating system with third-party device makers.

This sharing will allow the tech major’s partner company to build their headsets using its Horizon OS, a rebranded operating system that is capable of gesture recognition, passthrough, scene understanding and spatial anchors to the devices that run on it.

The company highlighted this development in a blog post, as it is focused on extending its influence over the emerging virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, a goal that CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims to achieve.

Zuckerberg plans to develop a computational platform to power VR and MR devices. He is determined to make Meta a key player like Alphabet’s Google, its competitor who is revolutionising the smartphone market.

Meta wants to make its mobile OS Android open source. Microsoft, one of its rivals will also have the advantage of using the company’s Quest headset's operating system. However, Zuckerberg’s organisation is also making limited versions of its headsets, inspired by Microsoft's Xbox gaming console.

Zuckerberg in his Instagram video post shared various types of specialised headsets that partners could potentially create in a video shared on his Instagram account. These included a lightweight headset designed with sweat-wicking materials for exercise, a high-resolution headset for immersive entertainment, and another headset featuring sensation-inducing haptics specifically for gaming purposes.

Additionally, in a blog post, Meta revealed that two companies are already using its Horizon OS. ASUS' Republic of Gamers is developing a gaming headset and Lenovo is working on an MR device for productivity, learning and entertainment. Underlining this progress Zuckerberg said, these devices may take a few years for its launch.

Meanwhile, the utilisation of VR and MR headsets remains limited to the gaming community, with minimal adoption in other sectors. However, a handful of enterprises have started incorporating this technology for training purposes or remote conferencing, albeit on a smaller scale.

Currently, Meta is dominating this market, but it is likely to encounter competition soon. Apple recently joined the league with its Vision Pro headset priced at USD 3,499 and Google is also said to be developing an Android platform for VR and MR devices.