Eye on Apple Vision Pro, Meta joins hands with Microsoft and Asus to build gaming VR headset

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In an attempt to make its Metaverse more open and accessible, Meta has announced its partnership with Microsoft, Asus and other companies to build VR headsets using Meta's operating system.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Apr 23, 2024 12:34 IST

Meta has decided to make its Metaverse more open and accessible to everyone. In line with this plan, the company has announced that it is opening up its Meta Horizon OS - the operating system powering their Meta Quest devices - to third-party hardware manufacturers. In his announcement on Monday, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Meta is partnering with companies including Lenovo, Microsoft, and Asus to help them build their own virtual reality headsets using Meta's OS.

These companies will be able to develop their own new hardware devices that run on the same OS and software as Meta's Quest 3 and Quest Pro. According to Meta, this collaboration will create a larger ecosystem for developers and provide consumers with more choices. Alternatively, this step will give Meta a step forward in the OS VR ecosystem and ahead of Apple's plan for Vision Pro.

"With more devices, this new ecosystem will offer more choice to consumers and businesses around the world. Developers will have a much larger range of hardware that can run their apps, and more device makers will expand their market to a wider range of users, much like we've seen with PCs and smartphones,"says Meta in its official blog post.

Meta introduces Horizon OS

Meta's new operating system ecosystem with third-party companies will operate on Meta Horizon OS, the foundation for the existing Meta Quest headsets. The operating system combines core mixed reality technologies with a suite of features centred around social presence. According to Meta, Meta Horizon OS is the result of a decade of work, building a next-generation computing platform. The system includes advancements such as:

- Inside-out tracking and self-tracked controllers for standalone headsets.

- Hand, eye, face, and body tracking for natural interaction and social presence.

- High-resolution passthrough, scene understanding, and spatial anchors for seamlessly blending the digital and physical worlds.

- Developers and creators can leverage these technologies to create mixed reality experiences and reach audiences through the Meta Horizon Store (formerly the Meta Quest Store).

"The social layer of Meta Horizon OS means people's identities, avatars, social graphs, and friend groups can move with them across virtual spaces, and developers can integrate these social features into their apps," notes Meta.

Notably, the Meta Horizon app, formerly the Meta Quest mobile companion app, will remain the same for users across all devices.

Meanwhile, providing more details about the collaboration, Meta reveals that many tech companies have already started creating new devices powered by Meta Horizon OS. For instance, ASUS Republic of Gamers has decided to use Meta Horizon OS to develop a high-performance VR gaming headset. Chinese device manufacturer Lenovo has partnered with Meta to co-design the Oculus Rift S and leverage its expertise in leading devices like the ThinkPad laptops to create MR devices for productivity, learning, and entertainment. Following their collaboration on bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to Meta Quest, Microsoft and Meta are also teaming up again on a limited-edition Meta Quest inspired by Xbox.

Additionally, these devices will all benefit from Meta's partnership with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., whose Snapdragon processors are tightly integrated with Meta's software and hardware.

Meanwhile, Meta is also opening up Meta Horizon OS to more device makers and expanding opportunities for app developers. This includes removing barriers between the Meta Horizon Store and App Lab, allowing developers who meet basic technical and content requirements to release software on the platform. App Lab titles will soon be featured in a dedicated section of the store, making them more accessible to larger audiences.

Additionally, Meta is developing a new spatial app framework to help mobile developers create mixed reality experiences. Developers can use familiar tools to bring their mobile apps to Meta Horizon OS or create entirely new mixed reality apps.

Published By:

Divya Bhati

Published On:

Apr 23, 2024