Announced today, Meta is opening up the Meta Quest operating system to third-party hardware manufacturers. Meta is starting with Asus and Lenovo who are currently developing new Meta Quest devices according to the announcement. The company is also teaming up with Xbox to create a limited-edition Meta Quest that is supposed to be inspired by the Xbox console.
Meta seems dedicated to opening the Meta Horizon OS as the company is streamlining how apps get on to the Meta Horizon store from App Lab, a service that checks for basic technical and content requirements. They appear to also be creating a “spatial app framework” to help mobile developers port their apps into the OS with the goal of creating mixed reality apps.
The blog post from Meta mentions that users can access outside app stores such as Xbox Game Pass and the Steam store via Steam Link. They even “encourage” Google to add the Play Store to Meta Horizon OS.
Speaking of Xbox, Meta says that they are teaming up with Xbox to create a limited edition that's inspired by Microsoft's consoles. A render showed off what an Xbox-inspired Quest might look like. It’s black with green accents. Between Xbox and the licensing with Asus, there does seem to be a gaming focus.
Nothing physical was revealed by Meta, Asus, Lenovo or Xbox. More just ideas, but Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg provided a bit of a hint in an Instagram video.
He suggested that different kinds of Quest could be released including the Xbox inspired one with Game Pass and an Xbox controller. Likewise, Zuckerberg suggested there could be exercise focused Quest sets with “sweat-wicking materials.”
Very specifically, Zuckerberg appears interested in ensuring that the Meta Horizon OS is open. “Phones you’re locked in,” he said in the video. “In the PC era the open model won out… Our goal is that the open model defines the next generation.”
Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang said in the announcement, “Building from our past successful partnership, Lenovo is bringing together Meta Horizon OS with our leadership and innovation in personal computing to accelerate adoption of new user scenarios in mixed reality like virtual screens, remote presence, content consumption, and immersive training.”
Meta is still pushing forward with their metaverse that runs on the Horizon OS. The social world is a 3D layer with avatars. We aren’t exactly excited by the metaverse. However, Meta has brought it down to more of a 2D level that can be used on the web.
With third-party manufacturers, depending on how they utilize the OS, it could expand the reach of the Horizon metaverse layer, which we’re certain Meta wants to monetize with ads and content.
