Meta Quest OS Now Open to Third-Party Hardware Makers

Meta Horizon OS is a mixed reality operating system that powers Meta Quest headsets. It integrates core technologies essential for mixed reality experiences, including inside-out tracking, self-tracked controllers, hand, eye, face, and body tracking, as well as high-resolution Passthrough, Scene Understanding, and Spatial Anchors. Meta Horizon OS is designed to put social presence at the center of the platform, allowing for natural interaction systems and enabling users' identities, avatars, and social graphs to move across virtual spaces.

Developers and creators can develop mixed reality apps for Meta Horizon OS by taking advantage of the full stack of technologies it offers, such as hand, eye, face, and body tracking, and high-resolution Passthrough. They can also integrate social features into their apps and reach their audiences through content discovery and monetization platforms built into the OS, like the Meta Quest Store (soon to be renamed the Meta Horizon Store). Additionally, a new spatial app framework is being developed to help mobile developers create mixed reality experiences using familiar tools.

Several leading global technology companies are developing new devices for the Meta Horizon OS ecosystem:

• ASUS’s Republic of Gamers is working on a performance gaming headset.
• Lenovo is leveraging its experience to develop mixed reality devices for productivity, learning, and entertainment.
• Xbox and Meta are collaborating to create a limited-edition Meta Quest inspired by Xbox.

These devices will benefit from Meta's partnership with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., using Snapdragon® processors.

Meta is beginning the process of removing the barriers between the Meta Horizon Store and App Lab. This means that App Lab titles, which are software releases by developers who meet basic technical and content requirements, will soon be featured in a dedicated section of the store on all devices. This change is aimed at making it easier for larger audiences to discover these titles and expanding the ways app developers can reach their audiences.

Meta is opening up its operating system to third-party hardware makers to fulfill its vision for a more open computing platform for the metaverse. By doing so, they aim to create a larger ecosystem for developers to build for, resulting in more choices for consumers. This approach is believed to be the best way to bring the power of mixed reality to as many people as possible, offering more device options and enabling a wider range of hardware to run mixed reality apps.