Meta Extends Horizon OS to Third-Party Headset Makers
Apr. 23, 2024Of late, Meta has been making noteworthy decisions around its products and services. After open-sourcingLlama 3, now Meta is opening access to the operating system of its Quest headset, Horizon OS, to third-party device makers. Initially, Meta islicensingHarmony OS toAsus, and Lenovo, but more companies are likely to join the list pretty soon.
Apart from that, the social media giant has also partnered with Microsoft and is making agaming-focused Xbox VR headsetwhich is actually a limited edition Meta Quest. Coming to Harmony OS, Meta is working to bring alternative app stores and requesting Google to bring its Play Store to Meta’s headset platform. Meta has also developed a spatial framework for developers to easily port their mobile apps for the VR headset.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, wants to make its headset a great device forwork and productivity. In addition, Meta Quest promises to offer an immersive experience while watching movies and videos.
Licensing Horizon OS to third-party hardware makers may be a move to position itself as thedefault platform for building VR headsets. Since theApple Vision Prois part of a closed ecosystem, Meta wants to be the alternative, especially when Google and Samsung have not filled the space. It’s quite interesting that Google has so far not shown much interest in the VR platform.
If other companies really want to compete with Meta in this space then they have to build an ecosystem pretty fast. At this moment, Meta seems to be leading the race and tapping other hardware makers into its fold. What do you think about this development? Let us know in the comment section below.
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