After Windows versus macOS on computers and Android versus iOS on mobile, the VR market could have found its duopoly. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta group has indeed renamed the system of its virtual and augmented reality headsets Quest OS. It becomes Meta Horizon OS, a system accessible to manufacturers of similar devices. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp wants to make this platform “the Android of VR” in the face of Apple’s visionOS and its Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset. “We are opening the operating system of our Meta Quest devices to third-party hardware manufacturers, which provides greater choice for consumers and a broader ecosystem for developers,” the American giant said in a statement on Monday.
Among the first partners announced are the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand from Asus and Lenovo. They should soon offer products running the Meta Horizon OS mixed reality system, pending the arrival of Google with its own Android XR competitor. Meta also announced that a partnership with Microsoft would make it possible to launch a limited edition Meta Quest headset inspired by Xbox consoles. The two companies had previously collaborated to bring the cloud gaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming to Meta Quest (formerly Oculus Quest) headsets. Meta, which wants to make Horizon OS a more open platform than visionOS, has also renamed its app store Meta Quest Store, which is now called Meta Horizon Store. The group, whose Horizon OS system is not closed to other distribution platforms, also says it is preparing tools for developers to facilitate the porting of their mobile apps.
