For years, Meta has followed the Apple model and retained control over software and hardware development of its VR headsets. But now it's taking a more Android-like approach by opening up the operating system for other developers to make headsets.
To start, Meta is renaming its VR OS from Meta Quest Platform to Meta Horizon Platform. Horizon is the moniker Meta has long used for its open-world endeavors, from its social VR app to its various VR work apps. It's unclear if that means Meta plans to drop the Quest name altogether or only allow it for headsets it develops and not third-party hardware. However, the companion app for the Meta Quest will also get a name change similar to the Meta Horizon app. Future third-party headsets will rely on that app, just as Meta's Quest headset does.
Meta already has three major companies lined up to develop new VR headsets using the Meta Horizon Platform: Asus, Lenovo, and Microsoft.
Asus will soon create a gaming-focused headset, while Lenovo will release one geared toward productivity. And, following the two company's partnership that led to Xbox Cloud on the Meta Quest, Meta and Microsoft will develop a limited-edition Xbox-themed headset. Xbox fans have been clamoring for a VR set for the Xbox for years to compete with PlayStation VR gaming options, and this will at least be a step closer, though not the same.
All three headsets will use Snapdragon processors, just like the current Meta Quest hardware, so it's not clear how each will differentiate from the other (besides a likely green Xbox theme). But it's still a shift in strategy for Meta, as it gives up some control of its VR ambitions by opening up hardware to other manufacturers.
Meta plans to introduce changes to its VR app store that will simplify App Labs discovery. App Lab titles are typically more experimental, and have been harder to find.
With this shift, Meta is also calling on Google to bring its Play 2D app store to the platform. Given that the Meta Horizon Platform runs on the Android OS, that seems like a feasible ask, though it remains to be seen if Google will actually follow through.
It's also unclear when the new headsets will arrive or how they will be priced. But as Apple, Xreal, and other companies enter the mixed reality field, Meta is clearly ready to try new things to maintain its dominant position in the VR and XR field.