Meta has announced the launch of Horizon OS, an operating system that powers its Meta Quest mixed reality (MR) devices and will now be open to other third-party hardware manufacturers. Lenovo, Microsoft, and Asus will be the first to adopt it in their new products. The result of a decade of work by Meta to build a next-generation computing platform, Horizon OS is an operating system built “around people,” meaning it prioritizes user experience and accessibility.
With this move, Meta aims to provide more options to consumers and create a broader ecosystem for developers to build their applications. It will also reach equipment manufactured by third parties, such as Microsoft, Lenovo, or Asus. For example, Asus’ gaming division Republic of Gamers (ROG) will use its expertise to develop MR glasses for “high-performance title” gaming. Lenovo will leverage its experience in co-designing the Oculus Rift S and engineering devices like the ThinkPad to develop MRI equipment for productivity, learning and entertainment.
Meta has also announced that it is collaborating with Xbox to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming in beta version to its Meta Quest headset, allowing players to access Xbox video games on a virtual two-dimensional (2D) screen in MR. The company is also working with Xbox to launch a limited edition of the Meta Quest helmet, inspired by this other platform manufactured by Microsoft’s gaming division. All devices that will be part of this new hardware ecosystem powered by Horizon OS will benefit from Snapdragon chips, manufactured by Qualcomm Technologies.
The opening up of Horizon OS to more original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) means that app developers can reach their audiences and consumers in more ways than ever before. Meta is expanding the ways app developers can reach their audiences and consumers by erasing the limits between the official service store for its devices, renamed Meta Horizon Store
