Meta Quest Horizon OS: Xbox, ASUS ROG and Lenovo develop VR headsets

Facebook parent company Meta has announced a new era for mixed reality by opening up Meta Quest Horizon OS, the operating system of Meta Quest 3, with licenses for other manufacturers. Microsoft’s gaming division Xbox, ASUS ROG and Lenovo are among the first to develop a new VR headset.

Meta opens Meta Quest Horizon OS

By opening up Meta Quest Horizon OS to third-party manufacturers, the company wants to offer a new hardware ecosystem. The operating system, which powers the current mixed reality headsets from Facebook’s parent company, can also be licensed by other manufacturers in future.

Manufacturers will be able to access all the features offered by the Meta glasses. The focus will be on social interactions and the metaverse will continue to play a central role in this. In future, avatars and friendship groups can be used on other VR headsets, on the desktop and in the Horizon smartphone app.

The first three manufacturers to make use of the opening are Microsoft’s gaming division Xbox, ASUS ROG and Lenovo. Xbox and Meta are bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming to a Meta Quest headset, which can be used to play Xbox games on a large virtual 2D screen. This limited edition Meta Quest is inspired by the Xbox and is likely to come with accessories such as a controller.

ASUS ROG and Lenovo with their own VR headsets

The situation is somewhat different for the other manufacturers who will be using Meta Quest Horizon OS. ASUS Republic of Gamers is to use the experience to develop a brand new gaming VR headset that focuses on maximum performance.

“With Meta Horizon OS, ASUS and Republic of Gamers will create the next-generation gaming headset, ” said S.Y. Hsu, Co-CEO at ASUS.

Lenovo, on the other hand, has been entrusted with the development of a mixed reality headset with a focus on productivity, learning and entertainment. However, Meta did not provide any specific details on the hardware, prices or release of the new headsets.

However, Meta continues to work with Qualcomm, whose Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 forms the basis for the Meta Quest 3. The chip will also be used in the new devices. Apps for the new MR headsets can then also be obtained from third-party stores such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Steam Link and more.

A new app framework will also allow mobile game developers to create mixed reality experiences quickly and easily and thus implement their apps and games for Meta Quest Horizon OS.