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This morning, Mark Zuckerberg announced on Threads that Meta will open up their Horizon VR OS that powers the Quest platform, allowing other tech companies to make headsets that connect directly to their software ecosystem.
I believe this is an awesome next move for the company, which has already made great recent strides getting millions of headsets into homes and helping ensure that their system is sustainable for developers. Since the launch of the first Oculus Rift kicked the proverbial snowball off the hill for the modern VR market years ago, the big problem has always been getting the installed base up to a level where it could thrive. Meta has vastly outpaced everyone else in this department, and I suspect with this move that will only continue.
Open tech platforms are nothing new — but they’re not super common in gaming, which is still the main focus of the Quest platform in spite of its flexibility for other markets. The notable exception is PC Gaming/Windows, and by extension Steam — both platforms which have shown you don’t have to lock down control of the hardware to provide a good gaming experience to users.
Quest headsets now slot into a position similar to the Steam Deck, offering a more guided…
