All Mode
Meta continues to radically shape the VR industry, and its latest move may be its most adventurous yet. On April 22, Meta announced that it would open up its Quest operating system to third-party hardware makers, “giving more choice to consumers and a larger ecosystem for developers to build for.”
Oculus Rift S was co-designed by Lenovo and that same company will be utilizing Meta Horizon OS in a future device of their own making. [Image: Meta]
Calling the new hardware ecosystem Meta Horizon OS, Meta cites its intention to build a platform around “people and connection,” combining core technologies to power mixed reality features focused on social presence. Microsoft, Lenovo, and Asus are among Meta’s first wave of partners aiming to expand the reach of Horizon OS across different hardware devices, not just its own mega-successful Quest range. Meta pioneered inside-out tracking, as well as eye, hand, face, and body tracking technologies upon which many mixed reality opportunities are reliant. Allowing these features to be utilized by outside hardware creators allows for a new wave of exciting AR/MR devices to emerge.
Games, Gear, Girls
Along with the Asus and Lenovo developments, Meta is collaborating with Microsoft on a limited-edition Quest inspired by Xbox. Meta already cemented a collaboration with Microsoft in bringing Xbox’s Cloud Gaming app to Meta headsets in 2023. Lenovo, of course, was a co-designer of Oculus Rift S and is a familiar entity to the Meta family.
Meta Horizon OS will also allow a huge breadth of social cohesion across numerous devices. Users of the promised “Xbox-inspired” Quest device will be able to not only play games from their existing Xbox and Quest libraries but connect to the same multiplayer servers and social apps, among other opportunities. In fact, most devices utilizing Meta Horizon OS are likely to be able to access the same content from numerous app stores. The key benefit from Meta’s opening of the OS is that consumers will be able to enjoy a solid OS and expansive ecosystem on a device built less for general MR use and more for specific purposes.
Microsoft and Meta are teaming up to bring Horizon OS and a huge game library to a new limited-edition Xbox-inspired Quest headset. [Image: Meta]
Gamers will obviously be well taken care of, as will those in the enterprise arena. When it comes to porn, users may see something quite exciting appear. Although it’s hardly likely a hardware creator will market a device as purely perfect for VR and MR porn, the key ingredients to make such a device will surely be present in at least a few devices.
Bolstered by Meta Horizon OS, the future for porn-perfect hardware looks very bright indeed.