Meta partners with Xbox as it opens Quest’s OS to third-party hardware makers

Meta has announced that it’s opening up Meta Horizon OS, the operating system that powers its Quest headsets, to third-party hardware makers.

Xbox, Lenovo and Asus are among the first partners set to develop new mixed reality devices for different use cases.

“Xbox and Meta teamed up last year to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to Meta Quest, letting people play Xbox games on a large 2D virtual screen in mixed reality. Now, we’re working together again to create a limited-edition Meta Quest, inspired by Xbox,” Meta said.

“Asus’s Republic of Gamers will use its expertise as a leader in gaming solutions to develop an all-new performance gaming headset,” it added.

Oculus Rift S co-designer Lenovo is also developing mixed reality devices for productivity, learning and entertainment, Meta said.

A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck)

CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said in an Instagram post: “You can imagine a lightweight headset that pairs with your computer on your desk to provide the best work experience whether you’re at home or anywhere else you go.

“Or you can imagine one that’s fully focused on watching immersive entertainment like movies and videos with the highest resolution OLED screens.

“Or think of one that’s fully optimised for gaming, with support for all kinds of different peripherals and haptics.

“You can imagine one that’s designed for exercise, that’s extra light with sweat-wicking materials.

“Or maybe just a version that comes out of the box with Xbox controllers and Game Pass so that you can immediately just start playing on a big screen anywhere you go.”