Meta has halted its initiative to share Meta Horizon OS, the mixed reality operating system for its Quest headsets, with third-party device manufacturers. This program was a key part of the company’s ambitions in the metaverse, aimed at fostering a “new generation of hardware” to give VR users more choices in accessing Meta’s digital environments.
“We have paused the program to focus on building the world-class first-party hardware and software needed to advance the VR market,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We’re committed to this for the long term and will revisit opportunities for third-party device partnerships as the category evolves.”
The news was first reported by Road to VR.
In April, Meta announced plans to open Meta Horizon OS to third-party headset makers, mentioning that companies like Asus, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Lenovo were all developing hardware compatible with its software. At that time, the company emphasized that, similar to the PC and smartphone sectors, consumers benefit from a diverse hardware ecosystem that includes both general-purpose devices and specialized products, all running on a unified platform.
Since that announcement, updates have been sparse. In September, during the company’s Connect event, a Meta spokesperson indicated that they were still collaborating with business partners to expand Horizon OS into more devices.
Horizon OS was crafted to provide “mixed reality experiences” and foster “social presence” using technologies such as hand, body, eye, and face tracking. It was introduced when Mark Zuckerberg was actively promoting the metaverse as the “future” of Meta.
However, interest in the metaverse seems to be waning, both for Horizon and its developers, as Meta shifts its attention to AI. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that the metaverse team within Reality Labs, focused on VR and AR hardware, might face budget cuts of up to 30%. The company confirmed that it plans to redirect some investment from the metaverse to AI glasses and wearables, citing growing momentum in that area.
