Horizon OS

Meta opens VR system to other manufacturers

Meta is relying on cooperation to defend its leading position in the virtual reality business against new competition from Apple. The Facebook group is making the operating system of its VR glasses available to other manufacturers in future, as announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday.

On this basis, there will be, for example, a gaming headset from Asus, VR glasses for the Xbox from Microsoft and a device from PC market leader Lenovo that combines digital and real content. However, it could take "a few years" for some of the new products to reach the market, Zuckerberg admitted.

Meta bought VR pioneer Oculus a decade ago and has since invested billions in the virtual reality business. Zuckerberg even changed the company name from Facebook to Meta to emphasize its focus on the digital world "Metaverse". However, VR glasses have so far remained a niche business, even though Meta leads the market with the Quest brand.

Competition from Apple
In February, Apple launched the Vision Pro glasses in the USA, which are strongly geared towards superimposing digital content onto the real environment. Meta's current Quest 3 model also has this capability. However, Apple has the strategic advantage of bringing the headset into users' everyday lives in conjunction with iPhones and Mac computers. US tech journalists praised the Vision Pro as a breakthrough, while Zuckerberg declared the Quest 3 to be technically superior in a video.

Zuckerberg said on Monday that Apple's "closed" business model, in which the operator has control over what is allowed on the platform, had prevailed for smartphones. However, he wants an "open" model to prevail for the technology, as in the PC industry. According to this example, Meta's operating system Horizon OS should take over the role of Windows for PCs in the market.