Editor-DN
Meta Connect 2024 was a fun but predictable itinerary: its budget Quest 3S headset, AI tricks, new VR games, and a thrilling new AR glasses prototype. But we also predicted (and hoped) that third-party MetaHorizon OS would appear on the headset stage. They were a no-show, so we asked Mark Ribkin, MetaVP of MR/VR, why?
Months of leaks have made it clear that the Meta Quest 3S Meta Connect will appear in 2024, and Meta itself hinted at its Meta Orion AR glasses in the months before. Our MetaConnect 2024 preview promises that both will receive long-awaited revelations.
We also figured we’d see another one. non– Meta headset. This spring, Meta licensed the Meta Horizon OS interface to other companies to build their own wireless VR headsets with Snapdragon XR2 hardware, Meta’s UI, and the Quest Store library of games and apps.
Specifically, Meta promises that ASUS will create an “all-new performance gaming headset” running on ROG Horizon OS. It also said that Lenovo will build “mixed reality devices for productivity, learning and entertainment” with the same OS. And it promised a “limited edition MetaQuest, inspired by the Xbox.” In the five months since then, we still haven’t heard any news about these headsets.
Nick Sutrich and I from Android Central’s VR squad were hoping to see Meta x Microsoft Quest 3 on Connect. If Meta Horizon wants to push the OS concept and attract more hardware developers, we thought it could feature the Quest 3S as well as partners’ headsets during its annual showcase.
The ASUS ROG headset may interfere with sales of the Quest 3S, but we assume it will be a higher-end gaming device for VR superfans than the budget 3S, for those who find the Quest 3 too expensive. is And Lenovo’s productivity headset could have preempted Samsung’s AWOL productivity device.
Given that Meta will likely build its next Quest 4 with Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3 before we know it, it makes sense that ASUS ROG and Lenovo will be selling these headsets very soon — Or wait a few years for new hardware. This can cause the entire third-party ecosystem to lose steam before it even takes off.
So, why haven’t we seen anything from ASUS ROG, Lenovo, or any other partnership announcements? When we asked Meta VP Mark Rabkin, his answer was short and to the point, but still very revealing.
“I don’t have anything that I can reveal right now, but we have a number of programs for these headsets. We’re really trying to let our partners lead the way and it’s their device, their development, their , so we have Rabkin saying that he would never push them or anything like that.
What I gleaned from this response is: (A) Meta emphasized that it is directly supporting these partners on multiple fronts (perhaps both hardware and software); (B) Pushing them to show something until the end of September (or whatever connect) would be presumptuous and intrusive on whatever they want to do. and (C) Meta probably won’t advertise third-party headsets, just as Google doesn’t run ads for Samsung phones.
Our original comparison of Meta Quest as the new “Pixel of VR” feels particularly apt. Meta emphasizes that it is opening up the ecosystem to other developers, but they are partners only in the sense that Meta will help other companies launch and receive licensing fees for the software. It does not own or control these devices, and the companies will announce and release them on their own timetables, not Meta’s.
We’re still hoping to see these headsets soon. With the Meta’s primary competition being the Apple Vision Pro, the mostly abandoned PSVR 2, the struggling Pico brand, and the long-delayed Valve Index successor, it would be great to see new ideas in the VR space still in the works. Check out our quest libraries and maintaining familiarity. Interface
Next generation VR and MR gaming
Meta Quest 3S brings mixed reality gaming to the masses with powerful Snapdragon hardware and upgraded games like Quest 3, including full color passthrough in your living room.
