On Monday (April 22), Meta said it would open its Quest headset operating system to third-party device manufacturers.The move is expected to further expand Meta's presence in the emerging virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) industries.

According to the official introduction, the new device ecosystem will run on Meta's Horizon OS, which provides support for Meta's Quest series as a hybrid reality operating system.

Meta states that Horizon OS can support the core technologies of today's mixed reality experiences combined with a range of features that place social presence at the center of the platform.The official statement states that the development of Horizon OS is based on open-source Android code and is the result of Meta's "ten years of building the next generation computing platform."

Developers and creators can leverage all of these technologies using Meta's custom frameworks and tools built for creating mixed reality experiences, and they can reach out to their communities and develop their businesses through the built-in content discovery and monetization platform of the operating system. This includes the Meta Quest store.

The Meta Quest store also includes immersive applications and experience libraries, which the company has renamed as the Meta Horizon store. The Meta Horizon OS device will also use the same mobile companion application as Meta Quest users today, which the company will rename as the Meta Horizon application.

Meta also stated that its partners Asus and Lenovo will use the operating system to create devices tailored specifically for specific events. According to the company's statement, Meta will also collaborate with Microsoft's Xbox to create a limited edition Meta Quest inspired by Xbox.

However, these devices may take several more years to be launched.

As Meta begins to open up Horizon OS to more device manufacturers, the company is also expanding the channels for application developers to reach audiences. "We are working to eliminate the barriers between the Meta Horizon Store and App Lab, allowing any developer who meets basic technical and content requirements to develop software on the platform. App Lab software will soon appear in dedicated sections of the app store on all of our devices, making it easier for a wider audience to discover them."

Meta is still developing a new spatial application framework to help mobile developers create mixed reality experiences. That is to say, developers can use tools to introduce their mobile applications into Horizon OS or create new hybrid reality applications.Meta promises that it will not restrict users from downloading applications from its app store. Users can access exciting content on Meta Horizon OS through various means, including popular game services such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

The open Quest headset operating system shows Zuckerberg's ambition to emulate Alphabet's Google. Google has become an important player in the smartphone market by making its mobile operating system Android open source. Even Meta's metaverse business is one of the beneficiaries of Google's strategy, as Meta Horizon OS itself is based on the Android system.

But it is not yet clear whether Meta can achieve tremendous success like Google's opening of Android. Because so far, the application scenarios of VR and MR headset devices are still limited, mainly used in gaming communities and some enterprises for training or remote meetings.

Although Meta is still the leader in the VR market, it is beginning to face pressure from other competitors in this field.

Apple entered this field early this year with the Vision Pro headset priced at $3499, and according to reports, Google is also developing an Android platform for VR and MR devices. Meta's Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, accused Google of adding restrictive clauses when promoting the system to partners in March, believing that Google's move could "divide the ecosystem."

Zuckerberg hinted at this disagreement in a video released on Monday, stating that if they are willing, they are welcome to use the Google Play application on Meta Horizon OS devices.