Meta Horizon OS
| Developer | Meta Platforms, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Written in | Java, Kotlin (UI), C (core), C++, Rust[1] and others |
| OS family | Unix-like (modified Linux kernel), (Android) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source, freeware (most devices include proprietary components) |
| Latest release | v72[2]  / 9 December 2024 |
| Latest preview | v72[2] / 9 December 2024 |
| Marketing target | Extended reality headsets, Meta Quest headsets |
| Update method | Over-the-air/Sideloading |
| Package manager | APK-based |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux kernel) |
| License |
|
| Support status | |
| Supported | |
Meta Horizon OS, previously known informally as Meta Quest Platform or Meta Quest OS, is an extended reality operating system for the Meta Quest line of devices released by Meta Platforms. Initially developed for the embedded operating system on the Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S, the platform has been based on the Android operating system since the release of the Oculus Go in 2018. It first supported augmented reality via grayscale camera passthrough upon the release of the Oculus Quest in 2019, and has supported color passthrough since the release of the Meta Quest Pro in 2022.
On April 22, 2024, the company announced that the platform would be rebranded as Meta Horizon OS and opened to third-party headset manufacturers, starting with Microsoft, Asus and Lenovo.[3][4]
History
[edit]The platform was first developed by Oculus VR for the embedded operating system on the Oculus Rift DK1 (Development Kit 1), which was released to developers in 2013.
Development of the software platform increased following the March 2014 acquisition of Oculus VR (now the Reality Labs division of Meta). Under Facebook, Oculus VR collaborated with Samsung to develop the Android-based Samsung Gear VR headset, with the Oculus VR division porting Oculus Home, Oculus Store, Oculus Cinema (later Video) apps and other necessary application software, and developing the Oculus Mobile SDK, tracking sensor firmware, optimized Android and the required GPU drivers for virtual reality.[5][6] The development of the software parlayed into Facebook's own plans for VR headset development. Oculus Go, the first Oculus device to use Android and the company's first standalone VR device, was released on May 1, 2018. Apps and games made for the Rift headsets were backwards-compatible with the Oculus Quest.
On April 22, 2024, the company announced that the platform would be rebranded as Meta Horizon OS and opened to third-party headset manufacturers, starting with Microsoft, Asus and Lenovo. In the same announcement, the Meta Quest Store was renamed as the Meta Horizon Store, the Meta Quest mobile companion app renamed as the Horizon mobile app, and a new spatial app framework was announced to assist mobile developers in porting their software to, or programming original apps for, Horizon OS.[7] Despite licensing the operating system to third-party manufacturers for niche markets such as gaming, fitness and productivity, Meta is set to continue manufacturing their Quest hardware for its current generalized market.
Community use
[edit]In addition, the entire source for the Rift DK1 was released to the public in September 2014, including the firmware, schematics, and mechanicals for the device. The firmware is released under a simplified BSD license, while the schematics and mechanicals are released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.[8]
In October 2021, Facebook released an update to the Oculus Go which can be sideloaded to unlock "full root access" to the device hardware. This update, which is irreversible and blocks further OTA updates, is supposed to keep devices operational for users even after official Facebook cloud infrastructure for the device goes offline.[9]
Features
[edit]User interface and built-in components
[edit]Horizon OS uses a 3D user interface navigated via hand controllers, finger tracking, eye tracking, and speech recognition. A default installation of Horizon OS contains a minimal selection of software, including the Quest Browser and Messenger. Apps are displayed in floating 2D windows that can be arranged in 3D space. Horizon OS supports a virtual keyboard, Meta AI virtual assistant (as of v68), and speech recognition for text input by default, as well as optional recognition of third-party physical keyboards and external Bluetooth peripherals.
Setup of the operating system on the headset requires the installation of the Meta Horizon app on the user's smartphone, which includes the ability to design the user's initial avatar, initial pairing with the headset, setup of one's method of in-headset payment for Horizon apps, and installation of apps from the Horizon Store. Upon completion of the setup for the Horizon app on the smartphone, the headset loads the default Horizon Home environment.
To establish boundaries within virtual space for physical space, Horizon OS also requires users to use the Guardian system to set boundaries, with the options to establish "Stationary" boundaries around one's immediate vicinity or "Roomscale" boundaries for the entire room in which the virtual space is located. The automatic, AI-assisted Roomscale approach allows for "Space Sense" in Guardian to show outlines of real-world objects, people, and pets up to 9 feet away within the virtual space.
Largely since the launch of v7 for the Oculus Quest, Horizon OS has made use of two user interface modes: "Immersive view", or fully-virtual spaces, and "Passthrough", or mixed-reality spaces utilizing the real-world camera on the headset. Initially appearing as a grayscale camera feed and marketed as part of the Guardian safety feature, Passthrough was first made available in color in v47 for the Quest Pro. Color Passthrough has since become a central feature of Horizon OS and numerous apps.
Horizon OS makes use of a persistent Universal Menu bar, which contains shortcuts for quick navigation of the store, access to content, and control of basic settings and features.
WebXR, an API for mixed reality experiences through web browsers, is supported in the Quest Browser.
As of v62, Horizon OS supports in-headset playback of spatial video, depth-mapped 3D video recorded on Apple Vision Pro or iPhone 15 Pro.
Supported software
[edit]The primary means of installing software on Quest devices is through the Horizon Store. Notable non-game apps available on the platform include ESPN, Facebook Watch, YouTube VR, Fandango, Firefox Reality, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video VR, Pluto TV, Red Bull TV, Sling TV and Within. Popular VR-capable social apps include Horizon Worlds, VRChat and Roblox.
The Oculus Quest and subsequent devices support "Meta Quest Link" (formerly known as "Oculus Link"), an OpenVR and OpenXR runtime that allows for PC VR games to be displayed on supported headsets connected via USB. In April 2021, Oculus released "Air Link," an alternative mode that uses WiFi for connectivity instead of USB. SteamVR, another OpenVR and OpenXR runtime, also supports several Quest headsets.[10]
The Oculus Go was released with Oculus Gallery, Oculus Video, Oculus TV, Oculus Venues and Oculus Rooms preinstalled. Rooms was discontinued on October 25, 2019.[11] Gradually, support for Oculus Go-compatible apps was discontinued.
Release history
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ https://security.googleblog.com/2022/12/memory-safe-languages-in-android-13.html
- ^ a b https://communityforums.atmeta.com/t5/Announcements/PTC-v72-Release-Thread/ba-p/1262036.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Introducing Our Open Mixed Reality Ecosystem". Meta. 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ "A New Era for Mixed Reality | Meta Quest Blog". www.meta.com. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ Marlett, David (September 2015). "The Virtual Reality of John Carmack". D Magazine. D Magazine Partners, Inc. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ "Introducing the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition". Oculus.com. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Your Request Couldn't be Processed". Meta for Developers. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "OculusVR/RiftDK1". github.com. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ Orland, Kyle (2021-10-22). "John Carmack pushes out unlocked OS for defunct Oculus Go headset". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- ^ "How to play Steam games on Meta Quest 3". 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "Facebook to create VR world called Horizon". 2019-09-27. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
External links
[edit]- Release notes (since February 1, 2021)
- Archived Oculus release notes (from July 2019 to February 1, 2021)
- Meta Quest Platform Developer Portal
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