Looking forward to the opening of Meta Horizon OS
I found the post A More Open Ecosystem For Developers, published on April 23, 2024, very interesting, so I wanted to cover it.
According to the post, Meta will open the OS currently built for Meta Quest to third parties as Meta Horizon OS.
Personally, I will continue researching VisionOS, but I feel that there is great potential in entry-level models like XREAL, Meta Quest, and older devices such as Gear VR. They may be inferior to high-end models in specs, but I think pursuing that product line is important for XR content that will be widely used.
I feel that the future of XR depends on how much performance improves in this price range and how widely these products spread. Hopefully, as the Meta platform opens, various third-party devices will be offered and competition among entry-level XR devices will intensify.
Another important point is the support for open standards mentioned in the latter half of the release, under "Our Commitment to Open Standards." Whether standards like OpenXR and WebXR become established and are widely adopted by XR devices, or whether each manufacturer pushes its own proprietary standards, will also affect the future of XR.
Currently, Unity's WebXR support is marked Under Consideration. Creating, releasing, and continuously maintaining apps is a high hurdle, so I hope WebXR can broaden opportunities to provide content.
I once spoke about XR-related accessibility at a seminar, and I also hope that the spread of standards will move that area in a good direction.
At A Broader Frontend, I plan to keep following both technologies.
The following link provides similar information in Japanese.