(Reuters) - Meta Platforms is making available the software that powers its Quest headsets to other device makers, it said on Monday, in its bid to be more central to the development of next-generation virtual and mixed reality technologies.

Meta Horizon OS is a re-branded operating system that will bring off-the-shelf capabilities like gesture recognition, passthrough, scene understanding and spatial anchors to the devices that run on it.

The social media platform said it had partnered with firms such as Asus and Lenovo which would make devices that use Meta Horizon OS. Meta is also working on a new gaming-focused Quest headset "inspired by Xbox", according to the company's statement.

The move underscores Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's ambition to own the computational platform that powers virtual and mixed-reality (VR & MR) devices, similar to the way Google became a key player in the smartphone market by making its mobile OS Android open source.

In a video posted on Zuckerberg's Instagram account, he previewed examples of specialized headsets the partners might collaborate to make, like a lightweight one with sweat-wicking materials for exercise, a fully immersive high-resolution one for entertainment and one equipped with haptics for gaming.

ASUS's Republic of Gamers is developing a gaming headset and Lenovo is working on a mixed-reality headset for productivity, learning, and entertainment using the Horizon OS.

Zuckerberg said it may take a few years for these devices to launch.
VR and MR headsets have so far seen limited adoption, mostly from the gaming community and select enterprises that use them for training or remote conferencing.

Apple entered the category early this year with its $3,499 Vision Pro headset, which some analysts have said is popular with only select users and enthusiasts.

Alphabet's Google is also reportedly working on an Android platform for VR and MR devices.

Meta said the Meta Horizon OS includes Horizon Store, renamed from Quest Store, to download apps and experiences. The platform will work with a mobile companion app now called Meta Horizon app.