Meta has publicly stated that it wants to be “the Android of XR.” But you know who else wants to be the Android of XR? Android XR, of course.

Beyond debates about specs or features, one major factor is likely to determine whether Meta can fend off growing pressure from Google and Apple in the XR landscape: flat apps.

Flat apps—like Spotify, TikTok, Snapchat, and Discord—aren’t the most exciting use case for a headset. But Vision Pro (which supports a massive library of flat iPadOS apps) has shown just how much value is added by fusing the XR experience with the apps we already know and love (rather than completely separating us from them when we put on a headset). And now Android XR is making the same play by supporting all existing Android apps on the Play Store.

While Meta’s headsets excel in gaming, it’s clear that XR’s potential extends far beyond gaming alone.

A company focused solely on gaming (like Nintendo) will never reach the scale of a company building a broader computing platform (like Microsoft). That’s why Microsoft is worth 43 times as much as Nintendo. Admittedly, this isn’t a perfect comparison (as Microsoft does much more than just build a computing platform), but hopefully the analogy is clear.

So between Meta and Google, we have two XR platforms:

  • Meta’s Horizon OS has the largest and best library of immersive apps.
  • Google’s Android XR has the largest and best library of flat apps.

To dominate XR, both need what the other has. But who faces a bigger challenge?

Meta, it seems, is in a tougher spot.

Immersive app developers are hungry for growth. If a popular game can gain 25% more users by porting to Android XR, the decision is obvious.

By contrast, major flat apps (like Spotify, TikTok, Snapchat, and Discord) stand to gain relatively little growth from porting to Horizon OS. They’d be lucky to gain even 0.25% more users than they already have on the entirety of Android.

And you might be thinking, “Horizon OS is based on Android, so porting apps should be easy!” That’s true—the technical side of porting may be relatively simple. But for massive apps with huge userbases and constant updates, the real challenge is in the ongoing support and maintenance, which is no small commitment.

As a result, Google is better positioned to attract key immersive apps to Android XR than Meta is to bring critical flat apps to Horizon OS. Without a critical mass of flat apps, Meta’s headset risk being relegated as immersive gaming consoles rather than general computing devices.

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And that’s very much not where Meta wants to be. In fact, the whole reason Meta got into XR a decade ago was quite literally to control XR as the “next computing platform” before Apple or Google could take over.

You may not find flat apps to be an essential part of the XR experience, but there’s no doubt that if one platform has both key flat apps and key immersive apps, it will beat out the platform that has only one or the other.

Even if Meta makes better hardware (let’s say they just consistently make headsets that are 20% faster, lighter, and cheaper than the equivalent Android XR headset), I still don’t think that will matter in the long run, compared to whether or not they have core flat apps available on their platform.

This is an existential risk to Meta’s XR ambitions, and one that doesn’t have any obvious solutions.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Olle

    Mark Zuckerbergs Snow Crash dream will crash I agree.

  • guest

    They should ignore 2D apps altogether. About a century ago all the vaudville stages setup film cameras but then went out of business because cinematography killed them!

  • Nevets

    This will hardly have taken Meta by surprise. but what is their plan B?

    • Jeff

      One could theorize that Meta decided to open up and rebrand their OS as "Horizon" for 3rd party manufacturers as a reaction to finding out behind the scenes that Google had their own renewed ambitions with Android XR. It would make sense for Meta to try to beat Google to punch. It also might explain why LG suddenly dropped out of collaboration with Meta so shortly after the announcement.. perhaps they too found out about what Google had brewing.

      I disagree with the article that Meta has more ground to make up, though. Flat apps are convenience ecosystem thing, but they are secondary. It's the same situation as Apple. The compelling feature of VR is gaming experiences and the new players are wayyyyy behind. However, if they would just throw a friggin bone to PCVR, then they could at least say they are in the game and with better visuals / optics / whatever compared to Meta.

      • Christian Schildwaechter

        They opened HorizonOS to others in preparation of AndroidXR, but always considered allowing 3rd party Quest. It just made no sense with Meta selling hardware at cost and keeping all software revenue, leaving others no way to make money. This problem remains. AndroidXR will follow Androids model of Google providing the OS, keeping all software revenue, and others selling hardware with profit.

        So AndroidXR HMDs will be much more expensive than comparable Quests, forcing vendors to focus on the high price productivity sector willing to pay more for different specs. The XR2+ Gen 2 in Samsung's HMD can drive 4.3K/eye, but is basically the same SoC as in Quest 3 with CPU/GPU clocked 20%/15% higher. It cannot run games anywhere near 4K or 3K and would struggle at 2.5K. So Samsung using "state of the art" 4K displays only makes sense for increasing readability in flat apps needing more pixels than performance.

        At least for a while we'll get cheap Quest with lots of games lacking hires displays and 2D productivy apps, and much, much more expensive AndroidXR HMD with higher specs and Play store access that gradually get games, mostly because just like with Pico, Quest ports are easy, plus hires PCVR streaming.

      • Full_Name

        I doubt they're too concerned. Google drops their products like a hot potato all the time. They backed out of streaming games like what, a year or two ago, even though it was actually really good.

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      We might be on plan E by now.

      Plan A: use VR gaming as a spring board to grow self-sustaining VR platform with 10mn active users, then grow to at least 100mn, making flat app Android developers want to port apps to Quest OS before Google/Apple enter XR leveraging their app stores. [grew too slow]

      Plan B: Merge accounts with Facebook, create VR social venues, hype up metaverse, rename company to Meta, then enter the professional market with a VR conferencing HMD, make Meta the default virtual world for everything. [flopped]

      Plan C: Switch message to mixed reality and making XR HMDs tools to enhance the real world instead of only a virtual metaverse, to attract a larger audience. [didn't draw new users]

      Plan D: Open up closed ecosystem to licenses that release special interest HMDs to make the platform more versatile, gaining partners against AndroidXR. [missing business model for partners, so far nothing]

      Plan E: Show XR glasses Orion concept, ready in 2030, buy 5% of EssilorLuxottica for USD 5bn to push Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, add AI everywhere, continue with A-D, keep trying with 98% of the money coming from ads easily paying for another decade. [too early to tell]

      Still 21 letters left in the alphabet.

      • Dragon Marble

        You are way too dismissive of the success Meta has achieved in the XR space so far. They are the only company that has demonstrated a long term strategy and sustained focus.

        Yes, they haven't achieved mass adoption. Who has? And who said mass adoption in 2025 was even part of the plan?

        Google has no credibility. Sony has clue. Apple basically tells everyone: you poor people will just have to wait.

        Meanwhile, there are millions of happy Quest users today, and and many VR developers making a living (or even a fortune) on the Horizon platform. None of them count, and we are just waiting for Google to save us all?

        • Christian Schildwaechter

          That would be great if plan A had been to make Quest users happy. I'm not so sure though that (so far) Meta invested more than USD 5000 per currently active Quest user into their XR venture just for that.

          • Dragon Marble

            It's good enough for me if it's merely a byproduct. Hey, not everything is about the end game. We have a long journey ahead of us. Why not have some fun along the way?

        • ApocalypseShadow

          False. Google has millions of users using their OS on phones, tablets and PCs. Yes, they have abandoned certain things. But this is Samsung making the device. Google is providing the backend. Have they abandoned their OS on those other devices? What makes you think they'll abandon their OS on this one?

          Is Google selling the hardware or is Samsung? You know, the company that has been successful selling phones, tablets, TVs, computers, etc. By letting them sell the hardware, Google can concentrate on adding the features. Their AI is said to be much better conversationally than facebooks or Apple. You might want to rethink your opinion.

          Gamers here are thinking that games are the only thing that will get these headsets off the shelf selling. But Facebook has lost 50 billion getting where they are today in VR. Either by at cost hardware or r&d. But how many are actually using those supposedly 20 million headsets? If it's 20 million, why aren't there more big AAA companies making games for that huge player base? How come they are begging developers to produce software that Google and Apple already have? This device will launch day one with full Google integration. While Facebook is way behind in that area and they know they are.

          I'm not saying Samsung will win the game. But Apple and Google are where Facebook wants to be. In control of their own platform and OS. But the OS is lacking and they canceled development of their full OS. That hurt them. Sure, they have a lot of games. Even I enjoy using Quest 3 for what it does for me. But you can't think that they are the only ones that should control this space.

          There's room for more players which gives us better options through competition. Trust me. You don't want a Facebook monopoly in this space.

          • Christian Schildwaechter

            Google abandoning lots of projects is more meme than issue, and largely a byproduct of starting tons of projects. Their sheer amount causes trouble, like Chrome feature creep killing cross-browser compatiblity. A better indicator than the absolute number is the percentage of projects killed. For every Google messenger graveyard something flourishes like their geo-data tools, giving us free maps, navigation, live traffic, Street View, Google Earth, 3D cities, VR versions, geo-data APIs feeding all Quest 2D/3D mapping apps etc. Never dropped, always extending, now further on AndroidXR.

            XR was mostly on the losing end though. They didn't abandon Android itself, but many OS extensions like AndroidXR, not only impacting Google hardware. Dropping Daydream also affected phones from Samsung, LG, Huawei, Asus, ZTE and the Lenovo Mirage Daydream standalone. Google Tango used AR tablets with integrated depth sensors from Asus. Cardboard ran on all Android and iOS phones, and with it died educational VR projects like Google Expeditions.

            Samsung's XR HMD isn't safe, but while VR stayed a niche, XR looks to become a huge market, so the odds are in its favor.

  • Rob

    I have been very active with VR for 7 years now. And the honest answer is I almost only use it for gaming . Around 5 hours a week on average. For internet browsing or WhatsApp a phone is still a lot easier and comfortable to use than putting a headset on your head. I dont use it for these things. And I dont think the mainstream public that are still a little sceptical of VR headsets are not going to put it on their heads for chatting or internet browsing. In VR gaming Meta still has a large lead. With its own exclusive titles like Asgards Wrath 2 and Batman. But also because it supports almost all 3rd party VR games including pcvr with SteamVR support.

    • Mandub

      Consider flat apps on future AR glasses—as an extension of people's phones. That's the vision.

      • Rob

        I still doubt if the mainstream public will put such glasses on their heads many hours a day for using simple apps that also work perfectly on phones or tablets. Only time will tell.

        • Mandub

          Here's another take. People will first and foremost wear those glasses for everything they can't do easily with their phone, like having a super helpful AI companion that sees and hears everything they do.

          Based on what Google has shown and what the reviewers are saying unanimously, Android XR on glasses is by far the best "smart glasses" experience because of that AI companion and the addition of a display. They're not just saying it's the best, but that they really want it because of how helpful the tech is. The Ray-Ban Meta is already a hit without having a display and such an AI, so with everything we know, there's no reason why people won't want to wear glasses powered by Android XR.

          When people will wear those glasses, they will be super happy when the apps from their phones will work on their glasses too, so they won't have to take their phone out of their pocket. It'll be like having a new superpower. Apple and Google believe AR glasses will be way more popular than VR headsets and I do too, which is why those flat mobile apps are key.

        • Arno van Wingerde

          I thought the same… but people orginally did not think of mobile phones as something you could use for other things than calling people. Now look around in a train or so and you find people staring fully engrossed in their phones… those people may well start wearing glasses when these are comfortable enough. Then, walking in a city you don't know, wouldn't Google maps showing arrows or a bright green line in the street to follow and possibly an AI guide be handy? This is how it could grow…

    • That's not the idea.
      You aren't meant to don an HMD just to use IG, for example.

      No: the idea is that what if you're in-HMD and suddenly feel like using IG.
      You won't hafta take-off your Quest just to do that: instead, use the IG app.
      Of course, you could alternatively go to the IG website in Quest's browser,
      but you see my point.
      []^. )

      • Full_Name

        Poor example but valid point (Meta owns IG, so they will make an app if people want it). I'm sure there is a market for flat apps, but I don't think we're at a point where many users want/are able to spend time in VR to such an extent they realize they should switch from a VR activity to doing that.

  • Memyself

    Competition is welcomed. Complacency is not.

  • Albert Hartman

    VR is a rich person's game right now with only Meta, Apple, MSFT, Sony, and a few others with enough money to play. So talking generically about what XR approaches will work best is less important than talking about the specific characters of the few companies involved. In this short list of companies, the most important features that motivate & distinguish them from each other is their particular profits priorities. Apple & walled gardens, Meta & monetizing your social graph, etc. In a world where the tech is levelling out you can predict the fortunes of the companies involved by just guessing what their actions to confine their users will probably be. And you can also pick the likely winners this way.

  • Octogod

    Who uses flat mobile apps in XR?

    They might be theoretically useful, but the real value of these tools is engaging with the unique benefits they provide. If not wowed, and only provided analogs of their 2D versions, they'll leave the HMD completely.

    • Mandub

      Who uses fully immersive apps on AR glasses?

      AR glasses will be way more popular than VR headsets, which is why flat apps are a much bigger deal.

      • Octogod

        Yes, and flying robot dragons will be the preferred way to ship goods soon. Just you keep waiting!

        • Mandub

          If you can't understand something that obvious then I don't know how I can help you here.

          • Octogod

            Yes, you won’t help me, the robot dragons will! You just wait and any moment they’ll remember your heresy.

    • You *never* use the Quest's browser …??
      *That's* a flat app.

      • Octogod

        I really don’t.

        I’d prefer to use Quest for Quest specific things. Web browsing just feels like slow death in HMD.

    • ApocalypseShadow

      I do. As Cary said, do you use that web browser? That's flat. I also side loaded multiple Android flat apps to Quest 3. Some games, a music player, photo gallery, file manager, Pluto TV, Freevee, language's learning's apps, MAME, comic book viewer, Tune in Radio, Roku, etc.

      You'd be very surprised how useful some of those things are while multi tasking on Quest 3. Just saying.

      • Octogod

        I’m glad it’s working well for you! 2D apps in HMD are just not my jam, but I appreciate sharing your preferred apps and MAME may just lure me in. :)

  • JakeDunnegan

    I'd guess the solution would be to do with Google Android what Meta did with Steam not all that long ago.

    Make it a two-way street that's freely open (by way of an app in either direction) and let the chips fall where they may.

    That way, Quest users can get all the flat apps they want, and all the Google XR users can get whatever available games are on Meta.

    It's not a battle that Meta can win – but Google has also proven that they suck at making game platforms. (Anyone still using Stadia? No? Huh.) Netflix couldn't either. Amazon has yet to make a successful game created by an in-house team. It's not exactly easy becoming a successful game platform.

    • Rob

      I read in the past that Meta already offered such cooperation to Google in the past. But Google declined.

      • Christian Schildwaechter

        Meta offered Google to keep all revenue from flat apps for allowing Quest access to Play store. Google stuck to their Play store rules that funnel all revenue to Google, which includes all XR apps. Both tried to keep themselves the one making all the money on the expected huge future XR market.

        This conflict of interests had been obvious for years, so nobody was surprised that the talks went nowhere. And of course both sides claimed that they were willing to cooperate, forgetting to mention that they both demanded conditions the other side clearly couldn't accept.

  • Rob

    The flat apps market might theoretically be a large consumer market but with phones as a strong competitor I doubt VR will ever dominate it. More interesting might be which company wins the XR business battle. I still think XR offers incredible possibilities in businesses like architecture, education, sales, design, urban planning etc. But so far business XR hasnt really taken off yet.

    • Dragon Marble

      You are making a great point except the "ever" part. Today's headsets can't compete with phones and TVs when it comes to 2D content. 3D content is what matters for XR until form factor becomes a nonissue.

      The idea of "floating monitors" sound great? Except they are not floating: you are carrying then on your face and you can really feel it.

    • ApocalypseShadow

      I agree on the business aspect. And the education thing, construction, etc. But you're assuming that cellphones will be the only device we use for the next 20 to 50 years. I remember when records, CDs, DVDs, pagers, GPS devices, portable TVs, cameras, MP3 players, etc were big. What happened? They were eventually replaced. To assume that the cellphone can't be replaced by a headset or glasses is being naive.

      Having to not hold a device in your hand and always looking down would be a blessing. Having all your content you already have, if you're using Google is a plus that can attract the future masses. Having a large screen of multiple sizes way beyond a cellphone screen in 4K will blow their minds. Think about all those apps from Google like the calendar, drive, maps, Google meet, Chrome, messaging, etc that won't have to be ported. They will be there day one. You log in to your Google account on this device and everything you already have is accessible. In addition to the new XR content, AR and VR. That's a powerful combination.

      Gamers wanted a company to compete with Facebook. But then get turned off when there's an actual, capable competitor. Samsung is working with Google. This isn't Pico that couldn't be sold in America. And this isn't a console device like PlayStation. This isn't HTC that everyone bags on. Samsung is a known name that can sell tech from phones, tablets, TVs, PCs, etc.

      Gamers are looking at Google and not looking at Samsung. Google is just providing the OS. Something they never abandoned like their other products. Android is their bread and butter. By letting Samsung do their thing with hardware while Google provides the known software everyone knows, is powerful. A lot of us wish Quest had access to all that is Android. This device will be Android. The market can be shared without thinking one device is the only one that can be in the market.

    • Joe

      If the headsets get a little lighter and the passthrough is very realistic why not just use your phone in passthrough mode? It replicates how most people watch tv these days – one eye on the phone and one on the tv.
      I find it annoying to add my notifications into VR too as it's just another distraction.

  • Mandub

    Meta’s Horizon OS has the largest and best library of immersive apps.
    Google’s Android XR has the largest and best library of flat apps.

    Flat apps are a much bigger deal because AR glasses will be way more popular than VR headsets. It's pretty clear flat apps make more sense than immersive apps on AR glasses.

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      Using flat apps designed for touch with tracked hands or controllers in XR works, but is certainly not ideal. For XR glasses to become popular, important apps will need/see at least XR UI adaptions like those Apple offers on visionOS and Meta now supports in their new Spatial SDK.

      Running existing flat apps requiring neither developer engagement nor agreement will be a transitional technology. So their impact will depend on the length and form of the transition phase. For example AndroidXR HMDs at higher prices could stay a very small part of the market for a long time, maybe long enough that significant user growth is still years off or may even only start with XR glasses.

      This would give Meta more time to come up with alternatives to Play store or to attract/pay important Android developers to release on the HorizonOS store. Porting flat apps became easier/cheaper with the Spatial SDK that should also make apps more comfortable to use in XR. AndroidXR will offer something similar, but Meta's larger user base could attract more developers.

      It might boil down to Apple again: if they release a cheaper Vision HMD selling in higher numbers that people actually use a lot, many devs will take note and start extending/porting their apps. Possibly at the same time for visionOS, AndroidXR and HorizonOS all requiring similar adaptions.

  • I think Meta should cut bait before a *major* catastrophe
    that's presently staring them right in the face actually occurs:
    bifurcation's good for nobody.
    So shitcan "HorizonOS" *now* then adopt AndroidXR before it's too late.

    OK, OS-wise, they lost-out to the Googs.
    Tough toenails, that's business.

    But *hardware*-wise, Meta can absolutely be

    • Mike

      The entire reason why meta is loosing billions on XR every year is because they’re sick of being under the thumb of Google and Apple. Why would they throw it all away instantly without giving it everything they got? We‘ll see who ends up winning or if they can co-exist.

      Meta is subsidizing hardware which they’re hoping to get back via store purchases, that also wouldn’t work anymore.

      Also, I‘m not a fan of Facebook and Meta at all, but Google has thrown away everything they had and are now coming back purely to chase Apple and only by using their "leverage". I kinda want to see them fail.

      • "Under the thumb of Google" …?? lol
        Whaddaya think think this so-called "HorizonOS" is — an Google-invented Android fork.
        Meta's already tried to make their own XR-focused OS from scratch.
        Didn't work — so after a valiant effort, it's time to show that they're not just talk.
        Meta goes on & on how the XR world needs cohesiveness, a solid, singular approach.
        Well, prove that by adopting AndroidXR.

        • Mike

          Yes, it’s a derivative from open source Android, but that doesn’t make it Android XR and it doesn’t mean they don’t have control over it – they do.

          They’re 100% doing this because they want to control the next platform and not be dependent on either Google or Apple. They won’t throw the towel after spending billions and over a decade of work, just because Google talked about something.

          Maybe they’ll have to concede in the end, or maybe there will be three platforms this time around. Perhaps they’ll even beat Google, they will certainly try.

          I bet you all my money that meta is not going to adopt Android XR and throw away everything they’ve worked on anytime soon and not ever if they can help it.

  • Dragon Marble

    "A popular [Immersive app] can gain 25% more users by porting to Android XR." You've lost me there, Ben. What's that number based on? Don't you need headsets for immersive apps? Are you predicting that the Android headsets will gain 25% or more market share instantly?

    People don't just put on headsets to do things they normally do on phones. I may use the flat apps when I already have my Vision Pro on my head. But that's not what I bought the device for.

    • Full_Name

      Yeah, I'm not about to switch ecosystem for a company that ditched VR many years ago, and then enticed people to sign up for a game streaming service that crashed in a year. Google has no loyalty for their new initiatives. They might even be worse than Microsoft in that aspect.

      • Dragon Marble

        Right, they don't have a track record of commitment. Even if this time is different, the more important question is: will Android XR grow the pie, or are they simply here to take a piece of the pie?

        I will support any company that helps VR grow. Besides Quests, I also have a PSVR2 and a Vision Pro. Sony and Apple each brought something new to the market — things you can't do on Quest. What do we have from this Samsung headset? Gemini AI? When was the last time you talked to your AI buddy in VR?

        We know what happens to copycats. That's why I don't have a Pico.

  • xyzs

    Unless the hardware is amazingly superior to Meta’s, I am not supporting Google and their OS.

    I don’t give a damn about the million apps from their crappy play store to run in vr, my iPhone is here for phone apps, I don’t need them in vr.

    Google abandoned VR (and wasted huge money in shit projects like stadia) and now, they come back when they see Apple joined the xr world, and beg for users to adopt their platform.
    What a joke.

    • mystrus12345

      You are mistaken. Samsung had already planned to re-enter the VR industry last year. However, Apple unexpectedly announced their version of VR, marketed as a 'Spatial Computer,' which caught both Samsung and Google off guard. This led them to halt their plans and return to the drawing board.

  • Dragon Marble

    Folks, can someone explain to me why flat apps are becoming such a hot topic among VR enthusiasts these days? If the things that wowed all of us weren't enough for the majority of people to put headsets on their heads, what makes us think that the mundane things no one was even thinking about 10 years ago would somehow do the trick today?

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      Because the XR marked driven by gaming showed to be a rather small niche, with not even most gamers caring about VR. So the only way to get to the required user numbers for XR to become a new mass medium like smartphones with similar profit opportunities, is XR attract other, much larger groups. Esp. those that currently use smartphones, which are literally billions, something not a lot of people saw coming before the iPhone released. Just like few saw running flat apps as a big deal before AVP released. The billions of smartphone users obviously care about the flat apps they use all the time, so they must work with XR HMDs either native, streamed, emulated or some other way.

      XR HMDs embracing flat apps isn't about existing VR users. It's about attracting those that don't really care about what VR is currently offering, which is mostly gaming. Which is of course a hot topic among VR enthusiasts, as on the one hand this provides an opportunity to finally grow the market with a lot of following benefits, while at the same time moving the focus away from gaming.

      • Dragon Marble

        First, if we just lower our expectation a little, the VR gaming market today is not doing so bad. There's no need to panic.

        Second, even if the flat non-gaming users are the long game, it's not a battle XR can win today because you will be competing with smart phones not in terms of content, but in terms of form factor and ease of use.

    • kool

      Idk who'd want to get text or easily check guides while gaming

  • Stephen Bard

    The low retention rate of the AVP for anything but movie-watching indicates that the small and temporary novelty of having flat apps floating in a headset does not offset the discomfort. But if you want to have the versatility of being able to visit all flat apps in between your truly immersive VR activities, is there an alternative apprach? My XREAL glasses have access to the entire Google Store because they are paired with the XREAL Beam Pro android device. Can we have a thumb-drive size android device that you plug in to the Quest 3 that gives you the same Google Store access?

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      Mark Gurman's newsletter reported the low AVP retention rate only a few days ago stating "Apple Vision Pro buyers […] aren't using the product as much as Apple anticipated." AFAIK there was no specification that this was flat app related, instead parallels were drawn to other headsets. People still require a specific reason to strap a heavy box to their face. Low usage and low retention will require more advanced technology enabling future smaller and lighter HMDs, unless you cut off almost everything like Bigscreen Beyond.

      With Quest 3 now able to display video streamed over USB-C in a window inside VR, you could connect a small thumb-sized HDMI grabber to an Android TV stick or phone (or a display-less phone/compute unit like the Beam Pro). Alternatively sideload a Chromecast receiver app to connect the device over WiFi. You'd also need either an external controller like a gyro-mouse, or some app emulating a mouse with the Touch controllers, to turn it into a remote desktop solution to use apps. It's not even that difficult to set up, but the main motivation for flat apps on XR HMDs is "in between" use, mostly for convenience. So very few users will accept added friction from extra hardware or even sideloading. It's more about making it effortless than making it possible.

  • Philip Taylor

    Unless Googles attempt is an immediate mass adopted phenomenon, they will just stop caring and close it down. Daydream had such promise, but as a developer for that platform, I saw how little they did post launch. Almost nothing. No updates, no improvements, no dev support, nothing. Just half arsed attempt to wrangle control of the market. Failed miserably almost immediately.

    how about their vr180 standard….. same thing. One or two crap cameras that showed such promise….. abandoned at the very start.

    They have zero long term vision, and as such will always be chasing their tails or annoying their user base by deprecating support constantly whilst they flail wildly trying to get something to stick.

    Meta isn't home free, as there are genuine competitors in the space that could rock the boat. But Google is just a joke now.

    • Jonathan Winters III

      This is true. Google is just what you said. There's a growing graveyard of attempts that they halfheartedly try then dump.

  • impurekind

    I don't personally care so much about those sh*t apps that just suck all our souls and actually do nothing for our happiness and so on at all, but I do care about what looks to be a very nice and intuitive interface, which I'm always happy to have. And I do understand why having the other crap is I suppose better for a big growing business and all that.

  • Mike

    I wonder if Meta would hold back their own apps on Android XR (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Threads) and if Google is even giving developers the option to opt out of the Android XR Play Store, while still having their apps available on the regular one.

  • Mike

    the decision if obvious

    Typo?

    • Ben Lang

      Thanks, fixed!

  • JanO

    Is this really an issue? Seems Meta only needs to make your phone apps "available" in VR through their mobile app, just like virtual desktop has given full PC access for years…

    Hey Meta, hire me, I've been working in VR for years and have lots of ideas, designs and solutions I wish to pursue and just became available!

  • I think meta should bring android apps to it's headset, otherwise google will win

  • Rudl Za Vedno

    As much as I love VR, I still think we're at least a decade away from mass adoption and the main reason isn't software it's the limitation of hardware. Normies just don't wear something that is sticky, frontheavy and weights north of 500 grams. When we get to sub 200 grams with balanced weight redistibution coupled with wide FOV, pancake lenses and OLED screens for a reasonable price, XR will take off in a big way. Until then it's up to us VR freaks to keep XR dream alive.

    • Olle

      Reality check

      2014, Oculus rift dk2
      Weight: 414 g
      Res: 960×1080 per eye

      2023, Meta quest 3
      Weight: 515 g
      Res: 2064×2208 per eye

      Nuff said. Not a decade to mass adoption, more like a century

      • Nocta

        Once people accept that they have to pay a good amount of money for their new tech gadget (which they already do with their yearly 1k phone purchase), we won't be so far off anymore.

        2023, Bigscreen Beyon
        Weight: 127g
        Res: 2560×2560 per eye

        2025, Pimax Dream Air
        Weight: <200g
        Res: 3840×3552 per eye

  • shwaffle

    Anyone putting on a Quest right now will quickly see the tunnel vision that is holding back a lot of the experience. It's still in a lot of ways a meme platform in spite of its popularity, and I'm surprised just how much it keeps trying to make jump scare games and virtual travel (and adult content) the headlining features. Even though Quest is still the correct headset to buy, it's disappointing that it still feels like it's trying to iterate what we were doing with it 10 years ago.

    Meanwhile the press is gushing about lightweight glasses you can use as a monitor, and Vision Pro was a $3500 mixed reality iPad simulator.

    Quest reminds me a little bit of the FPS genre in gaming over the past 30 years. A really successful bubble that obsessed over graphics and multiplayer and nothing else was a "real game" at the same level as they were. Sure, it stayed successful and culturally relevant, but it was also incredibly easy to totally ignore and never feel like you were missing out by doing so.

    Just saying you "don't get" the appeal of flat apps in XR isn't an argument nor does it have any bearing on whether they'll end up being more successful than immersive apps. It risks ironically ending up like just another "real gamers vs casuals" cultural point where it's all mood and no substance, because the casuals are a billion dollar industry at the end of the day.

  • ApocalypseShadow

    I first looked at what my phone and tablet had that I wanted on Quest 3. Which is why this topic about flat apps is important. I wanted what was on my phone. I'm still working on adding more flat apps to really round out the headset. Citra, Aether, Genesis. They're on there too. So many things. Sometimes I might not want to do AR or VR. And will use these apps. Listen to music while surfing. Play dominoes while watching streaming TV. Which just reminded me I need to try Spotify and Pandora. I forgot about them.

    Anyway, Since I learned it was Android based, I looked up if it was possible to side load apps to it which end up as hidden or unknown apps installed on the headset. I also wanted to know if I could pair a Bluetooth controller. Haven't attempted to connect my USB Easy start arcade stick I built to it yet since the Bluetooth controller works for the time being. But I started with watching Cas and Chary on how to install Amaze. But that wasn't enough for me. I wanted more.

    Not saying you should do it, that's up to you for your headset. But there's a video called "install any android app super easy. No PC required" on YouTube. And you'll have to decide if you trust APK pure. But I'm always pushing my tech to their limits. My phone and my tablet are beyond what they were made for. And you'll be installing mobile VR station which is a legit app on the store. Watch the guys video. Watch a few more. It's so easy. But, anything tide to Google play services may not work. So there's that. Sucks that I can't watch Cox Cable Contour on it. Gave me an error. If Samsungs headset does, it's a buy.

    But I'd be cheating you if I didn't mention Age of Joy. You want MAME? How about a virtual arcade filled with arcade machines? How about mixed reality arcade machines that sit right in your house? How about both? I joined the discord for Age as arcade cabinets continue to be made. Age of Joy and Age of Joy MR. So fricken awesome. I put flat on it just so I had three options to play. AR, VR and flat as a big virtual screen. Go to YouTube and look up Age of Joy. You can get it from itch. Io. You don't have to donate if you're not interested. It's still free.

    Of course, you'll need the roms. Can't help there but point to the Internet and MAME 2003 Plus. It's all…Archived… Somewhere… But if it's MAME you want, check out Age of Joy on YouTube for mixed reality and the regular version. Sadly, the mixed reality version has been slow to be updated as the regular one is updated constantly and will eventually be merged with the mixed reality version. Only have about 50 mixed reality machines compared over a hundred VR arcade machines in regular Joy. Playing the arcade machines in my room as if they were there(placing 10-12 is pushing it because of Quest 3 memory. But you can swap in and out any machine you have) or in a VR dark arcade in VR is next level.(VR version has multiple rooms to help Quest memory limitation) And the developers have even made arcade gun games possible and appear as your controller when you put the coin in the machines is next level. T2, The OG Operation Wolf, Hogan's Alley, Area 51, etc etc etc. So next level. Hope that helps. I'll be around of course if you have another question. I might still have problems with Facebook. But the headset is fire for what you can do with it. More flat apps please. More mixed reality please. Lol. Later

  • ApocalypseShadow

    Oh. And Age of Joy is Side Quest. The thing that the Cas and Chary video was talking about installing besides Amaze. But I also I think I got the MR and regular version from GitHub.

    The reason why besides my phone apps that I instead AoJ? There's a Steam app called Time Capsule. The best looking, fricken arcade made by one guy that I can't play because I don't have a power PC. So, once I saw that Quest had a similar app, it was on. The fact that the AoJ developer got help to improve the software, the cabinets, the textures, lighting, etc was a guaranteed way of getting me to figure it all out to come close to Time Capsule.

    Still buying Action Hero VR today after buying other apps for VR and mixed. I'm still a gamer who loves VR and AR.

  • Cl

    For me it really comes down to who has the better headset specs. Most of my gaming is done through pcvr streaming anyway.

  • In light of Meta's apparent cancellation of Quest 2 Pro, they now have good (Q3s) and better (Q3) but no "best" option in their lineup.

    IMO, Meta could take Quest 3 exactly as it is, replace the XR2 with XR2+, replace the 2K per eye displays with 3K per eye displays, upgrade the pass through cameras and offer it as a mid 2025 addition to the Quest line as "Quest 3 Plus".

    Overnight it will fill the gaping hole in the market that exists between MQ3 and AVP for a standalone device that can deliver on convincingly immersive media consumption + productivity.

    The Quest 3 pancake lenses are already the gold standard. Pair them with an XR2+ CPU boost plus the realistic immersion that 3K per eye affords, and throw in a set of upgraded pass through cameras and you have a very compelling proposition to get us through the next couple years until Quest 4 launches.

    Until they release a proper Quest 3 successor (ie, the Quest 4 which we expect to come sometime in Fall 2026), its a long time to wait while these other headsets fill that gap in the marketplace that AVP has created with its uber high price.

  • ApocalypseShadow

    No problem. Hope it helps. Also, forgot to say on if you decide to put APK pure on your device, look for an app called MAME4Droid. It uses 0.139u roms. That will give you the flat way with large screen when you click that icon on Quest 3 in the top of the panel. Or resize using the corners. Then, if you have a Bluetooth controller, you can use that. You'll also have to hook your Quest to your PC after running MAME. That way you can create the folders or make one then go into the app to point where the games are.

    And, you can always uninstall APK pure after you get whatever you're looking for. I will have to reinstall it to try Pandora and Spotify. Might find something else on there I might want. Later.

  • Вячеслав М

    It was the news about the development of Android XR that scared Meta so much that they decided to make their Horizon OS available to other manufacturers.

    But Meta will not be able to withstand Google, because Meta is playing on the enemy's field.

    Google is the creator of Android, and has 20 years of experience in OS development. Also, Google is very experienced in supporting its OS on thousands of different devices.

    And Meta has only 5 years of OS development experience, and supports only 4 devices (Quest, Quest 2, Quest Pro, Quest 3), which are also very similar in characteristics. Meta has 2 partners, but they have not even released their headsets yet.

    Google will win, because their OS will be much better. They have Gemini AI, which Meta has nothing to counter. And Google will invent a whole bunch of software features that Meta will not be able to repeat.

    Very soon, all hardware manufacturers (except Meta and Apple) will switch to Android XR. And all VR apps publishers will come to Android XR. Meta has absolutely nothing left except… a few exclusive games.

    Meta has planned to stop making hardware and become a software company, a supplier of Horizon OS. But it looks like Meta will either have to continue making hardware for its OS (because everyone else will switch to Android XR), or leave the VR business.

  • Herbert Werters

    Now let's add Valve who will probably release a standalone "PC" VR headset. You'll even be able to run real programs with it, and not just some truncated mobile apps. You wouldn't even have to port the VR games at great expense. I think it's going to be a difficult time for Meta. I'm really excited.

  • Honestly… Just give us more immersive apps.

    the most fun I think I've ever had playing a game was when I got to experience something like Dr Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators – Where Science Meets Violence, on Magic Leap One: Creator Edition.

    i don't think another game will come close to how that game made me feel, for a long time.

    I want to be able to walk inside of and around computing.

    i don't care much for typing on a flat screen or wonder.

    Flat apps and experiences should be optional in spatial computing.