Around three weeks ago Meta announced it was opening up Quest OS for third parties. This was a defining moment for Meta’s role in the XR industry. And as promised back then, the rebranded and restructured Quest Store (now Horizon Store) has been integrated with Meta’s App Lab.
App Lab is where in-development VR games and applications are available for download. This includes Early Access, Alpha and Beta versions of apps. App Lab allows developers to get their foot in the door and get their app noticed earlier than would be normally possible.
However, App Lab titles like Laser Limbo were, until now, quite difficult to find. You needed either a URL for an App Lab title or had to enter its exact name in the Horizon Store’s search bar.
App Lab opens up a treasure trove of VR experiences. | Image credit — PhoneArena
When Meta made Horizon OS open-source it said it was going to integrate App Lab into the store. It’s finally been done and the Horizon Store now has a dedicated App Lab section you can navigate to.
Not only do Quest owners now have easier access to a bigger library of content, developers will also have their in-development apps downloaded more often as well. It’s a win-win situation for everyone and I’m honestly surprised it took this long for the two stores to be merged.
Meta has been making moves to establish itself as the “leader” of spatial computing and the XR industry. Making Horizon OS open-source is similar to the strategy Google employed with Android. No doubt Meta wants to become the Android of XR.
The company is also working on a pair of AR glasses that are supposedly as revolutionary as the first Oculus Rift was. Meta AI is also being integrated into various products like the Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Meta’s Quest 3 is one of the best VR headsets you can currently buy. And integrating App Lab into the Horizon Store is just one of the many ways Meta is making a superior XR platform for all.
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Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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