Meta is already offering a way for users to view their own material on Quest, but let’s face it, scrolling through a file system and watching on a small window lacks the immersive feel of a true home theater experience. The company is now toying with the concept of stepping things up a notch.
Recently, Mark Rabkin, the VP steering Horizon OS and Quest, took to X to share that Meta is actively developing a home theater environment for Horizon OS. This operating system not only powers Quest but is also slated to run on several third-party headsets in the near future.
In response to questions about why there hasn’t been a first-party push in this direction until now, Rabkin mentioned that his team is busy “experimenting with lighting and sound effects to find what works best.” The goal is to create an awesome audio experience to match the visuals.
This isn’t Meta’s first rodeo when it comes to crafting a theater-like atmosphere. Rewind to 2014, when Meta—back when it was known as Facebook/Oculus—rolled out Oculus Cinema for the Samsung Gear VR. This later evolved into Oculus Video for both Gear VR and Rift, providing an all-in-one space for watching your personal videos and even renting movies to view. In late 2015, they launched Oculus Social, an initiative allowing up to five people to team up and enjoy Twitch and Vimeo streams in various virtual theaters.
As interesting as history may be (with numerous home theater apps having come and gone), Meta’s latest effort was seen in Horizon Home on Quest. Updated in 2021, it allowed users to invite others into their home space for activities like watching videos and jumping into VR apps together. This offering, however, lacked many features typical of a dedicated home theater app, such as custom viewing environments or advanced playback options.
There’s been a consistent theme with these apps: they often made it somewhat cumbersome for users to access traditional content, nudging them towards more open alternatives. This allowed apps like Bigscreen and Skybox, as well as dedicated services such as Prime Video, YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix, to thrive.
Looking ahead, while Meta’s next attempt at a theater environment might not bring together all these fragmented apps into one massive entertainment hub, having a straightforward and immersive way to watch your own content might just hit the sweet spot for many users.
