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Meta has   that it is licensing its new   to third-party manufacturers for use in their own mixed-reality headsets. The first few partners are  , which will make general-purpose headsets focused on productivity, learning, and entertainment; and , which is developing a gaming headset under its   brand. There will also be . The collaboration will see Meta releasing a special edition Quest headset co-branded with Xbox. The headset is likely to be bundled with an Xbox controller, access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Game Pass. The various Horizon OS headsets from different manufacturers will share a common "social layer" of profiles, avatars, friend networks, and virtual spaces, allowing cross-platform connectivity.  Meta's openness stands in stark contrast to Apple's approach. In his Instagram post, Zuckerberg also talks about how it wants the open model of Horizon OS to define the next-generation of mixed-reality headsets. To do that, Meta has also made efforts to reduce barriers for app developers on its platforms. Developers and creators can grow their businesses through the content discovery and monetisation platforms built into Meta Horizon OS. Other than the Meta Quest Store which has been aptly renamed to the Meta Horizon store, Meta is also attempting to bring in the Google Play store to the Horizon OS.  Even though this is certainly an exciting development for mixed-reality headsets, Zuckerberg admits that before there will be an ecosystem of Horizon OS devices. As for the products mentioned earlier, no details have been confirmed. Source: via