Meta is partnering with Microsoft's Xbox to create a "limited edition Meta Quest" headset.
The announcement comes as Meta also announced it's rebranding the Quest software platform to Meta Horizon OS, and letting third-party hardware companies such as ASUS and Lenovo make headsets running it.
David Heaney
Unlike the ASUS and Lenovo headsets which are described as new headsets though, the Xbox headset is described as a "limited edition Meta Quest". Quest is remaining only as the brand for Meta's first-party headsets, suggesting this will be an edition of Quest 3, not an entirely new headset.
The concept image above also suggests this, as it has the exact same strap design, shape, proportions, and camera and headphone jack locations as Quest 3.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, it will include an Xbox controller in the box so you can play Xbox Cloud Gaming with no additional hardware.
Henry Stockdale
This will be a continuation of the long-term strategic partnership Meta and Microsoft announced back in 2022. So far it's brought Xbox Cloud Gaming to Meta's XR platform, as well as progressive web apps for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. According to the 2022 announcement, the next step in that partnership should be bringing Windows 365, which streams a virtual full-fledged Windows 11 PC from the cloud for a subscription fee.
