according to New information reportMeta is said to have halted development of a new software operating system for virtual reality (VR) headsets. The company set itself the goal of creating its own operating system. The project has been underway for “several years and has involved hundreds of employees”, Reports 9TB 5 Mac. According to the information, this concerns exactly 300 people.
dream of independence
In 2021, Meta assumed it wanted to reduce its dependence on Google and Apple. At the time, the company was using an open source version of Google’s Android operating system to control its Oculus Quest VR devices. So Meta wanted to develop its own software so as not to depend on other companies’ software. The project was known as XROS.
This operating system was to give the Meta strict control over every component of its hardware. In June 2021, Mark Zuckerberg said the team was “very advanced” on the project and planned to release it in the “not too distant future.”
False start for XROS
Recently, Meta reportedly announced to some of its employees that it will continue to modify an open source version of Android to run VR headsets. This modified version of Android is called VROS. Originally, Google developed this version for smartphones. Then other companies, like Meta, used it to exploit on other types of devices.
This decision reinforces the dependency link between Meta’s aspirations in terms of augmented reality and virtual reality technology developed by Google. As a reminder, the Meta Project is a “metaverse” creation. A world in which digital images are superimposed on the real world and real world objects are incorporated into virtual reality applications.
dead reaction
The XROS project reportedly ended after Mark Lukowski announced his departure. The latter told The Information that he left the company for two reasons. The first relates to disclosures accusing Meta of harmful business practices. The second reason relates to the company’s new direction, which centers exclusively on the metaverse.
In a statement sent to The Verge, Meta categorically refutes the information report. It reads, “We do not halt or limit our operations to build an operating system. […] The team continues to make progress and we continue to invest in building future computing platforms such as augmented reality glasses and wearables to help achieve our vision for Metaverse.”
For his part, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo announced that Apple still plans to launch its own virtual reality glasses by the end of 2022.
