Meta’s approach to watching personal content on the Quest headset has been functional, but the experience is a bit lacking in terms of immersion. Instead of giving users the cinematic experience they deserve, it feels more like sifting through files on a basic computer interface. However, that’s about to change as Meta explores a more captivating home theater setup.
Recently, Mark Rabkin, who is the VP overseeing Horizon OS and Quest, shared some exciting news on X. He mentioned that Meta is working on a home theater environment for Horizon OS. This isn’t just for Quest; it’s also aimed at future third-party headsets. In a response to a query about why this hasn’t been done yet, Rabkin explained that the team is actively experimenting with various elements like lighting and sound to create the best possible experience.
Meta’s fascination with virtual theaters isn’t new. Back in 2014, when they were still known as Facebook/Oculus, they introduced Oculus Cinema for the Samsung Gear VR. This later evolved into Oculus Video for Gear VR and Rift, providing users a more streamlined way to view personal content and rent movies. Oculus Social, launched in late 2015, stirred things up by allowing up to five people to gather virtually and stream content from platforms like Twitch and Vimeo in different virtual settings.
The now-retired Oculus Video app highlighted their early endeavors, but it’s worth noting Meta’s latest move occurred in Horizon Home on Quest. Updated in 2021, it enabled users to share home spaces with others, watch videos together, and jump into virtual reality apps. Yet, it lacked the depth and variety of features one would expect from a dedicated home theater experience.
As time passed, these apps shared a common snafu: they created obstacles for users accustomed to traditional content delivery. This inadvertently nudged users towards more open platforms such as Bigscreen and Skybox, as well as apps dedicated to streaming services like Prime Video, YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix.
So while Meta’s upcoming venture may not merge all these disparate services into one grand theater platform, it might just succeed in creating a seamless and convenient way for users to enjoy their own content in an immersive setting. That alone could make waves in how we experience digital content in the virtual world.
