Back in April of last year, Meta revealed its plan to extend Horizon OS, the exclusive operating system for Quest, to third-party headsets for the first time. This move meant XR devices from brands like ASUS, Lenovo, and Xbox might soon be running Horizon OS. However, since then, Meta has been quite secretive about any developments on these headsets. According to a recent report from well-known tipster “Luna,” ASUS might be leading the charge.
Luna, who frequently shares insights about upcoming virtual reality hardware and software, has a track record for leaking Meta projects. Before official announcements, Luna was already spilling the beans on the Quest 3S name and the addition of an Action Button to the headset.
Luna’s data mining efforts also unveiled a room-scanning setup video for the Quest 3 ahead of its 2023 launch and several other Quest software features before they were officially announced. This included when Meta was experimenting with the option to show and keep apps pinned on the Universal Menu dock.
Relying on what seems to be an inside source, Luna now indicates that the Asus Republic of Gamers headset could “likely be one of the first [third-party] Horizon OS HMDs to ship.”
Reportedly carrying the codename ‘Tarius,’ this ASUS headset plans to feature both eye and face-tracking capabilities, aiming to match the advanced features found in the Quest Pro. Word is, it might sport either quantum dot LCD displays with local dimming or micro-OLED screens.
If these details hold up, it suggests ASUS isn’t merely copying the Quest 3S with an added dash of RGB lighting. Instead, it seems to hint at a significant departure from the typical mid-range Quest consumer devices, which currently include the $500 Quest 3 (512GB) and the $300 Quest 3S (128GB).
Although we should approach this news with some skepticism, it’s apparent that Meta aims to respond to Google’s upcoming Android XR, debuting on Samsung’s new XR headset, codenamed Project Moohan, which is scheduled for consumer release later this year.
