Meta Horizon Store
| Developer | Meta Platforms |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 2013 |
| Website | www |
TheMeta Horizon Store,known from 2013 to 2015 asOculus Share,2015 to 2022 asOculus Storeand from 2022 to 2024 as theMeta Quest Store,is the mainvideo game and app storedigital distributionservice and storefront developed byMeta Platformsfor theMeta Questand its successors, as well as forMeta Horizon OS-based devices.
History[edit]
The beta version of the Oculus Share website was first announced on August 19, 2013, to allow users to self-publish, discover, download, and play games and experiences.[1]In 2015, following Oculus VR's acquisition by Facebook, Oculus Share was shut down and revamped as the Oculus Store for the consumer-facingOculus Rift,including pre-approvals, sales taxes and comfort ratings.[2]In addition, the company announced an investment of $10 million into indie game developers to distribute their games in the store.
In 2021, Facebook introduced "App Lab", a new section within the storefront allowing developers to upload and distribute apps without going through the formal review process. App Lab is designed primarily to supportearly accessmodels, and can support public and invite-based distribution.[3]
As a result of Facebook's corporate rebranding as Meta Platforms, CTOAndrew Bosworthannounced that the Oculus brand would be phased out in 2022; all Facebook hardware products will be marketed under the Meta name, and Oculus Store would be renamed Quest Store. Likewise, immersive social platforms associated with Oculus will be brought under the Horizon brand (such asHorizon Worlds).[4][5][6][7][8]
On April 22, 2024, the company announced that the Meta Quest Store was renamed as the Meta Horizon Store. In the same announcement, software platform would be rebranded asMeta Horizon OSand opened to third-party headset manufacturers (starting withMicrosoft,AsusandLenovo), the Meta Quest mobile companion app renamed as the Horizon mobile app, and a new spatial app framework was announced to assist mobile developers in porting their software to, or programming original apps for, Horizon OS.[9]In addition, the company announced that App Lab would be phased out in two phases, first placing App Lab access inside of a tab in the Horizon Store instead of a separate URL, and later phasing out all references to App Lab and merging App Lab content into the Horizon Store while no longer rejecting submissions to the Store on the basis of taste or quality.
Controversies[edit]
In 2022, theFederal Trade Commissionand the attorneys general of New York, Tennessee, and North Carolina began investigations into Meta's VR-related business practices, including third-party app distribution on the Oculus Store, over allegations of anti-competitive behaviors.[10][11]
References[edit]
- ^VR, Oculus."Announcing Oculus Share (Beta)! | Meta Quest Blog".meta.Retrieved2024-04-23.
- ^Constine, Josh (2015-06-12)."Oculus App Store Will Require Pre-Approvals, Comfort Ratings, Tax".TechCrunch.Retrieved2024-04-23.
- ^Faulkner, Cameron (2021-02-02)."Oculus' App Lab offers a new way to try early access VR apps without sideloading".The Verge.Retrieved2021-02-28.
- ^Robertson, Adi (2021-10-28)."Facebook's Oculus Quest will soon be called the Meta Quest".The Verge.Archivedfrom the original on October 28, 2021.Retrieved2021-10-28.
- ^"Company formerly known as Facebook unceremoniously kills off 'Oculus' brand".TechCrunch.Retrieved2021-10-28.
- ^Feltham, Jamie (November 5, 2021)."Meta Quest 2 Is Already Replacing Oculus Quest 2 Branding".RetrievedFebruary 21,2022.
- ^Daniel Piper (February 3, 2022)."Meta's Oculus Quest rebrand is off to a disastrous start".Creative Bloq.RetrievedFebruary 14,2022.
- ^Khan, Imad (January 27, 2022)."Oculus Quest 2 just officially renamed Meta Quest — and it's not going well".Tom's Guide.RetrievedFebruary 14,2022.
- ^"Your Request Couldn't be Processed".Meta for Developers.Retrieved2024-04-23.
- ^Robertson, Adi (2022-01-14)."The FTC is reportedly investigating Meta's VR division for antitrust violations".The Verge.Retrieved2024-04-23.
- ^"Meta's Oculus Unit Faces FTC-Led Probe of Competition Practices".Bloomberg.2022-01-14.Retrieved2024-04-23.
