An Xbox VR headset is on the way – but don’t expect a PSVR2 rival

Gamers who have dreamed of an Xbox VR headset might not have much longer to wait, thanks to the news that Microsoft and Meta are partnering up to create a limited edition Meta Quest VR headset.

• Read more: Surprise surprise! Zuckerberg says Quest 3 is better than Apple Vision Pro (and I agree)

The news comes courtesy of an official Meta blog post which states that “Xbox and Meta teamed up last year to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to Meta Quest, letting people play Xbox games on a large 2D virtual screen in mixed reality. Now, we’re working together again to create a limited-edition Meta Quest, inspired by Xbox.”

Granted, it doesn’t exactly sound like a true Xbox VR headset competitor to the likes of say, Sony’s PSVR2. Instead, it sounds like a reskinned/redesigned version of the Meta Quest 3 (or a newer, unannounced headset) that’ll be infused with Xbox branding. Mark Zuckerberg went as far as stating in an Instagram post that the future headset could come with an Xbox controller and Game Pass straight out of the box, suggesting that the headset could act as a portal to Xbox’s cloud gaming service.

There are no details on hardware, specs, or even a timeframe at this stage (the main image above is an AI render I quickly whipped up to satiate your appetite for shiny new hardware), but we’ll hopefully hear more news in the near future.

Elsewhere, Meta also announced that it would be opening up its Meta Horizon OS to developers, with Mark Zuckerberg even stating that Meta would love to work with the likes of Microsoft, Google, and more, for cross-platform app store functionality. It’s all a very smart move on Meta’s part — if the Quest OS platform becomes the main VR standard (with it being loaded on other partner headsets from the likes of Lenovo, Asus, and more), then Meta will be able to secure itself as the biggest player in potentially the next evolution in computing.

We’re a long way off from that at the moment though, with VR headsets very much still a niche market when compared to the broader world. Still, I’m all for opening up collaboration between tech giants, as more choice is always better for consumers. A VR headset that’ll let me access my Game Pass library, Steam collection, and Android apps sounds pretty damn good to me. Your move, Apple Vision Pro…

• Read more: I bought an Apple Vision Pro, here’s what I think after 48 hours

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.