India’s largest cell community is in talks with Meta about launching a Horizon OS headset within the nation, The Info studies.
The outlet cites “three individuals with data of the state of affairs” as saying the talks are taking place however aren’t on the stage the place any deal has been finalized.
Horizon OS is Meta’s new identify for the Quest working system, which it plans to let third-party firms use in future headsets.
Thus far, ASUS and Lenovo have confirmed their intentions to launch Horizon OS headsets.
LG reportedly as soon as deliberate a Horizon OS headset for 2025, however that deal seems to be closely delayed or maybe even canceled.
Along with its cell community, Jio additionally runs an e-commerce platform, digital funds service, and an ecosystem of app-based companies together with a messaging platform, streaming service, and gaming platform.
Meta took a ten% stake in Jio again in 2020 as a part of a deal designed to combine a few of Jio’s e-commerce companies into WhatsApp. Jioβs controlling shareholder, Mukesh Ambani, can be a private buddy of Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg and his spouse attended Ambani’s son’s wedding ceremony earlier this 12 months.
Notably, Jio presently companions with Google for a 4G Android telephone it sells for the equal of round $50. A Jio VR headset might comply with an identical technique, bringing reasonably priced sponsored {hardware} operating Horizon OS preloaded with Jio companies.
Jio has round 1800 bodily retail shops in India, which it might doubtlessly use to demo the headset to potential consumers.
It is unclear precisely how a Jio headset would obtain a considerably decrease value than the upcoming Quest 3S with out making main compromises, although. Jio’s smartphone does it by utilizing a really low-end chipset, so it is attainable the headset might use the unique Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 from Quest 2. Over time this could notably limit the share of Horizon Retailer content material that might run on the headset, and restrict its combined actuality capabilities, however these compromises may be seen as essential to promote effectively within the Indian market.
We’ll be masking any future studies of this potential partnership that might, if it goes by, develop shopper VR to essentially the most populous nation on the planet, thought of one of the vital important rising markets.