The Meta Quest+ subscription service has become Horizon+ in what may be perceived as yet another push for the metaverse aspects of headsets like the Meta Quest 3.
VR fans may have noticed the interface of the Quest 3 and its siblings has in recent months put more of a focus on the social side of VR, centred around Horizon Worlds. It takes yet another part of the spotlight with this Horizon+ renaming.
There is another interpretation of this move, though, which is also part of the decision. Meta has plans to open up its platform for other hardware-makers.
It means, at some point, headsets not made by Meta will use the same app store, and offer the same Horizon+ subscription option. Somewhat separating the Quest hardware brand from the wider set of platform services and features does largely make sense.
Meta announced its intention to open up its VR ecosystem in 2024, with Asus and Lenovo among the names mentioned, but none of these third-party headsets have appeared yet.
This is less a desperate move to try to make up for poor Meta Quest sales — the Meta Quest 3 and 3S appear to be highly popular — but to shore up the platform against an important incoming rival, Android XR.
Google and Samsung plan to unveil the first Android XR headset this year. While the Samsung XR unit is expected to be closer to the Apple Vision Pro than the Meta Quest 3 in terms of spec and cost, in classic Android fashion all sorts of Android XR devices are likely to arrive in time.
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What has not changed is the basic substance of the Horizon+ subscription. You still get a chance to claim two VR games each month, and much like PlayStation Plus’s monthly games, these become attached to your account. They will remain playable as long as you have an active Horizon+ subscription.
May 2025’s games are shooter Pavlov Shack and Kill It With Fire VR, for example. A subscription also grants access to a wider library of VR titles, a little more like those of Xbox Game Pass Core or PlayStation Plus.
A Horizon+ subscription currently costs $7.99 a month or $59.99 for a year.
