Google Reportedly Asked Meta to Partner on XR Platform, but Meta Declined
Google approached Meta to collaborate on its upcoming XR platform, but Meta refused the offer, according to reports. The discussions were revealed by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, who accused Google of not supporting VR in the past and claimed that Google was the one planning to fragment the ecosystem. Bosworth expressed Meta's desire to partner with Google and criticized the restrictive terms proposed by Google. However, Meta is reluctant to give up its freedom to innovate. This decision comes as Meta recently formed an XR collaboration with LG and is focusing on building its own ecosystem.
Meta Rejects Google's Offer for XR Partnership
Google reportedly asked Meta to partner and "contribute to" its upcoming XR platform, but Meta declined the offer. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth accused Google of pitching AndroidXR to partners while claiming that Meta is the one threatening to fragment the ecosystem. Bosworth expressed Meta's willingness to collaborate with Google and criticized the restrictive terms proposed by the company.
However, Meta believes that Google's terms would limit its freedom to innovate and build better experiences for users and developers. Bosworth stated that Meta has seen similar scenarios unfold in the past and is determined to do better this time.
This decision comes as Meta recently entered into an XR collaboration with LG and is focusing on developing its own XR ecosystem.
The History of Google's VR Endeavors
Meta's decision to decline Google's offer is in part due to Google's track record in the VR industry. In 2018, Google launched its own VR OS called Daydream and collaborated with Lenovo on a standalone headset called Mirage Solo. However, Google abandoned the Daydream platform less than two years later, leaving no other standalone headset utilizing it.
Fast forward to 2023, Samsung announced its collaboration with Google for XR hardware, and the operating system was named Android XR. Samsung will be the first hardware maker to use Android XR, but there have been no reports of other companies accepting Google's pitch.
The uncertainty surrounding Google's commitment to the XR space and its past decisions in discontinuing platforms like Daydream have made Meta hesitant to depend on Google for its XR platform.
Meta's Unique Position and Google's Offer
Meta has its strengths and weaknesses in the XR landscape. It boasts a wide range of immersive content and has acquired several experienced VR game studios. However, it lacks an existing flatscreen computing platform, preventing seamless cross-device integration and access to a library of 2D apps.
On the other hand, Google can bring its Play Store to Android XR, offering millions of 2D apps to the platform. Additionally, Google can integrate users' existing Android phones, Chrome passwords and bookmarks, and data from Google apps like Photos.
Despite Meta's request for Google to bring the Play Store to Meta Quest, Google declined. The details of a potential partnership between Google and Meta remain uncertain, particularly in terms of decision-making and core design choices.
