Leaked Quest Theater Environment Hints at Meta’s Ambitions for Social VR and ‘Bigscreen’

Sure thing, here we go:

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So, get this—Meta, you know, the brain behind all things Horizon OS, decided in January to try this home theater thing for Quest. Picture this: massive screen, proper theater vibes. I mean, who wouldn’t want that, right? Anyway, someone just leaked a prototype, and surprise, surprise, it’s got multiplayer, too. Kind of feels like they’re eyeing something like Bigscreen.

Now, Quest isn’t exactly new to the theater game. They’ve been tossing features around, but nothing first-party that you can drag your pals into for a movie night. Meta’s been wrestling with it, like forever, and seriously, nothing really hit the mark yet.

Oh, speaking of past efforts: Mark Rabkin—yeah, the ex-VP guy—was all about crafting this cinema feel with his crew. They were tinkering with lights, effects, even that immersive sound. But who knew where this was headed? It was a bit murky—what’s the blend gonna be between solo ‘Theater View’ and Horizon Worlds’ shared events like concerts and stuff?

Fast forward to now. A dude named ‘lukegotbored’ (how’s that for a handle?) stumbled onto a test version of this theater thing on Quest. Accidentally, they say. Sure. The buzz? Looks like Meta’s out to crib some of Bigscreen’s mojo. Luna shared the scoop on Twitter and thinks this theater gig might land in Horizon Worlds’ next facelift. In a clip, two folks jump around seats in a futuristic theater—watching Hot Ones, no less.

Here’s the kicker: Can Meta pull off what makes Bigscreen a hit? There, you catch streams from Pluto TV or even beam your stuff to share with friends. But Meta doing that? Yeah, probably a tall order. Streaming personal content opens up a can of worms—legal stuff, licensing, the whole shebang.

Bigscreen’s clever, doesn’t stream unlicensed stuff directly. But it’s not like they’re babysitting and shutting your room down if you do. In Horizon Worlds, though? Meta’s got mods keeping a tight lock on things, unlike the free-rein of Bigscreen.

Anyway, will Meta’s setup match the scale of Bigscreen’s? Who knows. But they’re sure gonna try gluing folks to Horizon Worlds. Why hop apps when you can binge with your buddies in one spot?

And let’s not forget, Meta has a knack for copying ideas. Remember Virtual Desktop? Godin’s baby for PC-to-VR streaming. Meta liked the flavor, added it right into Rift. Even when they played hardball with Virtual Desktop on Quest, it was a bit of a showdown. Yet, soon they’d backtrack and let it through, after spinning out Air Link, their twist on wireless streaming.

So, what’s next? Meta’s hosting Connect 2025 on September 17th, and maybe they’ll spill more beans. I’m staying tuned, eyes peeled, all that jazz. Stick around for updates—never know what might drop next.