18 Feb 2026
|
Mike Boland
XR Talks: Going Under the Hood with Horizon OS
Welcome back to AWE Talks, our series that revisits the best AWE conference sessions. With AWE Asia 2026 concluded, we have a fresh batch of session footage to sink our teeth into for weeks to come.
We continue our AWE Asia coverage this week with a look at Meta. After some recent shifts to Horizon OS, questions remain about what functionality is still available and supported for XR developers. Meta gives us a rundown.
See the summarized takeaways below, along with the full session video. Stay tuned for more video highlights each week and check out the full library of conference sessions on AWE’s YouTube Channel.
Speakers
Esther Goh, Meta
Sadia Rahman Zain, Meta
Key Takeaways & Analysis
– Though Meta is a household name in XR, its developer offerings are less exposed.
– This includes the Horizon OS platform for devs to build spatial experiences.
– Given recent cuts at Meta Reality Labs, the state of the platform was even more unclear.
– So what's Horizon OS' status, capabilities, and supported functions at this stage?
– Rolling through the top XR functions for devs, Meta gives us a thorough breakdown.
– Starting basic, Building Blocks offer a range of interactions (think: grab, teleport, etc.)
– Spatial Anchors and co-location enable persistent digital objects for many users.
– Scene understanding lets devices scan spaces to unlock mixed-reality experiences.
– XR audio and haptics SDKs enable deeper sensory experiences beyond visuals.
– 3D engine compatibility (Unity, Unreal, Android) supports familiar 3D creation tools.
– A recent (and top-requested) feature is passthrough-camera access for MR dev work.
– AI building blocks meanwhile let devs tap into Meta's models or bring their own.
– Potential AI experiences include generative-3D graphics or in-app chatbot functions.
– These are just a few representative samples with much more developing in Horizon OS.
For more color and depth, see the full session below...
Want more XR insights and multimedia? ARtillery Intelligence offers an indexed and searchable library of XR intelligence known as ARtillery Pro. See more here.
– Though Meta is a household name in XR, its developer offerings are less exposed.
– This includes the Horizon OS platform for devs to build spatial experiences.
– Given recent cuts at Meta Reality Labs, the state of the platform was even more unclear.
– So what's Horizon OS' status, capabilities, and supported functions at this stage?
– Rolling through the top XR functions for devs, Meta gives us a thorough breakdown.
– Starting basic, Building Blocks offer a range of interactions (think: grab, teleport, etc.)
– Spatial Anchors and co-location enable persistent digital objects for many users.
– Scene understanding lets devices scan spaces to unlock mixed-reality experiences.
– XR audio and haptics SDKs enable deeper sensory experiences beyond visuals.
– 3D engine compatibility (Unity, Unreal, Android) supports familiar 3D creation tools.
– A recent (and top-requested) feature is passthrough-camera access for MR dev work.
– AI building blocks meanwhile let devs tap into Meta's models or bring their own.
– Potential AI experiences include generative-3D graphics or in-app chatbot functions.
– These are just a few representative samples with much more developing in Horizon OS.
For more color and depth, see the full session below...
Want more XR insights and multimedia? ARtillery Intelligence offers an indexed and searchable library of XR intelligence known as ARtillery Pro. See more here.
