Meta Adds Xbox Game Pass Starter to Horizon+ VR Subscription

Meta said it's bringing Xbox Game Pass Starter to its Horizon+ subscription service. This further enhances its collaboration with Microsoft.

Through the deal, eligible Horizon+ subscribers will get access to Xbox Game Pass Starter, adding more content to the virtual reality games and experiences that Meta already offers. The Quest ecosystem aims to become a home for all your games, whether virtual or traditional. The added feature is expected to start appearing to subscribers in compatible regions.

Meta's Horizon+ is a subscription service for its virtual reality headsets, namely the Quest.

Members have access to a pool of VR titles that changes, including monthly game releases and exclusive bonuses. With the addition of Xbox Game Pass Starter, Meta is attempting to appeal beyond solely virtual reality gamers, providing users with a vast collection of popular game titles for PC and console. While this Starter membership will not contain the full suite of features that other Xbox Game Pass plans have, it will allow players access to a selection of titles on supported hardware.

The initiative strengthens Meta's relationship with Microsoft.

Over the years, Meta and Microsoft have joined forces in a number of ways, including the ability to stream games on Meta Quest headsets using Xbox Cloud Gaming. By utilizing cloud streaming, consumers are able to play certain titles from Microsoft's console ecosystem directly through the Quest headsets on a massive virtual display, though they aren't actual virtual reality experiences.

Meta is working to position Quest headsets for more than just gaming.

In recent months, the company has been steadily implementing new features for business, education, fitness, and entertainment. However, the agreement with Microsoft further enhances the appeal of the Quest by allowing access to a selection of traditional game titles for its users. Such collaborations provide Meta with yet another method to boost the attractiveness and value of the Horizon+ subscription service for its members.

Additionally, the incorporation of Game Pass Starter could potentially bring new customers into Meta's fold.

In recent years, subscription services have become one of the most crucial business models in the gaming industry. By bundling together various services, tech companies can secure a long-term revenue stream without solely relying on hardware sales and encourage ongoing user engagement with their platforms.

The competition in the gaming industry is more intense than ever.

Tech giants are actively investing in various business models, such as subscription-based access, cloud-based streaming, and comprehensive digital ecosystems, to ensure they receive recurring revenue from users without always relying on the initial purchase of hardware. Including Microsoft's gaming subscriptions in its virtual reality offering is another tactic that Meta is employing to set itself apart from the competition in the crowded tech market.

Industry insiders anticipate that such partnerships will become more commonplace.

Instead of develop each and every necessary service in-house, companies are increasingly entering into strategic collaborations with one another to enhance the variety of available content and create more seamless entertainment experiences.

For Microsoft, this agreement will expose Xbox Game Pass to more VR gamers while allowing Meta to enhance the value of Horizon+ while still firmly establishing its Quest headsets as a leading platform for both virtual reality and entertainment in general. As the landscape of the gaming industry shifts, such integrations between virtual reality, cloud computing, and traditional games are expected to define how users interact with digital entertainment for years to come, and this recent partnership between Meta and Microsoft exemplifies this trend by showcasing how the two companies are leveraging each other's strengths to cater to an increasingly diverse and demanding gaming audience.