Meta announced in January it was working on a home theater environment for Horizon OS, which would let Quest users view content on a massive screen in a proper theater setting. Now, a leaked prototype of the environment shows that it’s focusing on multiplayer too, making it look a bit like VR’s most popular shared viewing app, Bigscreen.

Quest already has a few fragmented theater-style features, although no single first-party app that lets you easily invite friends to watch things socially. Meta has made a number of attempts over the years, but so far nothing has really stuck.

Two months prior to leaving Meta though, Mark Rabkin, then-VP of Horizon OS and Quest, announced his team was working on the long-requested cinema environment, and experimenting with things such as lighting, effects and immersive sound.

At the time, it was uncertain just how far the company was hoping to go to bridge the gap between the platform’s single-player ‘Theater View’ feature and its Horizon Worlds shared livestreams, which includes things like concerts, comedy, and sports. We may have a partial answer to that now.

Now, X user ‘lukegotbored‘ (via ‘Luna‘) has reportedly “accidentally” accessed a work-in-progress theater environment on Quest, suggesting Meta is replicating at least some of the functionality of VR’s most popular social viewing app, Bigscreen.

Luna, who also recently leaked Meta’s next smart glasses, suggests the feature could arrive in Horizon Worlds next big update, noting that the multiplayer space allows you to invite other users. In the video, we see two users switching through multiple seats in a sci-fi style auditorium and watching a Hot Ones interview.

It remains to be seen though whether Meta can actually replicate Bigscreen’s most popular feature. Bigscreen not only lets you socially watch a variety of streaming channels from services like Pluto TV, but also mirror your own content so other can watch too. At least for Meta, that last one may be a bit of a stretch.

Letting users stream their own content at scale could raise major legal and technical challenges for Meta, especially around content licensing, which Bigscreen has navigated in some clever ways.

Notably, Bigscreen doesn’t actively stream unlicensed content, although it also doesn’t exactly stop users from doing so. You won’t find an army of ghostly moderators shutting down hosted rooms like Meta does in Horizon Worlds, essentially allowing users to freely stream any movie, TV show, or live sports game.

Bigscreen can do this because it puts the onus on the individual user to comply with content laws, leaving its app essentially in the clear—something Meta may not be so ready to commit to.

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And although there’s no telling how big Meta’s theater will truly be, offering that basic social viewing functionality on top of Horizon Worlds will undoubtedly be focused on boosting player retention, as users won’t need to install an additional app, or leave Horizon Worlds to have watch parties.

Granted, this wouldn’t be the first time Meta replicated third-party app functionality. Virtual Desktop, created by Guy Godin, helped pioneer PC-to-VR mirroring following its initial launch on Rift in 2016. Much of its functionality was gradually replicated by Meta over the years, baking them into system-wide functions on Rift.

What’s more, in early 2021, Meta initially rejected Virtual Desktop on Quest due to its included wireless streaming feature, which allowed users play PC VR games over WiFi. Weeks later, Meta reversed course and approved it for the Horizon Store, but only after releasing its own version, Air Link.

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Meta’s next big event is Connect 2025, which is set to kick off on September 17th, 2025, where we could possibly learn more. We’ll have our eyes peeled for more information in the meantime, so check back soon.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Brilliant average

    Maybe it would work if their new Ar glasses can use it aswell.

  • Meta created a platform to then compete with its best apps

  • ichigo

    What would gain my interest here.

    – Media playback via usb official support.
    – Youtube watch parties with a main host.
    – Access media from cloud and share in multiplayer from host.

    (You would think 3D media would be supported as default…)

  • Nevets

    Gunning for Bigscreen Beyond? Not with that fucking faceclamp. Watching movies needs to be a comfortable experience. The display hardware (albeit not OLED) is adequate. The form factor is not. Not by a long chalk.

    • ichigo

      Which one are you referring to your comment has confused me here? 'Bigscreen' (App) or Bigscreen beyond (hardware)….

      In any case i spent hours upon hours with Quest3 and 3D movies. And would agree they need to stop prioritizing portability and work on comfort.

      "comfortable experience" does not have to mean smaller form factor. In fact my headset is bigger than what it was sent to me boxed. With halo strap and counter wight i can watch hours of 3D movies but put the original strap back on and i can't last 30mins.

      You also have to take into account cost and features. The only reason Quest is adopted more is price to features ratio. And for me the YouTube VR app you can't get on PCVR.

      Bigscreen Beyond (the hardware) also has the problem of half the gear you need is sold by valve and doubles the cost. And it's not got stand alone that appeals to more simple people (not me personally).

      • Nevets

        I was referring to Quest 3. And I agree with much of what you say but a high adoption rate is little use if people don’t use it after the first or second time. There are complex reasons for this but comfort has to be near the top.