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Has anyone here built a business around the Quest 2? A game or app, or custom development? I actually love the device, but I’m not sure how easy the ecosystem

Has anyone here built a business around the Quest 2? A game or app, or custom development? I actually love the device, but I’m not sure how easy the ecosystem is for developers, nor how much traction the device has (or could have) as a non-game app platform.

karamanolev 3y ago
My intuition based on previous Facebook-based business is that depending on anything by Meta makes for a very risky proposition - it might be doing great at any one moment and be completely shut down or just made non-viable the next.
- nonrepeating 3y ago
  This is what I was afraid to hear, thanks for sharing this. My guess is that if you want to build on their platform, you’ll have to kiss the ring of social networking, which is something I’m not too interested in.
- smoldesu 3y ago
  This is not really true? The Oculus Quest lets you sideload whatever apps you want. If Facebook spurns you and deletes all your dev account data, you can still build, deploy, test, sell and distribute your app or game without them. If Apple's headset looks anything like their phones, it will probably be the more fragile platform to depend on.
  - nonrepeating 3y ago
    Sideloading an app is not a sustainable way to distribute a commercial app. It's even more fragile than the official route, and it's a lot to ask of an end user, not to mention the sketchy feel to it.
    - smoldesu 3y ago
      Tell that to the hundreds of developers using sideloading to distribute thousands of successful apps on Quest: https://sidequestvr.com/ https://sidequestvr.com/ Or to the thousands of Mac developers who sideload their app without the App Store. Or to the tens of thousands of Windows developers who distribute apps through freestanding MSI and EXE files...
ngokevin 3y ago
Yeah. It's extremely difficult to impossible without existing connections, being an incumbent VR app, popping off independently, or being an established game development studio. Even harder if it's a non-game as Quest 2 is treated like a console. You can put your marbles in, but your fate will depend on Meta opening the gates for you, and that's a risky proposition. They have their own sideloading channel, App Lab, but it's where apps go to die. Very few will rise up to the official store.

karamanolev 3y ago

My intuition based on previous Facebook-based business is that depending on anything by Meta makes for a very risky proposition - it might be doing great at any one moment and be completely shut down or just made non-viable the next.

nonrepeating 3y ago
This is what I was afraid to hear, thanks for sharing this. My guess is that if you want to build on their platform, you’ll have to kiss the ring of social networking, which is something I’m not too interested in.
smoldesu 3y ago
This is not really true? The Oculus Quest lets you sideload whatever apps you want. If Facebook spurns you and deletes all your dev account data, you can still build, deploy, test, sell and distribute your app or game without them. If Apple's headset looks anything like their phones, it will probably be the more fragile platform to depend on.
- nonrepeating 3y ago
  Sideloading an app is not a sustainable way to distribute a commercial app. It's even more fragile than the official route, and it's a lot to ask of an end user, not to mention the sketchy feel to it.
  - smoldesu 3y ago
    Tell that to the hundreds of developers using sideloading to distribute thousands of successful apps on Quest: https://sidequestvr.com/ https://sidequestvr.com/ Or to the thousands of Mac developers who sideload their app without the App Store. Or to the tens of thousands of Windows developers who distribute apps through freestanding MSI and EXE files...

ngokevin 3y ago

Yeah. It's extremely difficult to impossible without existing connections, being an incumbent VR app, popping off independently, or being an established game development studio. Even harder if it's a non-game as Quest 2 is treated like a console. You can put your marbles in, but your fate will depend on Meta opening the gates for you, and that's a risky proposition. They have their own sideloading channel, App Lab, but it's where apps go to die. Very few will rise up to the official store.