Meta has opened experimental access to its Passthrough Camera API for Quest headsets, giving developers new tools to craft immersive mixed reality experiences.
However, the API’s use is currently limited to non-commercial projects, with broader app store access anticipated once Meta refines the API based on developer feedback.
Building Experimental Worlds: What the API Offers
The Passthrough Camera API provides developers with access to the Quest’s forward-facing color cameras, enabling them to build applications that integrate digital content with the real world.
This unlocks creative possibilities, such as digital board games that respond to physical pieces or fitness applications that adapt to the user’s environment.
Previously, developers relied on abstract spatial data, such as 3D room meshes, to build MR experiences.
The new API allows applications to process real-time camera feeds for more interactive and dynamic experiences. However, to avoid system performance issues, Meta has limited applications to three active passthrough layers at any given time, as noted in the Meta developer documentation.
Time to update my Quest MR + Gen AI prototype now that @MetaQuestVR Camera API is out — This proto is using a workaround to capture passthrough snapshots, processes them with Stable Diffusion, and displays the results back in their exact physical location.#MR #AI pic.twitter.com/q8wXWeExPa
— Hugues Bruyère (@smallfly) March 14, 2025
Experimental Limitations and Distribution Challenges
While the API is now available for experimental use, developers are restricted from distributing their applications via Meta’s official Horizon Store. Instead, experimental apps must be shared through alternative platforms like SideQuest. This cautious approach allows Meta to gather feedback and refine the API before considering a broader rollout.
Privacy considerations are central to Meta’s strategy. Users must explicitly grant camera access for each application via in-headset prompts. Meta’s settings also allow users to view which apps have accessed the camera over the past week and revoke permissions at any time. According to Meta’s official guidelines, these safeguards are designed to offer greater transparency and control to Quest users.
Although a production-ready version of the API has been discussed, Meta has not committed to a definitive release timeline. The Meta Horizon OS Developers Blog indicates that broader access will be contingent on feedback from current experimental use. The initial rollout is available to Unity developers, with support for other development platforms expected in future updates.
Meta has already granted early access to select developers, including Niantic, Creature, and Resolution Games. These studios are expected to showcase their initial projects at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC), scheduled for March 17 to 25.
The event will serve as a platform for sharing feedback and discussing potential improvements to the API.
Meta’s Broader Strategy
The Passthrough API rollout reflects Meta’s broader strategy to enhance the Quest platform’s mixed reality potential. Earlier initiatives, such as the HDMI Link app for Quest headsets, illustrate Meta’s intent to position Quest as more than just a gaming device—extending into productivity and hybrid workspace applications.
Meta is also focusing on hardware evolution. The upcoming Puffin mixed reality glasses, expected by 2027, aim to address comfort concerns with a lighter design and external battery packs—similar to Apple’s Vision Pro approach. This aligns with Meta’s strategy to lead in both hardware comfort and software functionality.
However, Meta faces increasing competition. Google’s development of Android XR introduces AI-driven extended reality experiences, while Apple is refining its own mixed reality ecosystem with recent AI enhancements to the Vision Pro platform. The competitive race emphasizes the need for rapid yet thoughtful innovation.
By offering early access to its API, Meta aims to keep Quest relevant in the evolving MR landscape. But the company’s methodical approach—focused on privacy and performance—might delay the launch of complex commercial applications compared to faster-moving competitors.
