We’re all well-versed when it comes to the Oculus Storefront and its rigorous curation. This is what ensures that the quality of games and experiences up and prevents low-quality apps from slipping through the cracks. However, this also makes it difficult for independent developers to release their VR content on the Oculus platform.
To combat this issue Oculus recently launched a new program called ”App Lab” to give independent developers engaging stakeholders an official platform to showcase their VR content without having to go through the rigorous curation process of the Oculus storefront. The App Lab is similar to the regular Oculus storefront in that you can browse and install apps the same way you would on a traditional storefront but it’s not curated.
If your app performs well in the App Lab it could be promoted to the Oculus Storefront, where it will gain more visibility and reach a wider audience. However this isn’t just based on download numbers, but also on factors such as retention metrics, long-term profitability, the development team, etc.
If you’re looking to explore the entire range of Oculus Quest apps, we recommend you to enable developer mode on your Meta headset and play around with App Lab. There are tons of exciting games and experiences to play, including well-known non-games such as Tilt Brush which turns your headset into a virtual art studio. There are also many interesting VR media apps such as Quill Theater, which showcases the amazing community-created movies and animations.