5.3 KiB
OpenXR Extension Registry Audit
Generated 2026-03-11 -- Task 3.1
Executive Summary
This audit examines Meta's contribution to the Khronos OpenXR extension registry and evaluates the claim that Meta authored approximately 67% of all OpenXR extensions.
Extension Counts
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| KHR (Khronos ratified) | 34 |
| EXT (Cross-vendor) | 43 |
| FB (Meta/Facebook) | 41 |
| META | 35 |
| Other vendor-specific | 112 |
| Total | 265 |
Meta Contribution Analysis
- Meta total extensions (XR_FB_ + XR_META_): 76
- Percentage of all extensions: 28.7%
- Percentage of vendor-specific extensions: 40.4%
67% Claim Assessment
NOT VERIFIED against total: Meta has 28.7% of total extensions (76/265).
Vendor Breakdown
| Vendor Prefix | Extension Count |
|---|---|
| EXT | 43 |
| FB | 41 |
| META | 35 |
| KHR | 34 |
| BD | 21 |
| ML | 19 |
| ANDROID | 18 |
| MSFT | 15 |
| HTC | 10 |
| VARJO | 7 |
| OCULUS | 4 |
| LOGITECH | 2 |
| MNDX | 2 |
| MND | 2 |
| QCOM | 2 |
| ACME | 1 |
| ALMALENCE | 1 |
| EPIC | 1 |
| EXTX | 1 |
| HTCX | 1 |
| HUAWEI | 1 |
| OPPO | 1 |
| ULTRALEAP | 1 |
| VALVE | 1 |
| YVR | 1 |
Meta Extensions (Full List)
XR_FB_android_surface_swapchain_createXR_FB_body_trackingXR_FB_color_spaceXR_FB_composition_layer_alpha_blendXR_FB_composition_layer_depth_testXR_FB_composition_layer_image_layoutXR_FB_composition_layer_secure_contentXR_FB_composition_layer_settingsXR_FB_display_refresh_rateXR_FB_eye_tracking_socialXR_FB_face_trackingXR_FB_face_tracking2XR_FB_foveationXR_FB_foveation_configurationXR_FB_foveation_vulkanXR_FB_hand_tracking_aimXR_FB_hand_tracking_capsulesXR_FB_hand_tracking_meshXR_FB_haptic_amplitude_envelopeXR_FB_haptic_pcmXR_FB_keyboard_trackingXR_FB_passthroughXR_FB_passthrough_keyboard_handsXR_FB_render_modelXR_FB_sceneXR_FB_scene_captureXR_FB_space_warpXR_FB_spatial_entityXR_FB_spatial_entity_containerXR_FB_spatial_entity_queryXR_FB_spatial_entity_sharingXR_FB_spatial_entity_storageXR_FB_spatial_entity_storage_batchXR_FB_spatial_entity_userXR_FB_swapchain_update_stateXR_FB_swapchain_update_state_android_surfaceXR_FB_swapchain_update_state_opengl_esXR_FB_swapchain_update_state_vulkanXR_FB_touch_controller_proXR_FB_touch_controller_proximityXR_FB_triangle_meshXR_META_automatic_layer_filterXR_META_body_tracking_calibrationXR_META_body_tracking_calibration_XR_META_body_tracking_full_bodyXR_META_body_tracking_full_body_XR_META_colocation_discoveryXR_META_colocation_discovery_XR_META_detached_controllersXR_META_detached_controllers_XR_META_environment_depthXR_META_foveation_eye_trackedXR_META_hand_tracking_microgesturesXR_META_hand_tracking_microgestures_XR_META_headset_idXR_META_local_dimmingXR_META_passthrough_color_lutXR_META_passthrough_layer_resumed_eventXR_META_passthrough_layer_resumed_event_XR_META_passthrough_preferencesXR_META_performance_metricsXR_META_recommended_layer_resolutionXR_META_simultaneous_hands_and_controllersXR_META_simultaneous_hands_and_controllers_XR_META_spatial_entity_discoveryXR_META_spatial_entity_discovery_XR_META_spatial_entity_group_sharingXR_META_spatial_entity_group_sharing_XR_META_spatial_entity_meshXR_META_spatial_entity_persistenceXR_META_spatial_entity_persistence_XR_META_spatial_entity_sharingXR_META_spatial_entity_sharing_XR_META_touch_controller_plusXR_META_virtual_keyboardXR_META_vulkan_swapchain_create_info
Dependency Analysis
No direct cross-vendor or third-party dependencies on Meta extensions were detected in the spec text. This may indicate that Meta extensions are primarily standalone vendor features rather than foundational building blocks.
Strategic Implications
Standards Capture Assessment
Meta's dominant position in the OpenXR extension registry raises several strategic considerations:
-
Volume dominance: Meta's extension count represents a significant share (28.7%) of the total registry, giving Meta outsized influence over the direction of the standard.
-
Vendor lock-in risk: Applications built against XR_FB_* and XR_META_* extensions are inherently tied to Meta's runtime. This creates a de facto platform lock-in within an ostensibly open standard.
-
Governance leverage: Heavy contribution to a standards body's specification can translate to governance influence, as the contributing company's engineers become the domain experts that other members defer to.
-
Open-washing vector: High extension counts can be cited as evidence of 'open' contribution while the extensions themselves serve to extend Meta's proprietary platform capabilities.
Methodology
Extensions were collected from:
- Khronos registry:
https://registry.khronos.org/OpenXR/specs/1.1/man/html/ - GitHub repository:
https://api.github.com/repos/KhronosGroup/OpenXR-Docs/contents/specification/sources/chapters/extensions
Categorisation is based on the standard OpenXR vendor prefix convention (XR_FB_, XR_META_ for Meta; XR_KHR_, XR_EXT_ for cross-vendor; all others as third-party vendor).