Google has made a strategic move by acquiring a group of XR engineers from HTC, investing a hefty $250 million in the process. According to the company, this acquisition is set to “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform across the headsets and glasses ecosystem.”
Announcing the Android XR platform last month marked a significant shift in the competitive arena, especially with Samsung poised to be the first to launch a headset powered by Android XR. While there’s a buzz around well-known brands entering the consumer XR space, there’s also skepticism about Google’s long-term dedication to such projects.
For more insights, check out the exclusive on Road to VR where Google attempts to address some of these concerns. Yet, this doesn’t erase the lengthy list of Google’s past ventures that have been shuttered, including their earlier effort, Google Daydream, which was their initial foray into the XR world back in 2016.
On the heels of this announcement, Google disclosed that it has reached an agreement with HTC to bring on board several of their XR engineers for the $250 million deal. Details remain sparse, but it is plausible that Google is seeking HTC’s hardware expertise to bolster its standing in the evolving XR landscape.
Google mentions, “We’ve been investing in XR for over ten years, and just last month, we unveiled the Android XR platform alongside our strategic partners in the industry. Today, we’ve signed an agreement to bring some of the HTC VIVE engineering team to Google, pending usual closing conditions. They possess a strong technical background and an impressive track record in the VR space. We’re eager to work with them in advancing the Android XR platform across headsets and glasses.”
Interestingly, this isn’t Google’s first major payout for HTC’s engineering talent. Back in 2017, they spent a pretty penny — $1.1 billion to be exact — to absorb HTC’s smartphone engineering team. Shortly after, HTC merged its smartphone and VR operations, indicating a growing focus on XR ambitions.
As the specifics of the latest deal remain under wraps, HTC’s future direction is uncertain. Based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, HTC is currently focused on producing XR headsets for enterprise use and prosumers. Their latest release is the Vive Focus Vision, a standalone mixed reality headset priced at $1,000, which combines elements from the Vive Focus 3 (2021) and Vive Elite XR (2023).
HTC hasn’t limited itself to just XR devices recently, though the results have been mixed. Back in 2018, they launched the HTC Exodus 1, a crypto-phone that garnered enough interest to warrant a sequel the following year. In 2019, they also introduced a 5G hub for home use, banking on early excitement about 5G technology. However, these devices are no longer available from HTC, so it’s a wait-and-watch situation to see what they’ll pursue next.
