HTC used to be a big name among smartphones, until it started to fall slowly out of the market. However, a report claims the Taiwanese company might soon release a flagship Android smartphone that will come with powerful metaverse VR features.
The company’s General Manager for the Asia-Pacific area, Charles Huang, stated (via DigiTimes Asia) at the just concluded MWC 2022 event that it will debut a new HTC metaverse phone, next month, for customers who want to access VR and AR apps.
With its future high-end smartphone, HTC hopes to cater to those excited about the metaverse. And, given the company’s previous expertise in the AR/VR business as well as the blockchain system, it makes sense to say that the company will definitely deliver on this. However, it will be interesting to see the exact features in this smartphone.
HTC’s new project is an indication that it is preparing to re-enter the smartphone market, which is dominated by Apple, Samsung, and some Chinese competitors. It remains to be seen how HTC’s newest hype-driven endeavor will fare in the market and whether or not it will be fruitful.
MWC 2022 also saw the premiere of HTC’s vague “Viverse,” which is the company’s metaverse concept that claims to bring together virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), 5G, blockchain technology, nanofibre technology (NFTs), and other technologies into a new, futuristic platform.
With projects such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces and Microsoft Mesh, which aim to help connect traditional devices such as cellphones into virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, it’s even possible to picture what a metaverse-integrated smartphone may look like.
A high-end HTC “metaverse” phone, on the other hand, might be one that integrates closely with the company’s virtual reality headsets to provide a seamless, cross-device experience that fundamentally alters our perception of using cellphones (and other devices) in virtual environments.
Having said that, the metaverse phone may also be a mediocre smartphone with a couple of half-baked virtual reality apps preinstalled. For what it’s worth, HTC’s Viverse website specifically states that users would be able to engage with the company’s metaverse concept from “any phone, tablet, PC, or VR headset,” and it even includes an illustration of a smartphone that appears to be doing exactly that.
Viverse is HTC VIVE’s place in the metaverse: a universe of new experiences, and a seamless gateway to other VR universes in collaboration with partners worldwide.
