Google is paying HTC $250 million in cash for a deal that will give a boost to the top company’s plans for Android XR. Under the terms of their agreement, some members of the HTC Vive engineering team will join Google, which describe touts them as “an incredibly strong technical team with a proven track record in the VR space.” HTC launched the consumer version of its first Vive VR headset, designed in partnership with Valve, in 2016. Last year, it launched the Vive Focus Vision more than a year after launching its first standalone consumer headset , the Vive XR Elite.
In addition to absorbing some members of the Vive team, Google will also obtain a non-exclusive license to use HTC’s extended reality technologies. HTC may still use its own IP addresses and is committed to continuing to develop and support its XR headsets. The companies will also “explore future collaboration opportunities.” Google says the deal will help “accelerate it in the headset and glasses ecosystem.” The company outlined its vision for a unified Android XR ecosystem in December, which will cover a range of virtual and mixed reality headsets and glasses. We’ll surely see the first Android XR devices this year, including one called Project Moohan from a Google-Samsung collaboration.
The deal between Google and HTC is still subject to customary closing conditions and will be finalized during the first quarter.
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn a commission.
