The VR hardware developer is also planning a rival to Meta’s Quest 2 headset.
In an effort to expand its existing VR technology, earlier this quarter HTC announced a partnership with so-called “metaverse-as-a-service” company Imversed. According to an HTC press release, the partnership “presents an opportunity to combine HTC’s existing technology with alternate [augmented] reality adaptation.”
HTC’s VIVE headsets work in tandem with it VIVERSE metaverse ecosystem that provides users with an open virtual world where they can work and play in an environment featuring art galleries, meeting rooms, video games and other offerings.
Although the simulated experience of VR has seen increased adoption in recent years, HTC and other tech companies are turning to mixed reality (MR), which combines the experiences of virtual and augmented realities, as a way to boost user experience, versatility and use cases.
Although VR provides immersive experiences, one of the downsides is that it cuts users off from the outside world and involves headsets that completely cover a wearer’s field of vision. Mixed and augmented reality combine digital and physical world experiences using less intrusive devices like smartphones.
“We believe AR will be a mind-blowing future, but nobody’s tackling that right now,” says Ed Ow, Chairman of Imversed. “We want to build something like Ready Player One. You can upload any avatar, combined with AR and VR, to bring them to real-life utility.”
Imversed plans to offer a virtual world with “XR-land” mapped onto a digital map of the real world akin to Google Maps. Imversed launched its first demo in October and plans to make its first sales by the end of the year.
HTC’s partnership with Imversed will leverage the company’s MR landscape that invites users to collaborate and interact in innovative ways. As opposed to an organization operating in a siloed fashion in the metaverse, Imversed’s approach is to bring together an array of entrepreneurs and companies to collaborate. It offers its own virtual economy where individuals can break into virtual professions that allow users to earn money by donning their headset.
HTC is also making significant investments in VR. It has patterned with Smarttech Real Group for a UK retail launch of its VIVE Flow immersive VR glasses at the Selfridges London department store, designed to bring immersive cinematic and entertainment experiences to shoppers. Additionally, HTC will unveil a new VR headset at the CES conference in early January which may serve as a rival to Meta’s Quest 2.
