Google’s Recruitment of HTC XR Experts Sparks Speculation on HTC’s Future Plans

Google has made a strategic move by bringing onboard several of HTC’s XR engineers. This initiative, according to the company, aims to “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform, covering the spectrum of headsets and glasses ecosystems.”

Last month, Google unveiled Android XR, signaling a pivotal turn in competitive dynamics, especially since Samsung is likely gearing up to be the pioneer in launching a headset powered by Android XR. While this stirred excitement among consumers eager for new contenders in the XR field, it was slightly overshadowed by questions about Google’s ability to maintain a long-term commitment to such projects.

Although Google has addressed some of these reservations in an exclusive for Road to VR, which you can delve into for more details, it doesn’t quite erase the long history of products and services the company has abandoned over time. This list unfortunately includes Google Daydream, their maiden voyage into the XR world launched back in 2016.

In a recent announcement, Google shared that it has reached an agreement to acquire several of HTC’s XR engineers. While specific details about the deal remain scarce, it’s plausible that Google is looking to leverage HTC’s expertise in hardware to ensure a robust standing in today’s XR arena.

“We’ve been investing in XR for more than a decade,” Google stated. “Just last month, we introduced the Android XR platform with our strategic industry partners. Today, we sealed an agreement to welcome some of the HTC VIVE engineering team into Google, subject to typical closing conditions. They come with a solid technical background and a successful track record in VR. We’re excited to collaborate with them to expedite the development of the Android XR platform across headsets and glasses.”

Interestingly, this isn’t Google’s first collaboration involving HTC engineers. Back in 2017, the company splurged $1.1 billion to absorb HTC’s smartphone engineering talent. Following this, HTC unified its smartphone and VR operations, indicating a reinforced focus on XR.

With the details of this deal not yet public, HTC’s immediate future remains uncertain. Based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, HTC has mainly been concentrating on producing XR devices for enterprise users and prosumers. Their latest product, the Vive Focus Vision, is a standalone mixed-reality headset priced at $1,000. It combines various features from previous models like the Vive Focus 3 (2021) and Vive Elite XR (2023).

Despite their focus on XR, HTC has also ventured beyond this realm recently, though without significant success. In 2018, they introduced the HTC Exodus 1 crypto-phone, which led to a sequel the following year. They also launched a home-based 5G hub in 2019 during the initial excitement surrounding 5G technology. However, none of these devices are currently available, leaving us to watch and see how HTC navigates this transition.