Google’s Daydream VR headset could be getting a sleek follow-up in the future as former HTC design lead Claude Zellweger is now working on the platform.
Zellweger himself broke the news via Twitter, though details are pretty scarce at this point, so we’re not entirely sure what his role will be.
https://twitter.com/statuses/824451898413506560
HTC provided TheVerge with a statement confirming the news: “HTC can confirm that Claude Zellweger has left the Company. We appreciate his considerable contribution to HTC, and wish him well in his future endeavors.
“HTC continues to invest in talent and recruitment as part of our broader strategy to ensure the continued strength and integrity of the Company’s organizational structure.”
Related: MWC 2017
Zellweger worked on the HTC Vive headset, though he also worked on previous HTC smartphones, such as the HTC 10, and One M8, which was developed in partnership with Scott Croyle, now at Nextbit.
For the time being, we’re expecting that Daniel Hundt will continue to oversee HTC’s smartphone offerings.
HTC sources have reportedly told Engadget that Zellweger left the company in July 2016, but stayed on in a “grace period”.
The Vive, which is widely thought to be the best VR headset available, went through several prototypes before the team behind it settled on a final consumer design.
Google has long-been rumoured to be working on its own high-end standalone virtual reality headset. According to a report from Engadget last July, sources at Google said the team is working on a headset that ‘blurs the line between virtual reality and augmented reality’.
What’s more, employees assigned to the project were apparently told that Daydream VR is ‘not the company’s long-term plan for virtual and augmented reality’.
Whether Zellweger will be working on this rumoured new virtual reality headset remains unclear at this point, but we’re excited to see what Google has in-store.
WATCH: HTC Vive hands-on
Let us know what you think of the news in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
