Amid a potentially terminal decline in smartphone sales, HTC appears to be going all in on the future of virtual reality.
The company behind the critically-acclaimed HTC Vive headset is leading a consortium of VR venture capitalists investing $10 billion (£7.4 billion) in VR technology.
The group features 500 start-ups as well as a host of VC investors who backed Apple and Google in their early days (via CNET).
All in all the fund brings together 28 firms who’ll be investing their capital in the burgeoning VR industry.
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Read more: Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive
The push comes amid a swell of support for HTC’s Vive headset, widely thought to offer the most comprehensive and advanced VR experience to date.
However, with Facebook-owned and well-backed Oculus, as well as the might of Sony’s developer community support PlayStation VR, HTC faces a fight to sustain it’s good start.
At least HTC’s efforts are likely to benefit the entire VR community, given its commitment to cross-platform access to new experiences.
Oculus, on the other hand, has preferred exclusives although it has recently softened its stance on software that aims to bring Vive experiences to competing platforms like the Rift.
Is HTC’s future in VR rather than smartphones? Share your thoughts below.
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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.
