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HTC is readying a 'metaverse' phone (Updated: Delayed)
- HTC was supposed to launch a ‘Metaverse phone’ in April.
- It’s unclear what the phone is all about, but we’re guessing it will have AR and VR functionality.
- The company has confirmed the device is delayed.
Update: May 20, 2022 (1:34 AM ET): HTC has confirmed that its Metaverse phone is facing delays. The company posted on Facebook that the device has been delayed due to global supply chain constraints.
Original article: March 2, 2022 (12:30 PM ET): HTCis still releasing the occasional phone these days, although these are budget-tier devices rather than its flagships of yore. The company doesn’t seem to be giving up on its blockbuster aspirations yet though.
HTC Asia-Pacific general manager Charles Huang told Digitimes (h/t: WinFuture) that the company will launch a “metaverse phone” next month. Presumably, this simply means a phone with VR and AR applications.
The phone will reportedly be a high-end offering, although we’re not sure if this means it’ll be a flagship phone or if it’s simply more premium than the firm’s most recent (budget-level) devices.
HTC’s so-called metaverse phone also comes a while after Google and Samsung both effectively abandoned their own VR efforts. Google discontinued its Daydream VR platform for smartphones in 2019 while Samsung ended support for its Gear VR platform and services in 2020.
We don’t have our hopes up for an AR/VR phone if Google and Samsung couldn’t do it, although VR is one of HTC’s few strengths these days thanks to its Vive business. The company’s Vive headsets are well-known in the PC space, and its got plenty of VR content via its VivePort portal.