Google bought HTC’s augmented reality business for $250 million

Google has reached an agreement with HTC to buy the Taiwanese company’s extended reality (XR) division for $250 million, a term that combines augmented and virtual reality technologies. Previously, the American company announced the Android XR OS intended for these devices.

Image source: vive.com

As part of the deal, some of the engineers from the HTC VIVE division will go to work at Google, and the American company will also receive a non-exclusive right to use HTC’s intellectual property. The Taiwanese side will retain the rights to use and further develop solutions in this area. This is the second major deal between manufacturers: in 2017, Google acquired the smartphone division from HTC for $1.1 billion.

The purchase of a new asset will accelerate the development of the Android XR software platform for VR headsets and augmented reality glasses, Google said. This direction is becoming increasingly in demand: now the leaders in the XR device market are Apple and Meta✴. In the meantime, Google and HTC intend to explore additional collaboration opportunities, the companies said.