HTC is one of the few companies effectively trying to make its mark on the VR industry. So far, these efforts have been rather hit and miss. Their headsets aren’t selling too great and things can certainly sue work on the software side. Even the Viveport solution isn’t all that appealing to the masses.
What Comes Next for HTC?
It is evident the virtual reality industry is a cutthroat business like any other. Even established tech giants like HTC can’t just develop a product and hope the consumers will buy it right away. If their Vive headset is any indication, there is still plenty of work to be done. Moreover, the Viveport service has been received lukewarm so far, as most people isn’t effectively that appealing.
To make matters worse, the new Vive Pro headset is not to the liking of VR fans either. Its price tag is astronomical and won’t win the company any fans. Their latest announcement comes in the form of using previous-generation controllers and sensors with the new headset for an extra fee of $299. This is not the right way to go either, as it pushes the total package to a price of over $1,000.
Whether or not HTC will remain in the VR business for much longer, is difficult to guesstimate. If they keep making weird decisions like these ones, the future doesn’t look all that great for the company whatsoever. Despite having the first-mover advantage, the company doesn’t catch a break at any given moment. Instead, it seems they are simply behind the rest of the industry and only keep making matters worse.
With the latest quarterly earnings report being rather abysmal, the VR business is do-or-die for HTC. So far, it seems it will be rather “die” than “do”, as the company is quickly losing market share. While the firm will inject more money into its VR arm soon, it remains to be seen if they can effectively turn this ship around. Right now, the company’s products and services don’t fit into any category VR enthusiasts want to explore.
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