Google Brings on HTC Vive Engineers to Propel Android XR Development

Google recently made headlines by acquiring a group of XR engineers from HTC, a move that the tech giant believes will speed up the progress of its Android XR platform, uniting the universe of headsets and smart glasses.

Last month, Google dropped a bombshell by unveiling Android XR, signaling a pivotal turn in the XR market. Samsung looks set to lead the charge as the first to introduce a headset equipped with this new platform. Nonetheless, there’s a blend of anticipation and skepticism as industry insiders question how committed Google truly is to this initiative, given its history of shelving projects.

Addressing some anxieties, Google provided an exclusive update to Road to VR. However, the company’s track record of discontinuing services still looms large. Remember Google Daydream? That was their significant foray into XR back in 2016, which has since been retired.

In the latest update, Google confirmed an agreement with HTC to onboard several of its XR engineers. Though details remain sparse, it’s likely this partnership aims to bolster Google’s hardware capabilities in the XR domain.

“We’ve been investing in XR for over ten years and recently introduced the Android XR platform alongside our key industry partners,” Google stated in the announcement. “Today, we inked a deal to bring some of the HTC VIVE engineering team to Google. They’re an exceptional technical team with a solid reputation in VR, and we’re eager to join forces to foster rapid progress across the headsets and glasses ecosystem.”

Interestingly, this isn’t Google’s first rodeo with HTC talent. In 2017, Google paid a hefty $1.1 billion to absorb HTC’s smartphone engineering team, which was a clear signal of HTC’s shifting focus towards XR as it later combined its smartphone and VR units.

As the ink dries on this current deal, HTC’s next move remains somewhat of a question mark. The Taiwan-based company remains a key player in producing XR headsets aimed at professionals and enterprise customers, like the Vive Focus Vision, a $1,000 standalone mixed reality device blending elements from the Vive Focus 3 and Vive Elite XR.

HTC has also dabbled in non-XR ventures quite recently, though these efforts haven’t left a lasting impression. Remember the HTC Exodus 1, the crypto-centric phone launched in 2018? It was followed by another model in 2019. Then there was the home 5G hub, HTC’s venture during the initial 5G excitement. None of these products currently live in HTC’s catalog, so it’s watch-and-wait as the company plots its next chapter.