The Taiwanese manufacturer HTC has just announced the arrival of the first smartphone specially designed for the metaverse. Expected in April 2022, the phone will offer features focused on augmented and virtual reality. The Android device will support the growth of the Viveverse, the digital world developed by the brand.
HTC to launch first phone designed for the metaverse in April 2022
HTC is set to unveil the first smartphone built for the metaverse. Interviewed by media outlet Digitimes at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Charles Huang, HTC’s general manager for the Asia-Pacific region, revealed the project.
According to Huang, the Taiwanese manufacturer has been developing a high-end Android phone that focuses on using the metaverse. The smartphone is expected to include exclusive features dedicated to digital worlds. It would also be optimised to display virtual and augmented reality applications.
The former smartphone giant plans to launch this mysterious device in April 2022. It is not yet known whether HTC intends to market the device in Europe or whether it will focus on Asia. Charles Huang did not say anything more about the features or the technical specifications of the future phone.
A former mobile phone giant, the Taiwanese group HTC has been progressively eclipsed by its competitors, including Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple. The brand has been particularly discreet recently. Rather than focusing on the smartphone sector, HTC has decided to concentrate on the world of virtual reality.
Note that this is the first time a manufacturer has announced that a smartphone is specifically designed for the metaverse. On the other hand, phones designed for augmented reality have already appeared in recent years.
This is particularly true of the iPhone. Since the launch of the iPhone 12 in 2020, Apple has integrated a sensor dedicated to augmented reality into the iPhone camera. This Lidar scanner makes it possible to improve the rendering of objects displayed in augmented reality by mapping the environment
HTC announces Viverse, its own metaverse
However, it would be wrong to think that HTC is just riding the metaverse trend without offering anything concrete. HTC also announced the Viverse, its own digital universe, during MWC 2022.
In a press release, the manufacturer unveiled a virtual world that can be accessed via several devices. This includes access through a smartphone, tablet, computer or virtual reality headset, such as the Vive Flow.
Announced last October, this HTC headset has a compact design that resembles a pair of traditional glasses. To work, the headset must be connected to a smartphone. It is possible that the smartphone mentioned by HTC is intended to work in harmony with the Vive Flow.
The Viverse is composed of several sections, including Vive Sync. This platform allows users to organise and participate in work meetings in virtual reality. The Viveverse also features Vive Engage, a section that allows users around the world to launch events.
The Viverse also includes a platform for the exchange of non-fungible tokens (NFT). HTC will also allow users to store digital works in their possession as well as their cryptocurrencies on the Vive Flow. NFTs will be an obvious part of the experience HTC will offer in its metaverse.
To access HTC’s digital world, users will have to use the solutions developed by the brand, including Vive Browser, a browser based on virtual reality, or Vive Connect, a portal for moving from one universe to another.
Viverse delivers experiences that can be accessed on any device, anywhere, and is enabled by virtual and augmented reality, high-speed connectivity, artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies that HTC has invested in for several years,” said Cher Wang, co-founder and president of HTC
This is not the first time HTC has shown interest in blockchain. Back in 2018, the Taiwanese manufacturer launched a smartphone that incorporates blockchain technology, the HTC Exodus. The Taiwanese brand offered several versions of the phone, including a limited edition designed in partnership with the cryptocurrency exchange platform Binance.
The second version of the device, the Exodus 1S, is even capable of supporting full-node Bitcoin (BTC). In the same vein, HTC has also developed the EXODUS 5G Hub, a 5G-enabled router capable of hosting a Bitcoin node.
