HTC may sell off Vive VR business

HTC could sell off its virtual reality segment in an effort to stabilize financial losses from its ailing smartphone division.

Published
Updated
1 minute & 15 seconds read time

HTC may sell off its VR business in order to stabilize losses from its smartphone division, sources say.

HTC may sell off Vive VR business 523

HTC's beleaguered smartphone division has caused the company to weigh specific options that may lead to an outright sale or spin-off of its Vive virtual reality business, anonymous sources have told Bloomberg. The Tawainese smartphone-maker reported its eight straight consecutive loss in May, with losses of $66 million in first quarter of the current fiscal year.

Anshel Sag, analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy, told us that spinning off the VR division may have been planned all along, and if so, it won't be hard for HTC to accomplish. "HTC's smartphone business continues to struggle. The company has lots of valuable IP in that business and decent products but has failed to compete with the Chinese manufacturers and Samsung. Their VR division is already a whole owned subsidiary so spinning off Vive shouldn't be hard at all and I believe was part of a long term plan."

"I believe this news is part of a natural progression of HTCs plans and their continued weakness in their core smartphone business," Mr. Sag continued.

HTC's premium PC-powered Vive VR was made in conjunction with PC gaming giant Valve, and has sold less than 670,000 units through Q2 2017 according to IDC findings. Following a recent price cut to Facebook's Oculus Rift VR platform, HTC cut the Vive VR's price tag by $200 to $599 in an attempt to spur sales.

HTC may sell off Vive VR business 331
NEWS SOURCE:bloomberg.com

Derek joined the TweakTown team in 2015 and has since reviewed and played 1000s of hours of new games. Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

Newsletter Subscription

Related Tags