HTC Vive Takes Big Hit
When VR gaming was announced, we were all incredibly excited to explore our favorite adventures in new and exciting ways. What we have received in the way of VR; however, tends to lean towards horror and shooter games that merit little replay value or emotional investment. Let’s face it, none of the games release so far justify the expensive purchase of a VR unit. Sure, it is early, but VR has largely been a disappointment. Today, we have some evidence that VR gaming could be in some trouble as HTC reported some significant financial losses since last year which might result in the company selling off its virtual reality headset, the HTC Vive.
During their fiscal year in 2016, HTC lost $513 million and has reportedly brought in a strategic financial adviser to evaluate their options. The options range from selling off the virtual reality device to selling the entire company. In this day in age, you just never know which option could be the more attractive one. Sources speaking to Bloomberg have confirmed that HTC has spoken to other companies recently, one of which was Google.
This unsettling news follows a recent price cut to their Vive headset. The headset’s new price is set at $600, which is considerably more than buying a new console. More importantly, the headset is more expensive than its two competitors, the Oculus Rift and the PlayStation Virtual Reality headset. So really, was the Vive doomed from the beginning?
While options for HTC are being considered, we should mention there is no guarantee that any of the business moves will be pursued in the future. According to the source that first spoke to Bloomberg, they said that no decisions have been made at the time. When Bloomberg asked HTC and Google about recent business discussions, both companies declined to comment.
While the company is a power player in the smartphone industry, their venture into VR with the Vive headset has been marked with price cuts and other issues in attempts to keep up with their VR competitors. HTC has fallen behind in its primary smartphone field as well as it lost much of its company value over the past few years.
Does this spell trouble for VR in general or is this just an isolated issues with HTC Vive? Tell us what you think!