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[XiaNaphryz]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...aker-htc-is-said-to-explore-strategic-options

HTC Corp., the beleaguered manufacturer that once ranked among the world’s top smartphone makers, is exploring options that could range from separating its virtual-reality business to a full sale of the company, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Taiwanese firm is working with an adviser as it considers bringing in a strategic investor, selling or spinning off its Vive virtual reality headset business, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. A full sale of HTC, which has businesses ranging from VR to headset manufacturing, is less likely because it isn’t an obvious fit for a single acquirer, one of the people said.

No final decisions have been made and HTC may choose not to proceed with any strategic changes, they said.

Representatives for HTC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

HTC’s market value has slumped about 75 percent in the past five years to $1.8 billion as its smartphone market share dipped below 2 percent. The Taoyuan City-based firm has been attempting to refocus its growth prospects on the high-end VR business, with shipments of the Vive headset totaling more than 190,000 units in the first quarter, according to research firm IDC. HTC also has a contract manufacturing deal to assemble Google’s Pixel handset.

Who might acquire HTC’s phone business is an “open question,” Llamas said. A logical buyer might be a manufacturer in China, he said.

Vive is a “different beast” from Facebook Inc.’s Oculus VR and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC’s PlayStation VR, Llamas said. “I am not seeing other companies really making that play, competing in that same area,” he said.

 

[kulapik]

Makes sense, the Vive brand has gotten bigger than HTC.

 

[thepenguin55]

As someone currently contemplating buying a Vive this gives me pause...

 

[Abilidebob]

Bomba confirmed
VR is dead

 

[Blam]

Real reason behind the price drop comes out.

 

[Digital0Reality]

Disappointing news, we need competition in the VR space to keep driving things forward. If Oculus is truly dedicated to weather out the early years, they will be the major market share winners in the end.

 

[Alexander DeLarge]

Vive has far more of a future than HTC's smartphones unfortunately. I love their hardware. No matter what happens, SteamVR will be fine with LG in the game too (and I could even see Sony and Microsoft using lighthouse tech).

 

[MUnited83]

Bomba confirmed
VR is dead

They are considering selling it because HTC has continuously have their smartphone business be flop after flop after flop. Has nothing to do with the sales of the Vive.

 

[Dynomutt]

Is there a better suitor in need of VR? MS?

Sony to expand on their PSVR?
Samsung..maybe separate from Oculus?

 

[Digital0Reality]

Bomba confirmed
VR is dead

If Vive taps out then Oculus will gladly pick up their market share. VR isn't dead, but HTC simply cannot compete in the Oculus price range.

 

[Dremorak]

Good thing its an open platform. I wonder if Valve is invested enough to just buy it and bring it all inhouse

 

[True Fire]

This article doesn't sound negative at all. It sounds more like Vive is outgrowing HTC, and making the rest of the company look horrible by comparison.

 

[thepenguin55]

Good thing its an open platform. I wonder if Valve is invested enough to just buy it and bring it all inhouse

Considering how they handled the Steam Box I almost feel like this is the worst case scenario.

 

[Digital0Reality]

Considering how they handled the Steam Box I almost feel like this is the worst case scenario.

Bingo. Valve time does not work if you want to capture market share quickly either.

 

[Digital0Reality]

Is there a better suitor in need of VR? MS?

Sony to expand on their PSVR?
Samsung..maybe separate from Oculus?

Microsoft has their own line of PC headsets and Samsung is working on their own standalone already.

 

[Azure Dream]

Steam Box/Steam Machine was a bunch of partnership deals, wasn't it? That wasn't Valve physically manufacturing them.

Good thing its an open platform. I wonder if Valve is invested enough to just buy it and bring it all inhouse

The Vive is kind of nothing without Valve, and I doubt they'd work with just anybody on it. That's going to make buyers wary, anyway.

 

[Flying Toaster]

Good thing its an open platform. I wonder if Valve is invested enough to just buy it and bring it all inhouse

I highly doubt this will happen. This sucks because I want to see VR get more support not less.

 

[OrionsNebula]

So in my naiveté, which companies would be suitable and "large enough" to support the brand appropriately?

 

[XiaNaphryz]

The Vive is kind of nothing without Valve, and I doubt they'd work with just anybody on it. That's going to make buyers wary, anyway.

There's always the chance that a tech company with deep pockets ends up buying it just for the assets (tech, software, staff, research) and completely moves it over to some other field or use case like professional applications or training programs, stuff away from the consumer market.

 

[Nzyme32]

This article doesn't sound negative at all. It sounds more like Vive is outgrowing HTC, and making the rest of the company look horrible by comparison.

That's been the point for a long time now - they want to spin it off as it is the successful part of the company, while HTC's efforts mobile and exploring other devices is consistently failing. The company isn't sustainable

Steam Box/Steam Machine was a bunch of partnership deals, wasn't it? That wasn't Valve physically manufacturing them.

Yeah, all third party, which has nothing to do with HTC / Vive. Valve did Steam Link / Controller, themselves. Samsung does the integrated Steam Link with 4k support, but it uses some of Valve's own tech licenced to Samsung

The Vive is kind of nothing without Valve, and I doubt they'd work with just anybody on it. That's going to make buyers wary, anyway.

Sure, but most of that tech is open and freely licences out to hardware partners. There are quite a few companies digging into SteamVR. LG is the bigger one so far, their headset is due next year amongst other things

 

[MUnited83]

Considering how they handled the Steam Box I almost feel like this is the worst case scenario.

Valve never made a Steam Box, it was all third parties

 

[mnannola]

Depending on price, wouldn't Oculus want to do this to crush basically their only competition on PC? Due to the small market and Playstation VR I don't think it would be considered monopolistic. This would be horrible for consumers, but seems like a good move for oculus.

 

[Blam]

Valve never made a Steam Box, it was all third parties

Don't say that because they made 300. Those invited ones are all numbered and by Valve.

 

[Nzyme32]

Depending on price, wouldn't Oculus want to do this to crush basically their only competition on PC? Due to the small market and Playstation VR I don't think it would be considered monopolistic. This would be horrible for consumers, but seems like a good move for oculus.

That isn't going to stop the other companies investing in SteamVR / OpenVR - OpenXR - something Oculus, Sony, Valve and pretty much every one other than MS is involved with

 

[Digital0Reality]

Depending on price, wouldn't Oculus want to do this to crush basically their only competition on PC? Due to the small market and Playstation VR I don't think it would be considered monopolistic. This would be horrible for consumers, but seems like a good move for oculus.

Perhaps, but it seems pointless because anyone can make a steam VR headset. LG is releasing one as well.

 

[snap]

Makes sense, the Vive brand has gotten bigger than HTC.

that's not true in the slightest

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

For HTC so loved the world, it gave it's one and only begotten successful product so that whoever buys it will not have vaporware, but instead receive everlasting support

 

[JaseC]

Depending on price, wouldn't Oculus want to do this to crush basically their only competition on PC? Due to the small market and Playstation VR I don't think it would be considered monopolistic. This would be horrible for consumers, but seems like a good move for oculus.

It's Valve that owns the underlying tech. If Facebook were to buy the Vive just to remove it from the market, there'd still be nothing preventing Valve from partnering with another sizeable hardware manufacturer for the upcoming revision.

 

[low-G]

Maybe Facebook will buy it and then make Facebook logins mandatory on the Oculus Store.

If what said just above is true ^

What is Vive other than simply a name, then?

 

[isamu]

Another article:

https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/24/htc-vive-business-sale-rumor/

Others are speculating Luckey may buy them.

 

[Ferrio]

Another article:

https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/24/htc-vive-business-sale-rumor/

Others are speculating Luckey may buy them.

Oh god no.

 

[exmachina64]

Maybe Facebook will buy it and then make Facebook logins mandatory on the Oculus Store.

If what said just above is true ^

What is Vive other than simply a name, then?

Not much.