HTC might be looking to sell or spin off its Vive virtual reality business – TechCrunch

HTC, whose mobile handsets ruled the smartphone world of yesteryear, is working with an adviser to examine some pretty significant strategic options as it aims to find a path forward, Bloomberg reports.These steps include the possibilities of selling its Vive virtual reality arm or simply spinning it off into a separate venture.

Weve reached out to HTC for comment.

The report noted that a full sale of the Taiwanese tech firm was less likely given that its business which encompasses a wide scope of efforts didnt fit obviously with one acquirer. Nothing is final, and Bloombergs sources maintained that they may choose not to go through with any of these options.

HTCs core business has faced a major downturn in the past decade, with its stock falling 75 percent in the past five years and nearly 95 percent since its all-time high in April of 2011. The company is currently worth about $1.8 billion.

As the companys handset business has slowed in China and the US significantly, HTC has invested major resources into seeking to get ahead of the virtual reality industry and establish itself as a major presence. In addition to its hardware pursuits, HTC has launched a VR accelerator, an investment organization devoted to VR companies and a 3,500 square foot VR arcade in Taiwan called Viveland.

The companys flagship headset made in collaboration with the gaming company Valve still seems to be outselling Facebooks Oculus Rift handily according to analysts, but neither company has released unit sales figures. Earlier this week, HTC delivered the first significant price cut to the headset, taking the price down from $799 to $599.

HTC also manufactures Googles Pixel phone which was introduced last year, a device which was the first to showcase Googles Daydream virtual reality platform. HTC is set to release a standalone positionally-tracked headset in collaboration with Google based on the Daydream platform later this year as well.

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HTC might be looking to sell or spin off its Vive virtual reality business - TechCrunch