HTC VIVE Collaborates With Qualcomm Technologies To Pre-Integrate And Optimize VIVE Wave for Snapdragon Standalone XR HMDs And 5G Smartphones

Collaboration allows OEMs to bring Standalone XR HMDs and 5G smartphones to commercialization faster; Broadens XR developer reach across multiple devices

SEATTLE, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - HTC VIVE® today announced they are working with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., to pre-integrate and optimize VIVE WAVE for Qualcomm Technologies' XR Standalone and 5G Smartphone reference designs, allowing OEMs that use select Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Mobile Platforms to rapidly bring VIVE Wave-enabled devices to commercialization. This work also allows HTC VIVE to create a turnkey XR solution for Smartphone OEMs unlocking access to the VIVEPORT app store to deliver a rich, immersive XR offering to consumers through XR Viewers tethered via USB Type-C.

"Through this collaboration, we're working together to build and expand the ecosystem for the global XR industry by making it quick and easy to build mobile-based VR headsets," said Raymond Pao, VP Product & Strategy, HTC VIVE. "Benefiting both device manufacturers and developers, this joint effort with Qualcomm Technologies serves to rapidly accelerate new VR headsets across the world and distribution points for developers through VIVEPORT."

"At Qualcomm Technologies, we are commited to transforming the XR industry and our collaboration with HTC VIVE aims to help accelerate XR adoption for consumers," said Hugo Swart, Head of XR for Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "We are excited to work with HTC VIVE to bring VIVEPORT to Smartphone OEMs and global operators to unleash the low latency and high speed potential of 5G and deliver unparalleled XR experiences."

HTC VIVE and Qualcomm Technologies efforts are focused on helping Smartphone OEMs to expand their offerings and take advantage of 5G networks, providing hardware partners with access to quality VR content through the Wave platform and VIVEPORT app store. By optimizing their solutions, VIVE and Qualcomm Technologies are working to help enable the whole XR ecosystem to grow at an accelerated pace.

VIVE Wave is HTC's operating system and storefront built and optimized for mobile VR requirements. Based on Android, VIVE Wave creates a native OS for VR, while pairing with a unified VIVEPORT storefront. For device manufacturers, VIVE Wave enables new VR headsets to be built quickly, while offering a robust VIVEPORT content library that is available from day one.

VIVE Wave has been deployed across six headsets from partners such as Pico, iQiYi, Shadow Creator, and DPVR.

For more on VIVE Wave, please visit: https://developer.vive.com/us/wave/.

Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries.

Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries.

About HTC

HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC U and Desire lines of smartphones. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything we do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile and virtual reality experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). www.htc.com.

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About HTC VIVE

VIVE is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality platform, built and optimized for room-scale VR and true-to-life interactions. Built on the SteamVR platform, VIVE delivering on the promise of VR with game-changing technology and best-in-class content, VIVE has created the strongest ecosystem for VR hardware and software, bringing VR to consumers, developers and enterprises alike. The VIVE ecosystem is built around the best VR hardware in market, supported by VIVE X, a $100 million accelerator for VR and related technology start-ups, VIVPORT, a global platform and app store with the world’s first VR subscription model that operates in more than 60 countries, and VIVE Studios, its VR content development and publishing initiative. For more information on VIVE, please visit www.vive.com.

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About Qualcomm

Qualcomm invents breakthrough technologies that transform how the world computes, connects and communicates. When we connected the phone to the Internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our inventions are the foundation for life-changing products, experiences, and industries. As we lead the world to 5G, we envision this next big change in cellular technology spurring a new era of intelligent, connected devices and enabling new opportunities in connected cars, remote delivery of health care services, and the IoT — including smart cities, smart homes, and wearables. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, including, the QCT semiconductor business. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

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HTC, the HTC logo are the trademarks of HTC Corporation. All other names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.