HTC’s Vive-Centered Metaverse Push; Epic’s Upcoming Unreal Event

While Meta Platforms continues to scale back its usage of the Oculus brand name, in favor of Quest, HTC appears dead-set on slapping its Vive label on an expanding number of products. But in doing so, HTC risks tarnishing the Vive name if its metaverse expansion flops.

Over the weekend, HTC announced two new Vive products that fit into its metaverse play. The new Vive Wallet will be the company’s version of a cryptocurrency wallet, while Vive Bytes is the name being given to its non-fungible token art marketplace. The company’s interest in crypto and blockchain tech is nothing new, but HTC’s decision to use the Vive brand in this way is suggestive of a bigger shift in the company’s strategy. HTC wants Vive to be its mainstay brand across a varied selection of services and software, even where the connection to Vive’s VR roots is quite thin.