HTC has plans to go big in the metaverse with the launch of its first “Viverse” smartphone, called The HTC Desire 22 Pro.
Introduction to the Metaverse Phone
The phone comes with a number of preloaded apps that make it easy to manage metaverse content. HTC has worked on a special Viverse app that comes with the ability to perform a variety of tasks including buying NFTs and creating your own space in the virtual world.
This isn’t the first crypto phone from HTC, the company has tried to capture the crypto market in the past and this new device combines elements from past devices. It features a built-in digital wallet for Polygon and Ethereum-based assets.
The device supports a number of VR-related tools including HTC’s lightweight Vive Flow VR headset. It uses HDCP 2.2 connectivity to link to the headset that can be controlled with the help of an exclusive app named Vive Manager.
The company is quite excited about this new launch and expects it to create a stir in the market.
“It opens new immersive experiences as the perfect partner for VIVE Flow—whether it’s meeting colleagues in VR, or enjoying your own private cinema anywhere you are,” said Shen Ye, Global Head of Product at HTC while talking about the device.
Specs
HTC isn’t planning to go against the big guns with the HTC Desire 22 Pro. It’s marketed as a “powerful midrange device,” and features these specs:
- Screen:a 6.6-inch Gorilla Glass display
- Resolution: 1080 x 2412-pixel resolution
- Refresh rate: 120 Hz
- RAM: 8 GB
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
- Storage: 128 GB
- Battery: 4,520 mAh with wireless charging and fast charging options
- Main camera: 64 MP (f/1.79) with a 13MP ultrawide lens (f/2.4), and a 5MP depth-sensing camera (f/2.4)
- Front facing camera: 32 MP (f/2.0)
HTC and NFTs
HTC is one of the few smartphone companies taking a big interest in the crypto and NFT space. It entered the industry in a big way with the launch of Exodus 1 in 2018. The first crypto phone from HTC came with a built-in crypto wallet and could run a full Bitcoin node.
It soon released Exodus 1s, a smaller version of the device and now other companies appear to be following suit. Samsung already has devices with the ability to secure crypto private keys and other manufacturers may jump on the bandwagon soon. HTC believes that this will be the norm in the future.
For now, the company seems to be focused on its metaverse and is working on VR products and services. However, with other big names like Apple expected to enter the space, HTC has a very small window of opportunity to seize the day.
