HTC Launches a Metaverse Phone with Crypto and NFT Wallet Features

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With the increase in the interest in the Metaverse and the crypto space, the electronic giants are slowly joining in. From Samsung opening virtual stores in the Metaverse to Solana developers working on a Web3 mobile phone, many interesting projects are already in the works for the world!

Following closely is the mobile manufacturing giant; HTC. They are soon coming out with HTC Desire 22 Pro which comes with preloaded “Viverse” apps. Through these apps, users will not only be able to manage their Metaverse content but will also be able to navigate their cryptos and NFTs. 

According to Decrypt’s report, the device is optimized to work alongside HTC’s lightweight Vive Flow VR headset, with HDCP 2.2 connectivity enabling you to wirelessly mirror content to the VR headset, while a Vive Manager app also lets you set up and manage your VR hardware.

The HTC Crypto smartphone “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, in a statement accompanying the announcement. 

Also Read: WHAT ARE CRYPTO PARTNERSHIPS AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

HTC and Crypto

HTC has not only just taken an interest in the crypto space. They have been one of the tech giants who were early adopters of the crypto space and visioned a future where everyday technology will eventually have a need to have crypto included within them. 

In early 2018, HTC produced the Exodus 1 smartphone that had a built-in crypto hardware wallet. It also has the ability to run a full Bitcoin node. Following up on their advanced Exodus 1, smaller models like Exodus 1s; soon followed. Phil Chen, the then “chief decentralized officer,”  told Decrypt, “In five years it will be trivial to have a Bitcoin node or other blockchain nodes stored on your phone.”

Following the initiative, we are not sure if we are still in the space to see demands for such gadgets, but another tech giant, Samsung, came into the market and has been including a secure element for storing crypto private keys on its devices for some time now. HTC’s moved on from working on those features for a smartphone, leaving it to its rivals in recent years, and instead started focusing on its Vive virtual reality headsets.

With the new model, Desire 22 pro, on the way, it is trying to marry its blockchain phone credentials with its VR product line and bet its claim to being the brand to have come up with the first metaverse smartphone. But with their other rival, Apple rumored to be prepping an AR/VR headset that is ready for release next year, HTC’s window to be the first brand with a Metaverse gadget, is narrowing by the day.

If you are wondering what metaverse is; it is a concept of an online, 3D universe that consists of multiple virtual spaces. It is often referred to as the next internet. The metaverse ecosystem will allow its users to work together, conduct meetings or plan a group outing, play games, and socialize together in these curated 3D spaces. 

Additional Read: Metaverse Explained with Examples