HTC launches metaverse phone with Ethereum, Polygon support
HTC launched metaverse phone “Desire 22 Pro” on Tuesday, which comes with a digital assets wallet and virtual reality (VR) headset pairing feature, as part of the Taiwanese firm’s Web3 expansion.
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Fast facts
HTC preloaded its 6.6-inch phone with applications from its metaverse arm Viverse, offering users what it calls a rich metaverse experience without a VR headset.
With Viverse apps and Vive wallets built into the phone, users can create virtual avatars and manage crypto assets, including non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrencies on Ethereum and Polygon, the company said in a press release.
The 8GB RAM and 128 GB storage device is priced at NT$11,990 (US$403) in Taiwan and £399 (US$487) in the U.K., and will be available for purchase in Taiwan, Japan and Europe, according to the company.
HTC has not disclosed availability of its metaverse phone in other regions, but a spokesperson told Forkast the company is evaluating distribution.
The consumer electronics firm shifted its focus to VR gear production, with its last phone release dating back to January 2021.
In 2017, Google bought a US$1.1 billion slice of HTC’s smartphone hardware business.
HTC is among the early phone makers to experiment with blockchain technology.
See related article: Smartphone giant Huawei doubles down on blockchain technology