HTC could be planning a mobile VR headset too

Virtual reality tech had a huge part to play at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and HTC was leading the charge with the Vive headset it's been developing with Valve (and which you can pre-order starting February 29).

It seems PC-powered, fully immersive virtual reality might not be HTC's only VR project: it's also thinking about smartphone-powered VR, something along the lines of the Gear VR or the new LG 360 VR.

Headsets like the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift are more powerful and offer a more fluid VR experience, but the cut-down mobile versions have the advantage of being portable and cable-free.

HTC talking sense

Speaking to TechCrunch, Drew Bamford of HTC Creative Labs said "it would make sense" for HTC to "work on more kinds of VR products, and products that unite our phone business and our VR business", though he didn't confirm HTC was working on its own version of the Gear VR.

Samsung is making good use of its mobile VR headset, developed with the help of Oculus: anyone who pre-orders one of its new 2016 flagships will get a free Gear VR included in the bundle.

LG has now joined Samsung with its own lightweight LG G5-compatible VR headset, so don't be surprised to see HTC follow suit in the near future. Chances are the next device would be a lot cheaper than the $799 ticket price (roughly £575 or AU$1,120) of the full-fat Vive.

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