HTC Corp.’s Vive division today announced that the company will start using Qualcomm Technologies Inc.’s Snapdragon chipset reference for its mobile and standalone virtual reality devices.

The partnership will see Qualcomm’s technology integrated into Vive XR all-in-one standalone VR devices and 5G smartphone as part of the Vive Wave platform specification. HTC Vive will create a solution for smartphone manufacturers that will make it easy to access Viveport, HTC’s VR app store, and deliver immersive VR through tethered universal serial bus type-C connections.

“We’re working together to build and expand the ecosystem for the global XR industry by making it quick and easy to build mobile-based VR headsets,” said Raymond Pao, vice president of product and strategy at HTC Vive. “Benefiting both device manufacturers and developers, this joint effort with Qualcomm Technologies serves to rapidly accelerate new VR headsets across the world and distribution points for developers through Viveport.”

Vive Wave is HTC’s operating system and storefront designed to provide easy, direct access to VR content and experiences. The OS is optimized for mobile devices based on Android and provides a native platform for experiencing VR that provides a consistent look and feel regardless of device.

For device manufacturers, Vive Wave allows new VR devices to be build quickly, providing access to common core functions, access to a library of content via Viveport, and a robust software development kit to allow commercial customization.

Vive Wave is currently deployed across six headsets on the market from partners including Pico, iQiYi, Shadow Creator and DPVR. One of those six headsets is also the Vive Focus, HTC’s standalone VR platform.

Hugo Swart, head of XR at Qualcomm, said the collaboration with HTC will be used to “bring Viveport to Smartphone [manufacturer’s] and global operators to unleash the low latency and high speed potential of 5G and deliver unparalleled XR experiences.”

According to a report from Orbis Research, the VR market grew to an estimated $3.13 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $49.7 billion by 2023. The industry is led primarily by the sale of head mounted displays, such as those made by HTC Vive and Oculus Rift and the standalone headsets.

Headsets across all form factors, especially the cheaper standalone designs, are expected to attain significant consumer traction over the next two years.

The efforts between HTC and Qualcomm are directed at international device makers in an effort catalyze the expansion of equipment that takes advantage of 5G networks and provide access to hardware specifications that will promote the adoption of the entire XR ecosystem.

Photo: HTC Vive