Palmer Luckey, founder of Irvine, California-based virtual-reality (VR) technology firm Oculus VR LLC, yesterday visited the HTC Corp (宏達電) booth at the Tokyo Game Show to try out the Taiwanese firm’s VR headset, the HTC Vive.
The presence of Luckey at the exhibition’s special VR pavilion raised eyebrows, as Oculus VR and HTC compete head-to-head in the global VR market.
Google-invested Oculus unveiled its Oculus Rift VR headset in 2012.
Wearing the HTC Vive, Luckey played a new game titled Linked-door Loves Space Channel 5, developed by Japanese telecom operator KDDI Corp.
KDDI’s software is marketed as the world’s first VR game to allow several players to experience it simultaneously.
TOKYO DEBUT
The HTC Vive, jointly developed by HTC and US video game distributor Valve Corp, is one of HTC’s gambits to diversify away from its core smartphone market in the hopes of generating a new revenue stream to turn around its money-losing business.
The headset is equipped with tracked controllers that allow wearers to inspect objects from every angle and interact with their surroundings.
Working with its Japanese partners, the firm has put nearly 20 kinds of content on display for the HTC Vive’s debut at the Tokyo Game Show.
The company said that it expects to attract about 100,000 visitors during the four-day exhibition.
Also at the show, Micro-Star International Co (微星科技) is introducing its VR One, described by the company as the world’s lightest VR backpack PC.
The VR One is to support the HTC Vive.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
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