Apple has purchased a virtual reality company NextVR, as reported by Bloomberg.
The news was confirmed this morning (May 15), with NextVR revealing it had been acquired.
Previously, the firm offered sports and entertainment content for virtual reality headsets.
This takeover will no doubt help to bolster Apple’s plans for augmented reality and virtual reality headsets.
NextVR has already supplied content to companies like Facebook and its Oculus, as well as HTC, Lenovo, and Sony.
NextVR inked exclusive deals with some of the biggest names in sport, including the National Basketball Association and Fox Sports, providing high-quality sport-related content to technology companies to use for gaming and entertainment purposes.
The startup also has experience in live-streamed virtual reality content, ideal for gaming and live concerts.
Based in Newport Beach, California, the company shut this week and told its customers that it was “heading in a new direction,” being Apple.
It’s unknown exactly how the company will be folded into Apple, but its location suggests staffers will move over to an Apple campus.
Last month, 9to5Mac suggested that Apple was planning to buy the startup for $100 million.
This is the third deal Apple has inked this year, following its purchase of Voysis, which focuses on voice technology, and Dark Sky, a popular iOS and Android weather application.
After years of delays, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has now revealed that he expects the company to launch its rumored “Apple Glasses” by 2022 at the earliest, with COVID-19 pushing back some of the company’s plans for widespread testing and production.
Are you excited for future Apple headsets? Let us know and check back soon for more news.