LG was beforehand tapped to associate with Meta to advance its XR efforts, nevertheless after high-level talks fell by way of, LG has now confirmed it’s closed its XR product division, as an alternative specializing in long-term analysis and growth.
In response to South Korean information outlet The Bell (by way of UploadVR), LG is tuning down its XR efforts, which included the disbandment of the group liable for XR merchandise late final 12 months.
LG confirmed the information with The Bell in a Korean language assertion, machine translated from Korean:
“Though the event group beneath the HE Enterprise Division has disappeared, analysis and growth (R&D) is being carried out throughout the CTO division,” LG instructed The Bell. “We determined to delay the commercialization plan and give attention to R&D.”
Earlier stories from Might 2024 steered the LG/Meta deal was already on skinny ice, as insiders alleged the South Korean tech big wasn’t full steam forward, however fairly “controlling its tempo”. Then, in June 2024, LG introduced was shaking up its XR product division, which was uncommon for the corporate.
The information comes almost one 12 months after Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited LG’s South Korea headquarters, the place the 2 firms agreed to collectively develop XR merchandise.
On the time, LG mentioned hoped to convey its personal content material/service capabilities to Meta’s platform, which might counsel LG was largely serious about a profitable content material deal. Whereas unconfirmed, it was nevertheless rumored as early as 2023 that Meta was contracting LG to fabricate a competitor to Imaginative and prescient Professional.
LG has been a minor participant in XR, having solely productized a single XR headset, its 2016 smartphone-tethered LG 360 VR headset for immersive media viewing, which as a consequence of poor reception by no means noticed a follow-up.
Then, in 2017, the corporate introduced it was engaged on a PC VR headset for SteamVR, nevertheless the venture was quietly deserted.
