Google is serious about making Android the operating system of choice for smart glasses and XR eyewear. In an IP play, the Alphabet company is purchasing aspects of HTC Vive for $250 million in cash. Since debuting in 2016, Vive has earned the respect of competitors and an enthusiastic consumer fan base. While it hasn’t grabbed headlines with the same velocity as major players such as the Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro, HTC is still pushing its Vive line of virtual and mixed reality headsets, accessories and games, and may be destined for a second act. Google gains HTC’s XR expertise at a propitious time.

The acquisition will help “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform across the headsets and glasses ecosystem,” Google explained in an announcement made a day after Samsung confirmed it is developing glasses powered by Android XR.

“Today we signed an agreement to welcome some of the HTC Vive engineering team to Google,” the company said, noting the agreement is “subject to customary closing conditions.”

In addition, “Google will receive a non-exclusive license for HTC’s XR intellectual property,” HTC announced in a statement, adding that the deal is a launching pad for HTC and Google to “explore future collaboration opportunities.” In 2018 Google acquired most of HTC’s smartphone unit for $1.1 billion.

Google officially launched Android XR in December, positioning it as an open, unified platform for all manner of XR headsets and glasses. “Similar to the way that the company created Android for smartphones, Android XR could become a way for VR and AR hardware developers to compete with the biggest industry participants, including Meta Platforms Inc. and Apple Inc.,” reports SiliconANGLE.

XR glasses are commonly powered by smartphones. Google hopes that by jumpstarting an OS, it will give others building with Qualcomm XR chips — including Lynx Mixed Reality, Sony and Xreal — a better shot at building devices with a shot at mass adoption, SiliconANGLE writes.

At CES, startup Play For Dream unveiled a mixed reality headset it described as “the world’s first Android-based spatial computer.”