In late 2017, Apple bought VR headset maker Vrvana as it looked to make inroads into the virtual reality space. Now, the company seems to be beefing up its VR ambitions as a new report claims it is in talks to buy NextVR, a California-based VR company. The acquisition could cost approximately $100 million, 9to5Mac reports.
NextVR provides access to sports, music and entertainment events in virtual reality. It supports various platforms such as Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, Gear VR, Daydream View, PlayStation VR, Vive, iOS, and Android. In addition, the report says the company also holds more than 40 patents for technologies used to stream sports and music events to VR headsets. Apple has reportedly created a shell company this year to hire NextVR"s engineers who built that system, with plans of relocating them to its Cupertino-based headquarters.
According to its website, NextVR has existing partnerships with the NBA, WWE, FOX Sports, Live Nation, Wimbledon, and the International Champions Cup. As of this time, the acquisition is not complete and neither Apple nor NextVR has released a statement yet regarding the report. Other terms of the transaction beyond the financial aspect remain unknown as well.