Yesterday, HTC announced the Viveport – a storefront for virtual reality users to access relevant content and experiences at the VLRA. The development beta version will be available very soon (few weeks time) while the global version will launch later this year (available in 30 countries including China).
According to the official HTC Vive blog, HTC touts Viveport as the destination to discover, create, connect, watch and shop for the things they love and need in life. The store is looking to host non-gaming contents that are currently not available from Valve and it’s Steam store.
It will feature VR content across exciting, new categories for VR–like information, edutainment, social media, 360˚ video, news, sports, health, travel and shopping. Contents (could be free or paid) on there will not be exclusive to Vive users only and access to Valve’s Steam for gaming is still intact.
The upcoming release will also include an update to the Vive Home, a more personal and customisable virtual space with interactive widgets and more. HTC will reportedly take the standard 70/30 app store revenue split with the creators of VR contents and support for in-app purchases and subscription is also confirmed.
Commenting on the launch, Senior Vice President of Viveport at HTC, Rikard Steiber said;
“We believe equal access to virtual reality experiences will make the world a better place for people and enterprises alike. Viveport will play an important role in giving access to virtual reality experiences that will enhance our daily lives and the way we connect with friends and family. The Vive team and our customers cannot wait to see what new experiences will be shared by our partners in the developer community.”
The Viveport VR app store will be available in the Vive headsets, Web browsers, PC and mobile app.
