LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Viveport™, the HTC global app store, today announced at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that it is introducing the first-ever app subscription service for virtual reality (VR) content. Viveport will launch a monthly subscription service in early 2017. The new service is designed to help customers navigate the burgeoning market for VR apps as well as introduce a new channel through which VR developers can monetize their content.
The introduction of a subscription service for Viveport addresses how fast the library of VR content has grown. There are currently thousands of apps available on Vive globally. Viveport's subscription service will help people navigate this growing marketplace and discover new apps, providing access to an ever-growing library of content for a low monthly fee. VR content creators can opt-in to include products in the subscription service as well as continue to distribute their apps as standalone titles, giving them an additional revenue channel.
"We're happy to let VR fans know that the same way they discover and consume content through popular subscription services for music, films, TV and games is coming to virtual reality," said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport. "For developers, this is yet another opportunity for them to reach broader audiences – we want to give VR developers as many ways as possible to monetize and feature their content, and this is yet another channel for them to reach new customers on Viveport."
Viveport also announced at CES that it is expanding services for enterprise VR customers and arcade operators by launching dedicated VR app stores for professionals in 2017.
For arcades, Viveport is evolving the Viveport Arcade platform announced last November to create a digital storefront that can distribute VR content to businesses globally. The app store is designed for arcades, cinemas, amusement parks and other location-based entertainment centers eager to introduce their customers to VR. The rapid expansion of VR into arcades is creating an important touch point for people to experience high-end VR for the first time.
Added Steiber: "Our dedicated Viveport Arcade app store will give operators around the world an easy-to-use digital storefront to curate the experiences they want to feature for their customers. We now have more than 300 top VR titles on our arcade platform. In short time, we've partnered with operators in China where we're now in more than 1,000 locations, and we expect that number to grow to more than 5,000 locations globally by the end of this year."
Viveport's dedicated enterprise app store will target a different set of customers. Some of the biggest industrial sectors are quickly adopting VR, led by major categories such as healthcare, engineering, real estate and retail. Viveport's enterprise app store will both curate content for enterprise customers and support developers leveraging the immersion of VR to create apps and tools for professionals in areas such as medicine, architecture, design, 3D modeling and workforce training.
Developers interested in learning more about the upcoming Viveport subscription service as well as the Viveport Arcade platform should visit https://developer.viveport.com.
VR fans and existing Viveport customers can sign-up today to be the first to get invited to a free trial of the subscription service when it launches at http://www.viveport.com.
Operators of arcades and location-based amusement centers interested in opportunities to introduce VR and Viveport content to their locations should visit http://www.viveportvrarcade.com.
About HTC VIVE™
VIVE is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality platform developed by HTC and Valve for total immersion in virtual worlds. Designed from the ground up for room-scale VR and true-to-life interactions, VIVE delivers on the promise of VR with game-changing technology and best-in-class content. VIVE has been recognized with over 65 awards and wide critical acclaim since its unveiling in 2015. For more information, visit www.VIVE.com.
About HTC
HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC One and HTC Desire lines of smartphones. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything we do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile and virtual reality experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). www.htc.com
HTC, the HTC logo are the trademarks of HTC Corporation. All other names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE HTC Corporation
