Steam is mostly for games, no question about that. And while that's probably fine for most owners of HTC's virtual reality headset, the Vive, there are still a number of people who are looking for experiences that don't just have you waving your hands around and shooting at things.
To solve that issue, HTC has announced the official rollout of its new Viveport app store, which headset-owners will be able to use to download new virtual reality experiences.
"Viveport will feature content across exciting, new categories for VR–like information, edutainment, social media, 360˚ video, news, sports, health, travel and shopping. The upcoming release will also introduce an update to Vive Home, which is our personal and customizable virtual space with interactive widgets and more," reads HTC's description.
Don't start sleuthing through HTC's website for a link, though. Viveport is going to have a developer beta first, and that'll arrive in a few weeks. HTC is looking to launch Viveport in around 30 countries in fall, though the app has already been live in China since this spring. That's mostly due to the fact that Steam doesn't seem to have a huge foothold in the region.
"The HTC store is more of an option for people who can't use Steam. You'll be able to use it anywhere but if you take a look at China, for example, where we had the dev conference, Steam doesn't really have that much user base there. So we're trying to fill in the gap so that anyone who gets hold of a Vive get the possibility to go and download content," said HTC product specialist Shen Ye earlier this year, as reported by VRFocus.
As The Verge reports, HTC isn't looking to go toe-to-toe against Steam. It's encouraging developers to launch their games and apps on all distributions systems. The point of Viveport is to simply toss additional categories into the mix for those who might not be very gaming-focused. That said, one has to launch Steam just to usethe Vive, period, so we'll be curious to see just how well HTC's alternate solution mingles with the established distribution platform.
"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" said Rikard Steiber, senior vice president of Viveport, in a statement.
By: David Murphy (PC Magazine).
Photo: Twitter,
Review: Emerging Market Formulations & Research Unit, FLAGSHIP RECORDS.
For The #FacebookTeam
"Viveport will feature content across exciting, new categories for VR–like information, edutainment, social media, 360˚ video, news, sports, health, travel and shopping. The upcoming release will also introduce an update to Vive Home, which is our personal and customizable virtual space with interactive widgets and more," reads HTC's description.
Don't start sleuthing through HTC's website for a link, though. Viveport is going to have a developer beta first, and that'll arrive in a few weeks. HTC is looking to launch Viveport in around 30 countries in fall, though the app has already been live in China since this spring. That's mostly due to the fact that Steam doesn't seem to have a huge foothold in the region.
"The HTC store is more of an option for people who can't use Steam. You'll be able to use it anywhere but if you take a look at China, for example, where we had the dev conference, Steam doesn't really have that much user base there. So we're trying to fill in the gap so that anyone who gets hold of a Vive get the possibility to go and download content," said HTC product specialist Shen Ye earlier this year, as reported by VRFocus.
As The Verge reports, HTC isn't looking to go toe-to-toe against Steam. It's encouraging developers to launch their games and apps on all distributions systems. The point of Viveport is to simply toss additional categories into the mix for those who might not be very gaming-focused. That said, one has to launch Steam just to usethe Vive, period, so we'll be curious to see just how well HTC's alternate solution mingles with the established distribution platform.
"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" said Rikard Steiber, senior vice president of Viveport, in a statement.
By: David Murphy (PC Magazine).
Photo: Twitter,
Review: Emerging Market Formulations & Research Unit, FLAGSHIP RECORDS.
For The #FacebookTeam