While it might already live in China but soon, more users throughout the world will be able to experience Viveport which is an app store for HTC Vive virtual reality headset. This might sound rather weird since the HTC Vive was developed together with Valve which means that it already has Steam to rely on but the Taiwanese company does have a good reason to come out with another VR app store.
During a conference call with Malaysian journalists earlier today, Rikard Steiber, the Senior Vice President of Viveport stated that the company want to help grow the VR ecosystem not only through hardware but around content as well. Through Viveport, the company aims to bring virtual reality contents that comes from beyond the realm of gaming such as education, travel, news, fashion, shopping, and many others for consumers to experience.
For developers, the Viveport serves as another entry point for them to bring their creation to the virtual reality crowd. Just like any other app store out there, the Viveport will come with several revenue generating opportunities for developers such as pay-to-download, subscription-based, and in-app purchases. According to Rikard, 70% of app revenue goes back to developers with Viveport taking the other 30%.
Even though the apps and experiences might be tied up to HTC Vive headset, the Viveport store can still be accessed through web browsers as well as PC and mobile apps. Meanwhile, HTC Vive owners and other consumers alike can expect to check out Viveport for themselves once it is made available globally within the next few months.
(Source: HTC)
