Virtual reality (VR) is definitely going to be a beacon of the digital age and more or less we all can agree to that. While the implications of the technology are being tested right now with a plethora of potential areas where it can be used, mostly it is being used to bring more immersive experience in gaming, for now at least.
Now, one of the major players of the VR industry has shifted its focus from just gaming. HTC is all set to launch a brand new app store this fall named ‘Viveport’, catering to its non-gaming audience through its VR headset, HTC Vive. The VR headset from HTC has been using SteamVR as their primary content provider which makes sense as the VR penetration in gaming is much more than any other space and Steam being one of the most mature gaming platforms.
Viveport had already been launched in China earlier this year and it will be available throughout the globe this fall. The platform would be focused more on non-gaming content like “education, design, art, social, video, music, sports, health, fashion, travel, news, shopping, creativity tools, and more,” and will be available through the Vive headset, web browsers, PC app and also on a mobile app (yes!). HTC is encouraging developers to create content for Vive as the new store would also support in-app purchases, subscriptions and the normal pay-to-download model.
The company sent out a message that Viveport is not meant to replace SteamVR, rather it is meant to segregate gaming and non-gaming content.