HTC has announced on Monday, August 1, that it has added Shenzhen to the list of locations for its HTC Vive X program supporting virtual reality (VR) startups.
According to Tech Crunch, HTC is focusing its resources to build a broader ecosystem for its Vive VR hardware will fit into. The HTC Vive X accelerator program is part of this overall strategy. The supporting program for VR startup companies aims to train the next generation of innovative virtual reality experts.
HTC has announced the extension of its Vive X accelerator program locations list on a press release. According to the company, Shenzhen comes to increase the number of already available locations on sites in Beijing, Taipei and San Francisco. The accelerator program has already built up a $100 million fund available to help VR hardware startups.
HTC also released details on the first batch of 33 VR content companies selected for the Viva X accelerator program. The startups are mostly companies in the fields of education, VR entertainment and application segments. The first batch has been selected from an application list of around 1,200 companies.
The HTC Vive X startup accelerator program is still in its earliest stages. However, HTC has made it clear that this initiative is already an important first step the company's future-planning of its next platform shift. Tech analysts agree that this is a sign that HTC is interested in hardware startups that can support both future Vive compatibility with external hardware add-ons as well as the future of VR in general.
Meanwhile, Tech Times reports that the post-Brexit Pound devaluation has pushed the price of the HTC Vive VR system now up to roughly $1,000. The Brexit (short for Britain's exit) refers to the UK's decision to leave the European Union.
The unexpected result of the popular referendum in the United Kingdom has recently stirred a great deal of controversy and it also has economic consequences. Among the disruptive ripples created by Brexit in a number of industries is also counted the effect on the VR market. HTC has made an announcement regarding the increase of the HTC Vive VR headset price in the UK.
