Virtual reality is a thing of the present and HTC is one of the leading companies in providing this technology to customers. After all, the HTC Vive is arguably one of the more popular platforms from which to experience VR. Because of its popularity, it has become one of the company's leading sources of profit.
According to Tech Crunch, HTC recently announced that it will be opening a virtual reality app store, the Viveport. The store will be specific for VR applications and will make non-gaming content available for users - as currently, Valve and Steam have not made the same available. The online store will be available in the HTC Vive headsets, the PC app, web browsers and mobile apps.
Because it will cater to non-game material, Viveport will play host to, according to a press release, "education, design, art, social, video, music, sports, health, fashion, travel, news, shopping, creativity tools, and more."
The official release of the app store is still on hold for now, though it is publicly available in China. As PC Mag explains, the idea of HTC is to release a beta version first before making the service available in 30 countries by Fall.
Viveport is not an alternative to Steam, according to Shen Ye, HTC Product Specialist. In fact, the company does not consider its new venture as a competitor. Instead, the store is meant to cover the gaps that Steam has left open. It is meant to provide options to users that are currently unavailable.
However, this does beg to ask if this will make things easier or more difficult for users. After all, it would seem tedious for users to utilize different stores depending on the type of content being searched for. Nevertheless, HTC claims that the company only has the best intentions for its user base.
"We believe equal access to virtual reality experiences will make the world a better place for people and enterprises alike," shared Rikard Steiber, Viveport's Senior Vice President.
