HTC has announced it is launching a new app store for the HTC Vive and perhaps even other VR headsets like the Oculus Rift.
The Viveport will focus on new categories, beyond the gaming-centric titles currently showcased via the partner Valve Stream Store.
The store, which will go live to the public in autumn, will show off other use cases for the Vive headset, which went on sale to great acclaim this spring.
Related: HTC Vive vs Oculus Rift: Which should you buy?
According to a press release, the non-gaming categories will include “education, design, art, social, video, music, sports, health, fashion, travel, news, shopping, creativity tools, and more.”
That part suggests it’ll be an all-inclusive store that enable Rift owners and others to purchase content through HTC’s offering.
The company will take a 30 per cent split of any content sales and will allow developers to offer paid, free and freemium content through in-app purchases.
The store announcement is the latest indication HTC is betting the farm on Virtual Reality, amid seriously slumping smartphone sales.
“We strongly believe VR is going to change the world for the better, for both consumers and businesses alike,” said Rikard Steiber, HTC’s senior VP of VR.
“We believe it’ll democratize access to experiences, now anyone can travel anywhere and learn anything in any way.”
The store is already available to developers in beta form, with HTC encouraging content creators to sign up at the Vive dev site.
Best HTC Vive Games
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.