HTC is ramping up its virtual reality efforts by launching a Viveport, an app store for virtual reality (VR) content and experiences.

The Taiwan-based tech company said that the goal of Viveport is to be a place for virtual reality experiences and apps, serving Vive owners and other VR customers. The store is expected to be more of a general-interest alternative than the more gaming-focused Steam, according to The Verge. It will be available across multiple platforms including desktop, mobile app, and an in-VR catalog connected to Vive Home, a virtual environment created by HTC. 

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“Our mission is to unleash human imagination from the limitations of reality and Viveport will be an important cornerstone in democratizing access to the world’s most diverse selection of immersive experiences,” said HTC CEO Cher Wang.

The Viveport store will largely focus on hosting non-gaming verticals such as education, design, art, social, video, music, sports, health, fashion, travel, news, shopping, creativity tools, and alike. HTC will use the standard 70/30 app store revenue arrangement with developers, potentially opening themselves up to some major profits, TechCrunch reported. Also, the store will support in-app purchases and subscriptions as well as a more standard pay-to-download model. 

While HTC wants Vive users to make use of Viveport, it is not designing this as an exclusive experience. If a user owns Vive, then he/she can also use Steam as a store for VR content.

Viveport has been launched in China. A global beta will be released in the coming weeks, followed by a full roll-out in 30 countries this fall.

TagsHTC, Virtual Reality, VR app store, Viveport, Viveport store, HTC Vive, VR content, steam, App Store