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Could there be a boom in VR Arcades?

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Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, HTC, push the concept of VR arcades with new ‘Vive’ software

Viveport Arcade offers arcade operators curated software with a pay-per-use license

One of the biggest issues with high-end virtual reality experiences right now is that they often require people invest thousands of pounds in powerful computers in order to work. One solution to this is the VR arcade, where operators buy machines and then rent time on them to the public.

HTC recently announced a new software platform that aims to help with the creation of such arcades. ‘Viveport Arcade’ is designed to help arcade operators find games that are well-suited to the sort of public experience that they’re building, while also helping developers better monetise their creations. It’s built for the Taiwanese hardware maker’s Vive headset, one of the leading offerings in the realm of high-end virtual reality headgear.

It’s a move by the company to try and democratise access to virtual reality, while also getting a cut of the burgeoning VR arcade business. Rikard Steiber, senior vice president of Virtual Reality at HTC, said that these arcades are a big hit in China.

“We see this moving very strongly in China, where there are basically thousands of these arcade operators opening up,” he said in an interview. “It’s everything from the traditional internet cafes, to the arcades that are linked to cinemas, to basically independent operators and shopping malls opening them up as well.”

Viveport Arcade can help drive that business in a couple of ways: first, operators get curated, frequently refreshed software that’s licensed for use in an arcade. Developers then have an opportunity to sell their software to those businesses and make money on its ongoing use.

Arcade operators pre-buy time through Viveport Arcade that they can then use to let users run VR experiences. When the credits are expended, HTC splits the proceeds evenly with the Vive developer whose software is used.

In the future, HTC may also work with developers on creating titles that can only be used in arcades because they require special hardware or a particular physical setup.

To inspire the creation of VR arcades, HTC also recently launched a VR theme park called Viveland in Taipei. It’s meant to serve as an example of what VR arcades could be, to inspire other people to operate their own and spread virtual reality.

Viveport Arcade is launching first in China and Taiwan. HTC says that it will then roll out to “thousands of locations” worldwide by the end of next year.

 

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– Blair Hanley Frank

HTC to launch its own Virtual Reality app store

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HTC is launching Viveport, an alternative to the Steam catalog of Vive virtual reality experiences, worldwide this autumn.

Viveport was announced earlier this year, and it launched in China — where Steam is a much less established platform — in the spring. Now, a global developer beta will launch soon, followed by a full rollout. Developers can register today on the Vive site.

The store is supposed to be a more general-interest alternative than the more gaming-focused Steam, and it will be available across multiple platforms: desktop; a mobile app; and an in-VR catalog connected to Vive Home, a virtual environment created by HTC. “We believe virtual reality is going to change the world,” says HTC Vive senior vice president Rikard Stelber, and Viveport is supposed to make it easier to find certain categories of VR that have broad appeal, like educational experiences, shopping, and creative tools.

Steam already offers a large non-gaming catalog. Besides general-purpose desktop software and traditional films, it offers a diverse range of VR titles, like the Tilt Brush painting program and an Apollo 11 educational experience. At the same time, the platform is overwhelmingly associated with games, and with thousands of VR and non-VR titles, it’s increasingly crowded. “We’re recommending developers to publish on all platforms,” says Stelber, including Steam. “We don’t necessarily want to compete with it, we basically want to add additional categories.” Viveport will offer a new, dedicated space to showcase VR experiences.

It’s less clear why consumers would go to Viveport instead of the extremely popular Steam, which they’ll already have to launch to use the Vive. HTC said in January that Viveport was “more of an option for people who can’t use Steam,” although Stelber says it’s since seen a lot of interest that justifies a larger release. The best argument for Viveport may be that Steam is confusingly overstuffed with products and features already, and a dedicated VR store would make the Vive easier to navigate — which, for a powerful but often difficult platform, is a good thing.

– Adi Robertson

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