Category: HTC Viveport

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Viveport Anniversary Deal Includes Free Copies of ‘Until You Fall’, ‘Fracked’ and ‘Primal Hunt’

Viveport Infinity, HTC’s Netflix-style game membership, used to be pretty groan-worthy, offering up only a few really great titles and filling out the rest with a shovel-full of either mediocre or downright bad games. A lot has changed in the past few years though, and to celebrate Viveport’s 7th anniversary HTC is sweetening the pot with three games that are worth playing (and keeping).

For annual subscribers, the deal includes keepable copies of Primal Hunt, Until You Fall, and Fracked—available to both new members joining Viveport Infinity or existing members looking to extend their subscription.

The three-game giveaway deal is only available for annual subscribers; monthly subscribers re-upping or joining for the first time only get Fracked for free. Both offers are available from today until October 8th.

Here’s a look at all three games:

Until You Fall

Released by Schell Games in 2020, this stylish roguelite features a refreshingly unique approach to VR sword fighting, combining the satisfaction of a hack-and-slash game with the depth of RPG combat, all wrapped up in a VR-native design. We liked it so much, we gave Until You Fall an [8/10] in our review and also honored it with our Design Award for Excellence in User Interface in 2019, back when it was still just in Early Access on Steam.

Fracked

nDreams released Fracked initially as a PSVR exclusive in 2021, but brought the andrenaline-soaked shooter to PC VR headset a year later. The game’s undeniable good looks, unique cover system and satisfyingly tactile combat all are highlights to the underlying adventure that tasks you with blasting your way out of danger, and also a handful of side activities too, such as skiing, climbing, and light puzzling.

Primal Hunt

Hunt the most dangerous creatures ever to walk the earth – DINOSAURS! Created by Phaser Lock Interactive, this Turok-inspired VR Dinosaur Hunting Game lets you face Raptors, Triceratops, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex, all of which get deadlier with cyber enhancements and weapons. Originally released on Quest and Pico earlier this year, the game has since been ported to PC VR headsets. It’s still a bit on the ‘mobile’ side of things, but who can argue with laser-wielding, cybernetic dinosaurs?

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Quest Users Can Play a Library of Top PC VR Games for Free for a Month with This Promo

Looking for some free PC VR games to play on Quest? Viveport, HTC’s storefront for VR games and apps, is throwing out free promo codes to owners of Oculus Quest and Quest 2 which will let you play all of the games enrolled in its Infinity program for a whole month.

Viveport really has come a long way in the past few years by streamlining its interface and making it more attractive to developers financially so they’ll list their games there. To get more Quest users on board with Infinity, HTC is throwing out a limited-time promotion starting today to both new and existing Viveport Infinity members which lets you play for free for a month. The promo ends on August 30th, so make sure to act fast.

Right now there’s over 500 games available through Infinity that support Quest over link, some of which are definitely worth your time. Highlights include The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Superhot VR, Moss, Until You Fall, Stride, I Expect You to Die, and Gun Club VR.

Viveport Infinity normally costs $13 per month when billed monthly, or $9 when billed annually—and typically includes a free 14-day trial. There’s no obligation to pay after the trial is up if you decide to opt-out. As it is, that’s a pretty great deal considering the list of titles on offer through the Infinity subscription service, but extra time never hurt.

Image courtesy HTC

To redeem, you’ll need to download and update the Viveport desktop app and connect your Quest to a USB 3.0 port or a Type-C port on your VR-capable computer. You should then see a pop-up message like the one above. The code, which you can redeem via the ‘Redeem Code’ dropdown in the app, must be used by December 31st, 2021, at 23:59pm PST, or it will expire.

If you don’t see the message above for whatever reason, or can’t because you’re using Air Link, you can also submit your Quest headset S/N (the 14-digit alphanumeric serial number) and your Viveport account email to Viveport Support to get the code.

Check out our hands-on with Viveport from 2019, a majority of which still rings true if you’re hesitant to download yet another store front on your PC. It’s a great way to play a good chunk of the top PC VR games, especially if you’re a ‘one and done’ type of gamer and rarely revisit games you’ve already beaten.

Is your PC capable of playing VR games? Check if your PC is VR ready and we’ll walk you through the process.

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Bandai Namco Partners with HTC to Bring Anime Content to Viveport

HTC announced it’s partnering with Bandai Namco Pictures, the animation studio and production company, to ostensibly bring a number of its properties to Viveport, HTC’s VR app store and subscription service.

It’s not clear in what capacity Bandai Namco’s anime will arrive on Viveport, however the company says its going to roll out “new immersive animations and virtual social interactions” targeted at both hardcore gamers and causal users in the next few months.

Bandai Namco Pictures is known for producing a large portfolio of properties including Aikatsu!, Battle Spirits, Tiger & Bunny, Gintama, and Sergeant Keroro.

The companies bill the partnership as a way for HTC to expand its intellectual property portfolio, while broadening Bandai Namco Pictures’ reach into VR.

President of Viveport Joseph Lin says “anime content”—no specifics here—will be available on Viveport.

Ozaki Masayuki, president and CEO of Bandai Namco Pictures, says the deal will allow them to “create an environment where fans can enjoy experiences together, transcending physical limitations, as if they were diving directly into the world of our creations from anywhere in the world.”

Again, it’s not exactly clear what the companies have lined up, however it seems like it could be anything from a social platform with livestreaming 2D anime, bespoke anime-inspired VR games, and possibly also VR versions of card games Aikatsu!, Battle Spirits.

The partnership is said to initially focus on “the integration of animation content, development and distribution resources from both companies, ongoing collaborations on new animation and IP development, and robust exploration of new business opportunities.”

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Viveport Sweetens the Pot for Developers This Year with Increased Revenue Split

To thank developers, and further attract more games to its PC VR app store Viveport, HTC is temporarily bumping up its developer revenue share for the full year.

From January 1st to December 31st of this year, HTC is increasing net revenue share from its typical 70/30 split to 80/20 for one-time purchases, in-app purchases, and games enrolled in its Viveport Arcade program.

Outside of high-performing games which generate $10 million or more in sales, Steam still offers developers a 70/30 split, so it’s clear HTC is making an effort to pad out Viveport with games either already on Steam, or looking to launch there in the next year.

Since its launch in August 2016, Viveport has changed a great deal, and offers a pretty good selection of top VR games, including The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Friday Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted, Moss, Paper Beast, and Creed: Rise to Glory.

Outside of offering support for both SteamVR and Oculus Rift games, the platform also boasts one of the best value propositions through its Netflix-style game subscription service, Viveport Infinity—something we think earned the platform a second chance after a pretty lackluster launch a few years back.

Viveport Infinity already features a 80/20 split, so now the whole platform is looking a lot more competitive.

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Viveport is Giving Developers 100% of Their App’s Revenue Through the End of 2020

Viveport, HTC’s storefront for SteamVR-compatible headsets, is again celebrating the holidays by giving developers 100 percent of revenue for the rest of the year.

The company says in a blog post that it’s aimed at both new and existing app developers on the platform, with the revenue share program starting from November 1st and going through the end of 2020.

Developers can opt-in across any of the store’s product categories, which includes one-time purchases, Viveport Infinity, Viveport for VR arcades, or the platform’s in-app purchase service.

Launched in August 2016, Viveport has changed quite a bit since it arrived as a direct competitor to Steam. One of its main claims to fame is the addition of Viveport Infinity, a Netflix-style game subscription service which actually boasts a surprising amount of legitimately good PC VR games, including The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Friday Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted, Moss, Paper Beast, and Creed: Rise to Glory.

Starting in 2018, Viveport also supports all major SteamVR headsets and not just HTC Vive products, such as Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows VR headsets.

This is the third year Viveport has offered 100 percent of revenue share for the holidays. In 2019, HTC instead instituted a temporary revenue share of 80/20, which then reverted back to the standard 70/30 revenue share in 2020—the same split offered through Steam and the Oculus Store.

It’s clear HTC is vying for more games in order to keep long-term Infinity users happy (and paying), and it seems its end-of-year holiday scheme has become a platform favorite. HTC says developers tend to generate the most revenue in November and December, so we’ll just have to see if this again manages to attract any fan favorites away from Steam.

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Viveport Annual Subscribers Receive Free Copy Of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Viveport is turning four, and to celebrate HTC is giving a free copy of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners to new and existing users who have an annual subscription to Viveport Infinity. Plus, more game are joining the Viveport Infinity lineup.

Viveport Infinity is HTC’s VR subscription service, allowing you to play and access a select library of VR games, apps and more. Infinity isn’t just available for HTC headsets either — the service supports HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest via Link and Windows MR headsets.

Similar to Microsoft’s Game Pass service for PC and Xbox games, you only have access to the Infinity content while you remain subscribed to the service. However, in celebration of the Viveport platform turning four, Infinity members who have an annual subscription can redeem a free copy of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners to keep permanently. So even once your annual subscription ends, you’ll still have access to Saints & Sinners through Viveport.

The promotion runs until October 11 and is available to new and existing annual subscribers. If you’re currently a monthly Infinity subscriber, you can upgrade to an annual subscription to take advantage of the offer. New annual subscribers who join before October 11 will also be able to redeem a permanent copy of the game. An annual Infinity membership costs $107.88 total, but there’s a monthly billing option so you can pay in $8.99 installments.

HTC also announced that two new games are joining the Viveport Infinity library — Moss and L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files. Viveport Infinity subscribers should now have access to the titles in their library.

Viveport Infinity is available as a monthly and annual subscription. You can read more about the Saints & Sinners offer for annual subscriptions here.

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HTC Launches Viveport PC Streaming for Vive Focus Plus

HTC today announced that it’s released support for 5Ghz WiFi streaming for Vive Focus Plus, as well as all 6DOF standalone headsets supporting the Vive Wave platform. Much like Oculus Quest’s Link functionality, Vive Focus Plus can now play PC VR titles through Viveport, albeit without the need of a cable.

Now released in beta, WiFi streaming is only being made available to subscribers of Viveport Infinity, the company’s Netflix-style subscription service for its digital distribution platform, which allows unlimited downloading of select content.

Outside of needing a Viveport Infinity subscription and Vive Focus Plus (or any other full-6DOF Vive Wave headset, which excludes the original Vive Focus) users will additionally need a VR-ready PC and a ‘standard’ 5Ghz WiFi router.

Vive Focus Plus, which is sold starting at $800, is couched as an enterprise-focused device in the US and Europe, however in China it was launched as a bona fide consumer device, which may explain why the only promotional information we’ve found so far is in Chinese, courtesy of VR publication Skarred Ghost.

As Skarred Ghost’s Antony Vitillo notes, there are currently 300 games and experiences on Viveport M, the mobile version of Viveport; with the inclusion of official WiFi streaming, this effectively opens that number up to over 2,000 titles.

SEE ALSO
Viveport Has Earned a Second Chance Thanks to Infinity

HTC Vive China President Alvin Wang Graylin announced the news via Twitter, making sure to mention there’s also “no need for special wires or cables,” an apparent swipe at Oculus Quest requiring a USB-C cable to play Oculus Rift platform games.

Before today’s release, Vive Focus Plus users typically streamed PC VR games via two popular unofficial software choices: Rift Cat’s VRidge software and AMD ReLive.

We haven’t had a chance to compare those methods with the new Viveport streaming implementation, although we’ll be looking out for user reports in the meantime. Whatever the case, HTC’s native implementation will need to hit an acceptable latency and video quality to be considered a true competitor to Oculus Link for Quest, which thus far has worked pretty flawlessly. That’s outside the fact that Vive Focus Plus simply isn’t competing with the $400 Quest, as it’s been deliberately sold as an enterprise device in the West, and at double its price.

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Viveport President Rikard Steiber Departs HTC

Rikard Steiber, Viveport President and Senior VP of Virtual Reality, is departing HTC at the end of the year.

Having joined the company in February 2016, Steiber oversaw the launch of Viveport in over 60 markets, HTC’s digital distribution platform for VR games and experiences.

As first reported by Forbes, Bjorn Book-Larsson, HTC’s VP of Product, will now be acting President of Viveport, making for a notable shift in leadership since Yves Maitre replaced Cher Wang as CEO in September.

Steiber told Forbes this about his departure:

“Viveport Infinity is having incredible positive momentum with new top rated content, great product and new subscriber records daily. However, as HTC now is entering a new chapter, I have agreed with Yves (new HTC CEO) that it is a great time for me to move on and take on a new challenge after almost 4 years at HTC Vive. I will go on garden leave today until my contract ends early next year.”

Opening its Viveport Infinity in April 2019, HTC was the first to offer a Netflix-style subscription model for VR content, which lets users download any of the platform’s participating PC VR games and experiences, which at the time of this writing is over 700.

Viveport notably supports all major PC VR headsets, including Vive, Vive Pro, Vive Cosmos, Oculus Rift & Rift S, Valve Index, and Windows VR headsets.

SEE ALSO
Valve Confirms 'Half-Life: Alyx', Its "Flagship VR Game" – Full Reveal Coming Thursday

Steiber arrived at HTC from his position as CEO of MTGx, a digital entertainment company based in Stockholm. Steiber came to MTGx after a six-year stint at Google where he held the positions of Global Marketing Director and Director of Product Marketing.

Steiber hasn’t mentioned any future plans yet, however Forbes notes that an official statement should arrive at some point soon, which hopefully will give us some insight into where he’s headed next, be it somewhere in the VR industry or otherwise.

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HTC is Giving Away 2 Free Months of Viveport Infinity to Samsung Odyssey Owners

Oculus Rift and Valve Index owners got their own promotions recently for a few free months of Viveport Infinity, HTC’s Netflix-style VR game distribution platform. Now it’s Samsung HMD Odyssey’s turn, as Odyssey owners can get in on the deal.

From now until the end of the year, both new and existing Infinity members who own a Samsung Odyssey—and presumably its higher-resolution hardware refresh, Odyssey Plus—will be able to redeem two free months of Viveport Infinity.

Infinity normally costs $13 a month, or $9 per month with a prepaid annual subscription, and includes unlimited downloads from its library of participating games and experiences.

In case you’re wondering, Viveport has improved pretty significantly since its initial launch; its software is a far cry from the buggy mess made available just a few short years ago, Infinity now serves up a healthy backlog of both older VR games and a few newer ones too. Some of the highlights include:

  • Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs
  • Apex Construct
  • Fantastic Contraption
  • I Expect You to Die
  • Knockout League
  • Obduction
  • Prison Boss VR
  • Pixel Ripped 1989
  • The Gallery – Episode 1: Call of the Starseed
  • The Gallery – Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone
  • Tilt Brush
  • Transpose
  • Windlands
  • Windlands 2

In addition to unlimited app downloads, Viveport Infinity also offers its members perks such as premium content on Viveport Video, monthly coupons, weekend deals, and free title giveaways that you get to keep.

Check out this guide to learn how to redeem your two free months (basically just fire up Viveport and plug in your Odyssey).

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Viveport Now Supports Valve Index, Owners Get 2 Free Months of Infinity

HTC today announced that Viveport, the company’s digital distribution platform for VR games, now supports Valve Index. Much like their previous promotion for Oculus Rift users, Valve Index owners will be able redeem two free months of Viveport Infinity, the platform’s Netflix-style subscription service that lets you play any and all participating games for a monthly fee.

Throughout the month of September, both new and existing Viveport Infinity members who own a Valve Index can redeem two free months of Infinity, which includes periodic discounts on games as well as access to premium Viveport Video content.

HTC says Valve Index members will gain access to “hundreds of top-rated VR titles” including Ninja Legends, A Fisherman’s Tale, Apex Construct, Fujii, Gun Club, Angry Birds VR and I Expect You To Die.

SEE ALSO
Viveport Has Earned a Second Chance Thanks to Infinity

To activate your free trial, simply head to this page to download Viveport, make sure you Valve Index is plugged in, and accept the free offer once you’ve booted up Viveport.

And if you’ve heard bad things about Viveport, you may want to check again before writing it off entirely. It’s changed quite a bit since it was launched three years ago, and I personally think Infinity has helped earn Viveport a second chance. Whatever the case, the two free month trial period should give you more than enough time to figure out whether Infinity is right for you.

The inclusion of Index support brings Viveport at near-parity with Steam in terms of headsets supported, which also includes HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows VR headsets.

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