The virtual reality app subscription service Viveport Infinity is now available for Valve’s Index VR headset, HTC announced, bringing all-you-can-watch and -play content to the most deluxe consumer VR platform yet available. Starting today and running through September, Index users will receive two months of free service, regardless of whether they’re already Viveport Infinity members.
For $12 per month — $9 monthly if prepaid annually — Viveport Infinity users get access to hundreds of VR apps and games that can be used across multiple PC VR headsets, including HTC’s own Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. The company says it’s now offering “much more top-rated VR games and apps” to users, thanks to greater developer engagement.
While some have called Viveport Infinity the Netflix of VR, HTC is marketing the service as an opportunity for new VR users to “discover their favorite VR games, apps and videos,” potentially making purchases of content sampled in the library. Infinity adds new apps and games each month to keep its catalog interesting, while also offering Viveport Video content, frequent coupons, and free app giveaways to members.
Valve Index users can take advantage of the free two-month promo deal through this link by downloading the Viveport desktop app and plugging the Index into the PC for verification. New users will begin a two-month trial of Viveport Infinity, while existing users will get two months of free service added to their accounts.
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.
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.
Everyone likes a free videogame, so how about free videogames for two whole months? Well, that’s the offer Viveport is currently offering Oculus Rift/Rift S customers. Actually, it’s a deal Viveport first announced in May before going live in June. Originally it was supposed to finish by the end of June, now the promotion window has been extended.
The offer is for Viveport Infinity, the platforms latest subscription model whereby users sign up for a monthly fee of $12.99 USD/£12.99 GBP (or the yearly deal which works out at £8.99 per month) gaining unlimited access to the library of virtual reality (VR) content. Before you need to worry about spending any money, this current deal means that you sign-up for the 14-day free trial first. Once you’ve done that you’ll get a two-month Viveport Infinity code to use. After that, you can then cancel to stop using the service or start paying if you really liked it.
As mentioned the promotion window has now been extended for Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S users, simply sign-up before 4th August. It’s worth remembering the offer is available to all current and new Viveport Infinity subscribers using either headset (not available for Oculus Quest).
Viveport Infinity is updated weekly with new content to keep an eye out for, such as Charm Games’ Form, a rather enjoyable puzzle title VRFocus awarded four stars to. Or how about the energetic Synth Riders, a rhythm action videogame which recently integrated YUR.FIT fitness tracking software so players could count their burnt calories.
This isn’t the first extension of the two-month offer. When it launched last month for Oculus headsets and Valve Index, due to the delay in Valve headsets becoming available Viveport lengthened the promotion period.
Strangely, there has been no mention of an offer for Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Support for the devices went live last month, yet owners of the devices from Dell, Acer, Samsung, HP, Asus and Lenovo aren’t getting the same love at the moment – they can still sign-up for the 14-day Viveport Infinity trial. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Viveport, reporting back with any further offers.
HTC launched Viveport, their VR game marketplace, back in August 2016 to relatively little fanfare. It didn’t boast any compelling exclusives or big draws when it came to content deals, and was notorious for being a buggy, unstable mess. It essentially left Vive users scratching their collective heads as to why anyone would ever want to use it over Steam. Now that three years have passed, and the platform has opened up support to Oculus Rift and Windows VR headsets, you’re probably wondering if Viveport is still to be avoided, or if you should give it another chance.
My take: Viveport has come a long ways since the early days, and now presents a pretty compelling value proposition. It’s still struggling to attract premium content, which may ward off users for the long haul, although a short-term dip into Infinity is certainly worth your time and money.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
The first time I ever used Viveport, it was entirely by mistake. After getting a new, more powerful computer and locking into an hour-long battle with SteamVR to get it up and running again, I started to get desperate. For some reason neither my Vive or Rift were being detected by SteamVR on the new rig, and although it ultimately came down to having to roll back a GPU driver, at the time I was at the end of my rope.
So I decided to visit the HTC Vive website and download whatever software they had on offer to see if that would fix the issue. Oh, what blissful naivete. While I thought I was getting a driver installer, or some auto-magical software to ease my pain, I was instead treated to a buggy and intrusive storefront that only lasted about two days on my computer before I officially gave it the boot. Yes, I eventually fixed the issue and got my headsets working, although the bitter taste of Viveport still lingered in my mouth.
Needless to say, I was a bit turned off after my first experience with Viveport, and had also heard plenty of similar comments about it in the months and even years after. The next time I installed it was about three months ago, or right when HTC launched Viveport Infinity, their unlimited Netflix-style subscription service—not a first for traditional gaming, but certainly a first for VR. Recoiling somewhat from clicking the patented blue ‘Download Here’ button (once bitten, forever shy), I jumped back in to see just why the company was giving away a full month of Infinity to Viveport users at the time.
After going through the installation process and playing around with the store’s mostly standard UI, it was clear to me HTC had made significant headway in not only overhauling the platform entirely, but in finding Viveport’s raison d’être. Its claim to fame isn’t in its prices or selection of games; it still doesn’t have any great anchor titles that you can’t get on either Steam or the Oculus Store. But it does have Infinity.
An Infinite* Buffet of Games
Viveport is mostly like any other digital storefront—you can buy individual games & apps and launch them directly from the desktop client just like Steam or the Oculus Store—although Viveport insistently points to sign up for the platform’s $13 per month ($100 annual) Viveport Infinity membership once you fire up the desktop client, making it clear just how HTC ultimately thinks you should spend your money.
Image captured by Road to VR
Opting in lets you pay a single price to download any and all participating apps in the platform’s pool of around 500 games and experiences. If you redeem the two-month free trial for Rift and Index users (14-day trial still available for Vive users), you’ll have that privilege for free for a limited time.
The service is basically founded on the premise that you’ll be able to fully sample anything you want within the decidedly less than infinite confines of Infinity. I tend to think of it this way: Viveport Infinity is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. There are some big-ticket items in the warmer trays out there—veritable crab legs and peeled shrimp—and then there’s the other stuff. I’ll get to that in a bit.
Here’s a few notable main courses you might dip your ladle into:
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
All of these games are definitely worth your time, and easily make up the annual subscription cost of $100, let alone the $13 monthly. All together, they represent a total cost of more than $300 when purchased individually, so the value proposition here is clear—if you don’t mind losing access to the game when you cancel your subscription, that is. If you’re a one-and-done sort of person though, it’s a pretty good opportunity to load up on the all good stuff and play it to your heart’s content.
Big caveat: you won’t find a number of Steam/Oculus Store regulars on the Viveport platform at all, not just on Infinity. There’s no Beat Saber, Job Simulator, Elite Dangerous, Pavlov, Onward, Fallout 4 VR, Skyrim VR, or Electronauts just to name a few. While Viveport does have some recognizable names such as Superhot VR and Arizona Sunshine, these aren’t available through Infinity, so make sure to check first. This invariably puts a damper on what would otherwise be a true one-stop shop capable of taking some real VR user market share away from other platforms.
Coming back to my buffet metaphor: unsurprisingly, a pretty large percentage of the food on offer seems to be cheap filler, some of which is clearly of questionable provenance. Once you start browsing Infinity games and get past page 5 of 28 (ordered according to HTC’s own ‘Featured’ filter), you start to see just how much $1 – $6 range content there is.
Image captured by Road to VR
That’s not to say any store should only have the ‘good’ games; we all have different tastes. Case in point: I thought Sos Sosowski’s Moshpit Simulator was good even though much of it is a self-aware pile of flaming garbage, and it pains me to think that indie titles of all stripes shouldn’t have a place in the store front. There’s plenty of low quality games to sift through in Infinity though, and whether you play them or not, you’re paying for the privilege.
That said, HTC is constantly vying for developers to publish on their platform, and offers an attractive revenue share to help incentivize (80/20 currently). In addition to tossing their games on Viveport, developers can also check a box to get their games into the Infinity program. And as it goes, Infinity represents a smaller, but more consistent revenue stream: exactly the type of thing older, higher-profile games and—forgive the word—shovelware can equally benefit from.
When you download and start a new title on Infinity, the app developer is paid a percentage just for getting you through the door. While I haven’t played every horrible looking game to test my pet theory, I imagine this leaves more room for nefarious developers to make outwardly attractive promotional material and store descriptions, and then leave you with your pants around your ankles once you actually fire it up.
Performance, Platforms & Patience
Viveport is no longer the resource hungry lout it once was. Now, it seems to sit contentedly in the background (where it belongs), sipping no more appreciable resources than Steam or the Oculus Store when idling. Launching a game is a refreshingly no frills experience too; native Rift games start right up, while all others automatically open up via SteamVR.
In my revisiting of Viveport, I also found it non-intrusive to a fault. Playing Viveport games on Rift, I have the ability to jump directly to the Oculus Store with one button press at any time, and provided SteamVR is also active, right back to Steam Home too. The only way to interact with Viveport is through my monitor, which seems like a missed opportunity for users who want to invest themselves more in the ecosystem. It’s possible this could change in the future as Viveport justifies itself as a platform and not just a storefront with a thus far unique subscription service.
And that decision to lead the way into subscription-based VR gaming has lent Viveport an air of legitimacy, however if the content doesn’t keep up with even the most zealous of users, Viveport’s big claims to fame may present somewhat of a revolving door of users coming in for the good stuff, then leaving when the shrimp is gone and the Mongolian BBQ station is closed (yes, the buffet metaphor again). And it’s clear HTC and its Viveport team have their work cut out for them as they carve out this new path. Ideally, HTC will need to ply more top developers to also publish on Viveport, which would help bring the dueling platforms’ premium games more to parity.
In the end, Viveport is in somewhat of a sticky place. As a store, it hasn’t made the deep investments in content that Oculus has to attract users. It also doesn’t benefit from Steam’s catch-all business model that has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in much larger quantities. But free is free, and if you’re interested in any of the titles I mentioned above, you should definitely give Viveport another chance.
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You may be asking yourself at this point whether I’ve decided to pay for Viveport after my two-month free trial that came with owning an Oculus Rift. As a VR journalist, I’ve actually played most of the ‘premium’ games on the list already, either obtained as review copies given to me by developers, or purchased through other store fronts when they first came out, so I’m far from your typical user here.
Depending on your amount of free time, you may or may not be able to rip through all of the top titles in less than two months. At that point you’ll have to decide whether it’s right for you or not, and whether you’re okay with losing access to the game afterwards. Whatever your decision is, there’s no better deal that free, so take that for what it’s worth. And whatever the case may be, you can always sign back up and pick up where you left off at any time.
The Oculus Quest is certainly the talk of the town right now, but if you have an Oculus Rift or Rift S, you can participate in an impressive new deal, too. The big surprise, however, is that the deal comes courtesy of Viveport.
Typically priced at $12.99 per month, Viveport Infinity gives subscribers the opportunity to play hundreds of games and experiences at no extra charge, and new titles are added to the service on a regular basis. These include exclusive titles, such as Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall, and titles like Rhythm Defender, Rush, and Obduction.
HTC values the experiences included at more than $3,000. You can filter for Oculus-Rift-compatible titles to get a clearer view of exactly what you’re able to play on the service. Any games you select will be added to your Viveport library for easier access later on.
The offer, which will also apply to Valve Index users once the headset releases, will appear as a code in your account once your initial two-week free trial ends. Alongside the free experiences, a Viveport Infinity membership also gives you access to discounts on purchases, and access to Viveport Video. During the promotional period, Viveport Infinity developers are given an 80 percent revenue share on their included titles.
Gabe Gurwin is a journalist who has been covering the video game and VR industries since 2010. He is a graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and has written for sites like IGN, Digital Trends, Lifehacker, and VR Fitness Insider.
At the beginning of May, HTC Vive’s retail platform announced a new offer for owners of Oculus Rift and (at the time) the upcoming Rift S, gifting them 2 free months of Viveport Infinity. Today, Oculus owners can now redeem the offer.
It doesn’t matter if you are a new or existing member of Viveport Infinity, both will have access to the offer which will allow access to hundreds of virtual reality (VR) titles. For new Oculus members, all you need to do is sign-up for the free 14-day trial in June. In your account, you’ll find a 2-month Infinity code under the ‘Redeem’ section which you’ll want to use before the trial ends. As for existing Infinity customers, your account will be automatically updated today states Viveport.
When it comes to Valve Index it seems the terms and conditions have slightly changed. Previously, just like Oculus Rift and Rift S customers, Valve Index owners had to sign-up by 30th June. With Valve Index only available from 28th June this left only a short window of availability. Plus there was the factor regarding the first batch of Valve Index shipments selling out rather rapidly, so customers who didn’t place their orders the moment the pre-order page went live will have to wait until at least August/September to receive their headsets.
Because of this Viveport has stated: “This offer will extend to Valve Index owners who will be able to redeem their two-free months of Viveport Infinity later this summer as headsets become available.”
Once the free offer concludes and if you want to continue using Viveport Infinity then the monthly cost is $12.99 USD/£12.99 GBP. With that, you gain unlimited access to Viveport Infinity’s growing library of VR videogames and apps, 10% off content once per month at checkout, as well as exclusive offers and discounts on weekend deals. Or you could go for the yearly $99/£99 deal. This is a 36% saving on the monthly subscription plus all the same perks.
Viveport Infinity only arrived this April. To add to the platform offerings Windows Mixed Reality headsets will be welcomed onto the service later this week. For more updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Yesterday, Viveport announced that it will be adding support for Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headsets in June. Today, the online virtual reality (VR) distribution platform has revealed some unique content is coming its way, based on the rather popular fantasy series Game of Thrones.
Called Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall, the immersive VR experience will put you on the northern border of Westeros to fight and defend the wall for the Seven Kingdoms.
Developed by Framestore in partnership with HBO, you’ll be able to test your sword-fighting skills against a terrifying undead polar bear and a hoard of reanimated dead soldiers.
“VR is the perfect pairing for Game of Thrones fans who can now step onto the battlefield of Beyond the Wall as part of Viveport Infinity,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport in a statement. “Beyond the Wall gives you the first-hand experience of joining the Night’s Watch and protecting the realms of men with your flaming sword from the army of the dead.”
“Game of Thrones fans love exploring the world of Westeros and beyond, and now they can feel the rush of fighting the undead from the safety of their home in VR through Viveport,” said Sabrina Caluori, EVP of Digital and Social Marketing at HBO. “We’re committed to giving our fans unique and cutting-edge opportunities for engagement, and we think they’ll love this latest entry in our VR portfolio.”
To play Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall you’ll need a Viveport Infinity account which retails for $12.99 USD a month, or less with a prepaid annual subscription – a 14-day free trial period is available. Compatible with both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, the experience will launch in English in the US, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, the U.K., and Canada on 31st May. Additionally, members are entitled to perks such as premium content on Viveport Video, monthly coupons, weekend deals and free title giveaways.
Windows Mixed Reality headsets will gain Viveport support on 5th June but there’s been no mention regarding headset compatibility with Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall at present. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Viveport and its subscription services, reporting back with the latest updates.
Originally launched as a dedicated online store for HTC Vive owners, Viveport has expanded its reach over the past year to offer a viable alternative to Steam by supporting Oculus Rift as well as launching flexible subscription model Viveport Infinity. Today, the retail platform has announced plans to become even more hardware agnostic by supporting Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headsets.
Featuring headsets from the likes of Dell, Acer, Samsung, HP, Asus and Lenovo, the Windows Mixed Reality line of headsets never particularly set the virtual reality (VR) world alight, but they are some of the most affordable PC-based VR devices going.
So from 5th June, if you own a WMR headset then you’ll be able to head on over to Viveport download compatible titles. This is because developers need to ‘opt-in’ to allow WMR support – in the same way as Oculus Rift. It’s worth their while as it could help increase revenue, just don’t expect every videogame and app to be available on day one.
“This summer, Viveport is expanding to embrace all major PC VR devices including the HTC Vive family, Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S and soon Windows Mixed Reality and the Valve Index,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport in a statement. “Viveport Infinity offers all members unparalleled value and choice when it comes to experiencing and discovering VR content. In addition, we’re connecting Viveport developers to an increased audience pool to monetize their content.”
“We’re excited our users now have an additional opportunity to discover some of the best content VR has to offer at an accessible price through Viveport Infinity,” said Dan Newell, Director of Mixed Reality at Microsoft. “Adding Windows Mixed Reality support on Viveport strengthens the VR ecosystem for consumers and developers alike.”
WMR owners will, of course, have access to the new Viveport Infinity subscription service which costs $12.99 USD a month, or less with a prepaid annual subscription. They’ll be able to access videogames like RUSH and Gun Club VR by Binary Mill, Final Assault by Phaser Lock Interactive and I Expect You To Die by Shell Games. Additionally, members are entitled to perks such as premium content on Viveport Video, monthly coupons, weekend deals and free title giveaways. For further Viveport updates, keep reading VRFocus.
HTC’s VR content platform, Viveport, is opening its gates a little wider next week. The service will add support for Windows VR headsets on June 5th.
Viveport is a digital storefront similar to Steam or Oculus Home. Its most important feature, though, is a VR subscription service named Viveport Infinity. It allows members to download a wide range of VR games and experiences and use them as long as they’re members. Initially Viveport only supported HTC’s family of Vive VR headsets, but also added support for Oculus Rift devices not long ago. From June 5th, though, people with a Windows ‘Mixed Reality’ VR headset can join in on the fun.
Microsoft’s range of VR devices are made in partnership with other companies like Dell, Samsung and Asus. They offer inside-out tracking, requiring no external sensors to find your position in a virtual world. These devices might not be as popular as either the Rift or Vive, but they have found a home in the PC VR scene as a low-cost alternative to those headsets. We’re also excited about upcoming devices with improved specs, like HP’s 4K Reverb.
In fact, if you’re looking to get into PC VR for as low as cost as possible, you could do a lot worse than a cheap Windows VR headset and a Viveport Infinity subscription. The service includes some of VR’s best sleeper hits and experimental experiences. The service costs $12.99 a month. It will also be adding support for the Valve Index headset when it arrives next month.
The Oculus Rift S and Valve Index headsets might not be out just yet but that hasn’t stopped Viveport from getting in on this week’s announcements. The software platform has announced a little treat for owners – which includes Oculus Rift – gifting them two free months of subscription service Viveport Infinity as well as several other perks.
Viveport Infinity – the new unlimited subscription service – which retails for $12.99 USD a month, or less with a prepaid annual subscription, will be available for free to all Oculus Rift S, Oculus Rift and Valve Index consumers in June. All new and existing Infinity members with these new headsets can redeem two free months by signing into the service.
The service features hundreds of top virtual reality (VR) titles like Google’s Tilt Brush, Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, Apex Construct, Witching Tower VRand I Expect You to Die. More are regularly added “with 64% of all titles in the subscription service launching in Viveport Infinity on day one of their Viveport launch,” claims Viveport in a press release.
Not only that but when you sign up you’ll also get other benefits. Viveport Infinity members receive perks such as premium content on Viveport Video, monthly coupons, weekend deals and free title giveaways. For example, current members can redeem their benefit for a copy of Rockstar Games’ L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files.
“We’re building Viveport to be the best destination for discovery and value for the entire VR industry,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport in a statement. “Through Viveport, VR users on a PC-based headset, including the new Rift S and Valve Index, can discover great VR content and save thousands of dollars with an unlimited VR library.”
The membership offer only lasts until 30th June so those ordering Valve Index’s will need to be quick. Additionally, current Oculus Rift owners can also sign up for Viveport sweepstakes to win up to $1,000 in Viveport credit.
Both the Oculus Rift S and Valve Index had their official announcements yesterday with the former retailing for $399 and due for release on 21st May, while the latter starts from $499 for just the headset with the full kit costing $999. As Viveport announces further deals, VRFocus will keep you posted.
