Smartphone brand HTC Corp (宏達電), which has intensified its efforts to enter the virtual reality (VR) market, is to sell its VR headset — the HTC Vive — at a discount today to mark the first anniversary of the product’s launch.
HTC is offering a US$100 discount on each HTC Vive purchase over a 24-hour period, bringing the device’s price down to US$700.
Buyers will also be able to download the VR gaming package Arcade Saga free of charge from Vive Studio, HTC’s in-house VR studio, the company said.
The package features a multiplayer campaign modes across three games: Smash, Bowshot and Fracture, which take their inspiration from pinball, table tennis and archery, while adding the physics and physicality of VR.
Without the free access, a copy of Arcade Saga costs US$20.
HTC unveiled the HTC Vive at the Mobile World Congress show in March 2015 and global sales began in April last year as part of the company’s efforts to diversify its product portfolio amid escalating competition in the global smartphone market.
As part of the Vive Day celebration, HTC said it will launch Viveport app store subscription services, with a one-month free subscription on a trial basis.
After the trial period, the Viveport subscription gives people access to five titles from a collection of hundreds of VR titles for a subscription fee of US$7 per month, the company said.
The Viveport store has created a platform for long-term engagement between developers and consumers in the exploration of VR experiences and includes in-app purchases, it said.
“We are surprised every day by what our fans and developers have brought to Vive in its first year,” Daniel O’ Brien, general manager for the HTC Vive in the US, said in a statement.
“We’re astounded by the impact that VR is making in the home and in the enterprise, and we want to celebrate Vive’s first birthday by giving a bit back to our fans and by introducing Vive to more people,” he said.
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