When the user meets all of these requirements, they must then connect the link box to their PC and open Viveport's AppStore website. Image Source: HTC

HTC has opened its Viveport AppStore to players all over the world, as the company announced in a blog post last Thursday. Owners of HTC’s Vive headset are now able to purchase and play more than a dozen VR titles.

The AppStore included an exclusive 48-hour-limited discount price of $1 on various games. Options include The Music Room, Mars Odyssey, and theBlu. Many of these releases are Viveport Premieres and are available only on Vive. Players can also customize their Vive Home with various widgets and skins.

“FANS IN OVER 30 COUNTRIES WILL JOIN US ON A FANTASTIC VOYAGE, AS THEY GET TO EXPERIENCE AMAZING VR CONTENT PUBLISHED BY THE BEST CREATORS IN THE INDUSTRY,” wrote Rikard Steiber, Viveport’s President.

HTC Viveport doesn't compete with Steam, it's an alternative
HTC Viveport doesn’t compete with Steam, it’s an alternative. Image credit: HTC Blog

What you need to get started on HTC Vive

Apart from Vive’s VR headset combo (available on Amazon as of last month), the user must have a computer that fulfills a set of particular requirements. Vive’s official website cites the i5-4590 and the AMD FX 8350 as recommended processors. The user must have one  equivalent or better in performance to meet the standards.

The website also suggests a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card or an AMD Radeon RX 480. Again, the user must own its equivalent or greater. The final requisite to run Vive is more than 4GB of RAM.

AnHDMI 1.4 (or DisplayPort 1.2) video output is also required, along with Windows 7 SP1, up to Windows 10. The user must also install the Vive setup software on their computer before continuing.

When the user meets all of these requirements, they must then connect the link box to their PC and open Viveport’s AppStore website, where they will be able to log in with the Steam account to purchase the games.

The HTC Vive VR headset is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. Image Source: Game Kult
The HTC Vive VR headset is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. Image Source: Game Kult

The Vive Home

Once a user has configured Vive’s Base Stations around the room, which will allow them to move in the virtual environment, the first thing they will see is the System Dashboard, accessible by pressing the System button in either of the handheld controllers.

The Vive Home must be selected from the Dashboard and later customized by the user in the vive Menu. It looks like the deck of a spaceship. From here the user can launch the apps he has acquired from Viveport (or SteamVR).

The Home also serves as a personal hub for the user to test the functioning of the handheld controllers, or get comfortable within the VR environment before playing a game.

Source: Engadget