HTC Corporation (“HTC”), a pioneer in innovative, smart mobile and virtual reality (VR) technology, today is proud to support the unveiling of a breakthrough tether-less VR upgrade kit (preview edition) for VIVE™ VR system developed and produced by TPCAST, a Vive X Accelerator invested company. This kit will enable for the first time, users of high-end PC VR systems to have a fully untethered experience without compromising quality on all current Vive VR devices.
As the current global leader in high-end VR, HTC has continually delivered the most immersive and complete VR experiences on the market. It was the first to enable room-scale VR and 6-DoF controllers to the world, and today, TPCAST’s upgrade kits will enable Vive to be the first devices to offer a seamless tether-less high-end PC VR experience. The tether-less upgrade kit will be available for pre-order at 1,499 RMB in limited quantity on www.vive.com/cn starting at 11pm Beijing time on November 11. Order fulfillment will be prioritized to existing customers who can provide a valid Vive serial number. Initial delivery is expected to begin in Q1 2017.
At the Tmall 11/11 Media Center, Alibaba and HTC jointly demonstrated Alibaba’s new Buy+ mobile VR channel on the latest HTC-powered VR-ready smartphones to more than 600 journalists gathered from all over the globe. This is the first application to date that allows the completion of actual retail transactions fully in VR, showing China’s gaining leadership in the VR space. HTC Vive and Alibaba have previously announced strategic partnerships relating to Cloud services and VR, as well as Video services cooperation with its Youku subsidiary. Today’s joint VR demonstration is a further strengthening of cooperation across another business section connecting the two firms.
“We are glad to cooperate with Alibaba to enable the first mass-demonstration of a complete VR shopping experience and are honored that they have chosen Viveport M as the preferred download partner for the Buy+ mobile application,” said Alvin W. Graylin, China Regional President of Vive, HTC. “We are also very proud that a Vive X team, TPCAST, has developed such an impactful product in such a short time. It will allow Vive customers worldwide to gain untethered mobility in VR from their existing devices, while satisfying the biggest feature request of potential PC VR customers.”
Zhuoran Zhuang, Head of VR programs at Alibaba, said, “It’s been a pleasure working with the VR market leader, HTC Vive on multiple VR related projects. We are continuously exploring on the next generation of shopping experiences via innovative technology, and looking forward to deeper collaboration with our partners to deliver even more immersive commerce experiences!”
HTC Vive has prepared a number of seasonal promotion deals for VR fans at this year’s Tmall 11/11 global shopping festival. This includes Vive plus VR-ready PC sets, complimentary accessories and VR content, interest-free installment, and an upgraded Vive referral program! For more information, please visit: Tmall.com and Vive.com/cn.
