Yesterday Taiwan-based HTC launched Viveport, a subscription service for room-scale virtual reality games and experiences. Following a one-month free trial, for $6.99 a month, VR fans can download up to five titles every month, including TheBlu, Everest VR, Mars Odyssey, Lumen, Stonehenge HR, Knock Out League, Arcade Artist, Apollo 11 VR, Fantastic Contraption, and more.

HTC timed the launch to coincide with HTC Vive’s one-year anniversary which it called “Vive Day.” On Vive Day – April 5 – customers could get a free copy of Vive Studios’ VR Action game Arcade Saga, normally priced at $19.99, and new customers could save $100 on Vive. In its launch announcement, HTC Vive says Viveport is the “first-ever subscription model for a VR app store,” but Wevr launched something similar with its VR premium subscriptions through its Transport app in December.

“We’re surprised every day by what our fans and developers have brought to Vive in its first year,” said Daniel O’ Brien, GM US, HTC Vive, in an announcement. “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.”

At launch, the Viveport subscription service has more than 50 titles. Subscribers get unlimited access to the apps they download, or they can rotate their selection every month. In addition, all the apps are available for purchase, so subscribers can try a particular app through the subscription service before they decide to buy.

“The marketplace for Vive apps has grown at a tremendous pace with more than 1,600 titles now available across different app stores and over 30 new apps launching daily,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport at HTC Vive. “The rapid growth of the app market is a win for VR overall yet it can present discoverability challenges that affect both customers and content creators. Introducing a subscription model to VR is a natural evolution of where this market is going, and as film, music and TV have proven it’s becoming the preferred way customers want to explore and experience entertainment content.”

Developers can boost their VR apps’ visibility by joining the developer program through an opt-in process. This will not only help them get their apps in front of more users, but it could provide an additional revenue stream too. Vive does not clearly explain what the revenue share would be, but @indigofloorPR on Twitter indicates the split is 60/40.

“Viveport Subscription will add a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘the world is your oyster.’ I’ve been to three different parts of the world today in VR. Now tell me, where else can you find that kind of freedom?” says the Vive blog.

Insider Take:

The Viveport subscription represents another way that the subscription model supports innovation. In this case, innovative technology is available to more people by making it more affordable. Rather than buying a single app for a flat price, subscribers pay one flat fee per month to access five different titles, allowing them to try before they buy.

We particularly like the opportunity that Vive is giving to developers through the revenue share option. Developers can choose to be part of the subscription program and share 60 percent of the revenue generated. That’s an opportunity for them to get their VR apps in front of a broader audience while generating recurring revenue.

Wevr and Vive are among the first to offer a VR subscription, but as the technology becomes more popular, we could see a lot more VR subscriptions popping up in the future.