HTC seems to be banking on the popularity of the HTC Vive VR headset in Japan, where it announced it will continue to grow its physical distribution network. The device debuted in the country in 36 brick and mortar outlets, but the number will jump to 45 before the year is out.
Vive sales in the 36 stores have surpassed the online ones in Japan, HTC said, but they didn’t announce the numbers. The latest reports on international sales mentions about 100.000 units of the Vive sold globally since the original launch in April, with $80 million in revenue achieved. HTC teamed up with 3 big Japanese distributors recently, Dospara, Tsukumo and Unitcom in order to sell the Vive in the land of Nintendo and Sony. Aside from selling the product, HTC also set up special testing and recreational areas.
The Vive can be tried out with various mechanisms attached, mimicking a rollercoaster or all sorts of other activities and games. HTC Vive was jointly developed by HTC and US game maker Valve, being unveiled at MWC a while ago. The headset is paired with special wand controllers that let the users inspect objects. Pewdiepie has made a few very fun videos of this contraption.
Physical sales will start in Taiwan in a few days.
via Chinapost
