Oculus Rift support added to Viveport

HTC has enabled developers to publish titles compatible with Oculus Rift through its own Viveport platform, giving users access to games built for both rival virtual reality headsets.

According to the announcement, developers can choose to opt-in for this compatibility from today with the hopes of building up a sizeable library before Viveport is launched to consumers on September 4th.

HTC claims this "doubles the potential audience" for all titles published through the platform, as well as the firm's own Viveport Subscription service. This offers VR users access to a library of almost 500 titles, where they are able to download and play five titles at a time for a monthly fee.

It's an interesting move, and perhaps one necessary to ensure a marketplace like Viveport flourishes in a market as niche as virtual reality. The cost of entry - both for VR hardware and the high-end PCs required to support it - has been an ongoing challenge for virtual reality firms, and as such the audience remains somewhat limited.

HTC notes that, in many cases, developers' games are already compatible for both Vive and Oculus Rift in order maximise their chances of recouping development costs via this niche audience.

Last month, the company announced its sales velocity has been at an all-time high for several weeks, although it has not shared specific sales figures. In fact, Sony has been the most forthcoming with this crucial data, today announcing that more than three million PlayStation VR headsets have been sold worldwide.

Speaking at Reboot Develop earlier this year, Vive rival Oculus recognised that the smaller-than-expected audience for virtual reality means that exclusivity is no longer practical if the technology is to thrive.