HTC is celebrating the Vive's first anniversary with a temporary price cut and launching a new subscription service. Starting April 5, HTC is flipping the switch on its Viveport subscription service that was announced in February, and giving everyone a full month of access for free.
The service allows subscribers to choose five apps from a catalog of 50 and try them for a month, after which you can pick another five apps every month for as long as you keep your $7/month subscription alive. HTC hasn't announced the entire subscription catalog, but the selection will include TheBlu, Richie's Plank Experience, Everest VR, physics puzzler Fantastic Contraption, and Mars Odyssey.
In addition to launching the new Viveport Subscription, the company is holding a special sale on April 5 that will knock $100 off the retail price of the Vive, and anyone will be able to download a free copy of Arcade Saga, a three-game package that normally costs $19.99 on Steam.
Last month Facebook-owned Oculus permanently slashed the price of its Rift headset and Touch motion controller bundle by $200, bringing the total cost down to $600 --- or $500 for the headset and $100 for the motion controller if you buy them individually.
The move has no doubt put pressure on HTC and its Vive competitor which normally retails for $799. While the company doesn't appears to have plans to match that, it's making it easier for people to buy one with zero down and no interest financing for 12 months on a new headset under a new Vive payment plan.