HTC announces $100M Vive X virtual reality accelerator program

HTC is devoting more and more resources to virtual reality as it looks to outrun its mobile demons and catch the VR wave before everyone else.

Today at a press conference in China, HTC announced that it will be devoting $100 million to a new virtual reality accelerator program for developers called Vive X, VR Focus reports.

Applications are live now over on HTC’s site. The accelerator will have locations in Beijing, San Francisco and Taipei. In addition to providing VR developers with cold hard cash (in exchange for a little bit of sweet, sweet equity), HTC is also selling this as a chance for accelerator participants to hobnob with investors and mentors with tons of experience in the VR space.

Earlier this month, HTC launched its Vive virtual reality headset system. Other than a few order snafus early on, the launch has gone pretty smoothly for HTC, especially compared to the issues Oculus has been facing. The Vive highlights fully motion-tracked controllers and utilizes room-scale tracking which lets you translate your physical movements into in-game motion.

“Virtual reality is changing the world, yet to do that effectively it needs a healthy eco-system to expand into the mass market,” said HTC CEO Cher Wang in a statement. “Through HTC Vive, we look forward to enabling global talent to create interesting and compelling content and to help shape the future of this industry.”