Winners of First HTC VIVE(TM) Extreme Innovation Challenge Announced

BEIJING, Nov. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC Corporation ("HTC"), a pioneer in innovative, smart mobile and virtual reality (VR) technology, successfully concluded its first-ever HTC Vive Extreme Innovation Challenge in Shanghai on October 30th. Jointly hosted with FMB, the Chinese leader in competitive robot matches, the week-long "hackathon" saw an awe-inspiring array of entries from developer teams. In particular, the integrated VR sword-fighting robot from Chesstar Studios impressed the panel of 15 expert judges from industry heavyweights such as HTC Vive, FMB, Intel, Nvidia, Epic Games, UCCVR and many others.

The HTC Vive Extreme Innovation Challenge aims to promote the integration of intelligent hardware and/or accessories ecosystem with VR/AR/MR content. The company hopes to create a platform for VR developers to interact and jointly explore the field's burgeoning possibilities with intelligent hardware technology such as robotics and AI.

In addition to prizes, the winning creations will also have the opportunity to be promoted on VIVEPORT™ (www.viveport.com) or the upcoming Viveport Arcade, the amusement arcade's equivalent of the PC version of Viveport. Outstanding ideas could potentially attract investment from the Vive X Accelerator (www.vivex.co) or other members of the judging panel as well.

Augmented VR (A-VR) is the next trend in virtual reality as the user interface will become increasingly natural and immersive. The development of room-scale virtual reality and physical augmentation is set to take VR to a new level, opening up exciting new opportunities for developers driven by creativity and passion to achieve significant results. Vive continues to support developers and the growth of a sustainable ecosystem.

"The VR industry is developing so rapidly because of passionate teams like these," said Alvin W. Graylin, China Regional President of Vive, HTC. "I'm amazed at what was accomplished in such a short time by small teams who integrate augmented VR applications and experiences with hardware or physical interfaces. These additional factors dramatically increase the realism and immersion for users. This is the future that VR is heading towards."

"I've always been interested in robotics and have been looking for a way to integrate robotics with VR, but we just could not find the right platform," said HUI Xiumo, Founder and CEO of Chesstar Studios. "The Vive hackathon allowed our team to finally realize our dreams. Even though the current product is still a prototype, we hope to finish it as soon as possible and strive to have this new type of entertainment device listed on Viveport Arcade, bringing joy to a wider range of consumers in the near future."

The full list of winners of the inaugural HTC VIVE Extreme Innovation Challenge is as follows:

• Winner of the Best Hack Award: Chesstar Studios (integrated VR sword-fighting robot)
• Winner of the Best Application Award: GouGames (gesture-controlled 4D arcade experience)
• Winner of the Best Interactive Experience Award: ManChoose (hand-operated medical training VR experience)
• Winner of the Best Creativity Award: Nanchang VR Film (Augmented Virtual Reality video experience)
• Winner of the Best Entertainment Award: PhotonArena (first-person shooter with integrated external weaponry)
• Winner of the Special Award: GreenBean (exoskeleton-enhanced body tracking experience)

About the Vive Virtual Reality System

Vive is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality system developed in partnership by HTC and Valve. Designed from the ground up for room-scale VR, Vive allows true-to-life interactions and experiences thanks to an adjustable headset displaying stunning graphics, two wireless controllers with HD haptic feedback and 360° absolute motion tracking. For a convenient and safe experience, Vive incorporates essential functionality from your phone and features a front facing camera that blends physical elements into the virtual world. Working in concert, this system immerses you visually, physically and emotionally in the virtual world. For more information on Vive, please visit www.vive.com.

About HTC

HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile and virtual reality devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC One and HTC Desire lines of smartphones, and is now leading the VR industry with the Vive line of products. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything we do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile and virtual reality experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). www.htc.com.

SOURCE HTC Vive

Related Links

http://www.vive.com