HTC VIVE™ and Condé Nast China Jointly Introduce the World’s First Augmented-VR Reading Experience Powered by VIVEPAPER™

“Vivepaper represents a new publishing channel for the millions of existing print content to reach the VR medium”

HTC Corporation (“HTC”), a pioneer in innovative, smart mobile and virtual reality (VR) technologies, today released the world’s first Augmented-VR enhanced reading experience via their innovative VIVEPAPER™ technology — The December issue of Condé Nast Traveler (China Edition). Using a specially designed AR-enabled physical Vivepaper booklet and the VIVE™ virtual reality system (or a compatible cardboard VR viewer), readers are able to immerse themselves in an exciting new world of interactive print content. The invention of Vivepaper is set to change the way readers consume, and publishers distribute content, while providing a new way for advertisers to reach audiences.

Vivepaper technology enables users with an unprecedented range of interactions for print content, allowing activation of 360° photos and videos, 3D models, 2D content, and audio just by touching a piece of paper. Not only does this enliven the print medium, but it also creates new forms of advertising, creating an additional revenues stream for the print industry. More publishers will soon be releasing Vivepaper versions of their content, including China Daily 21st Century English Newspaper, Caixin VR and the Publishing House of Electronics Industry. Vive is also in discussions with several other major western publishers to release Vivepaper versions of their content outside China shortly.

Vivepaper is a patent pending technology that leverages Vive’s embedded front-facing camera to enable a type of AR on Vive called “video pass-through AR”. Previously, this camera had only been used for the Chaperone system to protect users from running into walls or objects during use. Vivepaper employs a hybrid AR-VR model called “Augmented Virtual Reality” (A-VR), where by users can enriched virtual experience and added realism by allowing tactile interactions with a physical object (in this case, a paper booklet). Vive is the only major VR platform in the world that supports such an A-VR experience. Vivepaper represents the beginning of the convergence of VR, MR, and AR on a single device.

The Vivepaper app will be available 10/31/2016 for download on Viveport (www.viveport.com) for Vive PC users and Viveport M (developer beta) for Android mobile users. An iOS version of the Vivepaper app will be available later this year. Using a Vive VR system or a compatible Cardboard VR viewer, users simply need to start the Vivepaper app to view and interact with the Vivepaper booklet to begin a new immersive reading experience. With the unparalleled level of interaction that Vivepaper enables, users are able to “feel” the content at hand rather than just view it on a screen, creating a thrilling new way to absorb content.

“It is quite fitting we are announcing VIVEPAPER™ today in the country that originally invented paper. Vive has been leading the VR market in innovation and, with this announcement, we are the first to demonstrate the merging of VR and AR technology onto a single hardware platform,” says Alvin W. Graylin, China Regional President of Vive, HTC. “With Vivepaper, we will enable the millions of books, magazines, newspapers and periodicals that have existed throughout history to come alive in the virtual world. We are so excited to have Condé Nast as our launch partner and look forward to having all their amazing content available to VR users around the world soon.”

 

“As a worldwide leader in the media industry, Condé Nast is committed to constant innovation. Our extensive and multi-platform digital products reach millions of consumers, and we strive to be first to market with new technologies. The AR/VR era will open amazing new opportunities for creative companies like Condé Nast, and partnering with HTC, a market leader in technology and innovation, is a natural step for us. Our collaboration with the HTC Vive team has been fantastic. From idea to implementation both our teams moved rapidly to realize a great vision and we hope this can be the beginning of a long term partnership as we expand our VR portfolio.,” says Elizabeth Schimel, President of Condé Nast China.

This is a landmark cooperation, where HTC and Condé Nast are setting an example for the possibilities that the print medium can integrate with the VR medium. More partnerships and content for global readers will be announced soon. There will be a software development kit (SDK) released shortly for developers and publishers to enable their content to use Vivepaper with minimal effort. HTC welcomes all partnership inquiries from content creators, publishers and advertisers. More information available on www.vivepaper.com.

About the Vive Virtual Reality System

Vive is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality platform developed by HTC and Valve for total immersion in virtual worlds. Designed from the ground up for room-scale VR and true-to-life interactions, Vive delivers on the promise of VR with game-changing technology and best-in-class content. Vive has been recognized with over 65 awards and wide critical acclaim since its unveiling in 2015. For more information, 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.

About Condé Nast

Founded by Mr. Condé Nast in the United States in 1908, Condé Nast Publications Inc. is an international publication group headquartered in New York. Producing the highest quality magazines, websites and digital content for more than 300 million consumers in 28 markets, the company owns many of the world’s most respected and influential media properties including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Brides, Self, GQ, Condé Nast Traveller/Traveler, Allure, Architectural Digest, Wired, W and Style among others. In addition to publishing 143 magazines and over 100 websites, the company operates a restaurant division and several ventures in education. Condé Nast Entertainment develops film, television and premium video programming. Now in China, Condé Nast has introduced five magazine brands through copyright cooperation, including Vogue, GQ, SELF, AD and Conde Nast Traveler.