HTC VIVE™ And New Reality Launch "Tree" On VIVEPORT™ To Fight Deforestation And Climate Change

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 24, 2019 - HTC VIVE's "VR for Impact" initiative and New Reality Company today announced that the critically acclaimed virtual reality experience, Tree, is set to launch on VIVEPORT on January 24th. The immersive VR project is currently being showcased at World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos this week to the leaders of global society on the HTC VIVE PRO with the VIVE Wireless Adapter. In addition, VIVEPORT has pledged to donate funds from the first 1,000 purchases of Tree to the Rainforest Alliance to support its vital work to conserve the world's most critically threatened tropical rainforests.

In Tree, users experience the Amazon from the point of view of a kapok tree. Viewers grow from a seedling to a mature tree soaring above the canopy line, their arms and body morphing into branches and trunk. The experience brings to light the harrowing realities of tropical deforestation, which is driven primarily by agricultural expansion and generates more carbon emissions than the sum total of all the cars and trucks in the world. Tree was one of the first grant recipients of "VR for Impact" and has earned critical acclaim at prestigious events such as Sundance Film Festival. Starting January 24th, the first 1,000 VIVE and Oculus Rift owners who download Tree on VIVEPORT for $4.99 will be supporting proven strategies to conserve forests—the most effective climate technology known to humankind. Tree is also available to download via VIVEPORT Subscription, members can now choose the title as one of their five monthly picks.

"The magic with virtual reality is that it has the to power create empathy and awareness around humankind's most pressing problems in new immersive ways," said Rikard Steiber, President of VIVEPORT. "New Reality's Tree is a moving and illuminating experience that serves as an example of how we can use the immersive nature of virtual reality to shine a light on critical issues."

"Virtual reality's greatest capability is to tell powerful stories," said Milica Zec, co-founder of New Reality. "Tree has been able to connect with viewers in an intimate way that has made climate change personal to them. We can't wait for people at home to finally be able to experience this project for the first time," said Winslow Porter, co-founder of New Reality.

Originally launched by HTC VIVE at WEF in 2017, "VR for Impact" is an initiative to drive VR and AR content and technologies that will create positive impact and change in support of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. In 2018, HTC and WEF announced that WEF, in collaboration with a core group of VR/AR leaders and the UN, will drive the "VR for Impact" initiative going forward. As a core member of the group, HTC VIVE continues to design and create experiences as part of the collaborative, ongoing commitment to foster and champion the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality to educate and empower humanity.

For more information on VR for Impact visit: https://vrforimpact.com/.

About HTC VIVE
VIVE is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality platform, built and optimized for room-scale VR and true-to-life interactions. Delivering on the promise of VR with game-changing technology and best-in-class content, VIVE has created the strongest ecosystem for VR hardware and software, bringing VR to consumers, developers and enterprises alike. The VIVE ecosystem is built around the best VR hardware in market, supported by VIVE X, a $100 million accelerator for VR and related technology start-ups, VIVE, a global platform and app store with the world’s first VR subscription model that operates in more than 60 countries, and VIVE Studios, its VR content development and publishing initiative. 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 devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC U and Desire lines of smartphones. 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。

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