Pimax Entices Developers with a 100% Revenue Share
Pimax has announced a 100% revenue share along with a $100,000 fund in a bid to entice developers to create VR content for its ecosystem. The VR hardware manufacturer will be giving VR content developers 100% of the revenues in its online store. It is also creating a $100,000 fund to support the simulation of virtual reality games.
This is a considerable incentive for VR content developers but it remains to be seen whether more developers will take up the offer given that Pimax commands a tiny portion of a market that is dominated by the likes of Meta, HTC, and Valve.
Pimax headsets have a wider field-of-view (FOV) than other conventional virtual reality headsets but Pimax users have had to do with third-party stores like Steam for virtual reality content. Pimax is, thus, looking for a content ecosystem that is optimized for its hardware.
The Pimax PC VR content store was launched in September 2022 ahead of the planned release of the “Reality 12K QLED” headset and its standalone VR hardware Pimax Crystal and Pimax Portal hybrid.
The launch of the store last year had been accompanied by an advertising program to award 50 indie developers with cash incentives and a flexible “choose your own” revenue share for Pimax’s top 50 indie developers that gave them the option of determining how much they wanted to contribute towards the success of the fledgling VR store.
Major VR app stores take a substantial portion. Meta takes 47.5% in Horizon Worlds and 30% in Quest Store while Steam takes a 30% cut.
Pimax is already working with approximately 300 developers which include both indie developers and major studios. The VR hardware manufacturer says it is keen on not only giving developers a zero-cut revenue share but also promoting both online and offline events like the upcoming Game Developers Conference scheduled for the end of March in San Francisco.
Pimax’s two new virtual reality headsets, the hybrid VR gaming handheld Pimax Portal and its high-end Pimax Crystal VR headset will offer access to the new Pimax app store. That will require the addition of new games and apps that have been optimized for the Pimax hardware.
Pimax says it is in a position to offer developers this zero-cut revenue share option because it builds its own hardware, unlike Meta and Steam which outsource their hardware development. The company’s head of Global Business Development Carol Yuan says this allows the company to operate at lower margins.
Yuan says the company’s incentives are also driven by the realization that there is a general need for high-quality virtual reality content in the larger ecosystem.
Pimax will also be providing 1,000 Portal VR developer kits along with free advertising. You can check out the full details of Pimax’s incentives on the company’s website.
Pimax has been an innovative player in the VR hardware space, frequently pushing the boundaries of the technology.
Its recent trajectory saw the company secure $30 million in a Series C funding round early this month that it will use to power its growth and solve the issues it has had with shipping delays. The company’s generous incentives to developers are coming soon after that funding round.
Its Pimax Crystal headset has powerful capabilities. Users can expect standalone virtual reality games that will bring out the power of the headset including its high resolution 2880 x 2880 display along with its wide 140-degree FOV.
The Pimax Crystal headset also has eye-tracking and face-tracking capabilities that come in handy in social games, adding to the realism or quality of immersion.
The Pimax Portal headset, on the other hand, is a hybrid piece of hardware that can be transformed from a Nintendo Switch-style hand-held console into a 6DoF virtual reality headset.
Games that have been specifically built for Portal should work in both modes, enabling the gamer to switch between virtual reality and the hand-held mode while maintaining their progress.
However, Pimax will face a challenge building an app store from scratch. This is still fledgling industry and the likes of Meta and Steam already have a head start. Pimax is hoping that its incentives will get stuff rolling so it can begin playing catch up with the big movers.
The Pimax app store is exclusively for its lineup of headsets, the company said. Optimized for its hardware, it will give users games and apps that support the company’s higher display resolutions and FOV. The store will also bake in the hardware customization settings thereby eliminating the need for Pimax’s Pi Tool.
It is not clear how long the 100% revenue share will last. Pimax will, no doubt, be wanting to see the store gain some good traction before it can review the terms in the future.
https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2023/03/08/pimax-entices-developers-with-a-100-revenue-share/https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Pimax-Crystal-600x375.jpghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Pimax-Crystal-150x90.jpgBusinessPimax has announced a 100% revenue share along with a $100,000 fund in a bid to entice developers to create VR content for its ecosystem. The VR hardware manufacturer will be giving VR content developers 100% of the revenues in its online store. It is also creating a $100,000...Rob GrantRob Grant[email protected]AuthorVirtual Reality Times - Metaverse & VR