HTC Vive, the virtual reality headset that HTC is working on with Portal and Steam company Valve, has been delayed. Previously expected to arrive before the end of 2015, it’s now slated to debut commercially in April 2016.
“We remain committed to delivering the HTC Vive to a broader group of content creators and partners, and remain focused on delivering the very best experience possible for a consumer release,” HTC said in a blog post.
Thousands of HTC Vive “devkits,” special versions of the headset for developers across the gaming industry and other business areas, are now in the wild, HTC said, adding that it will ship 7,000 more of these starting in 2016. Commercial availability for HTC Vive will then follow in April.
Pricing for HTC Vive has not been announced. However, an HTC executive said earlier this year that the HTC Vive aims to be the “most premium VR experience the world has ever seen,” which also means it will carry a “slightly higher price point.”
GameSpot tried HTC Valve at GDC 2015–and we were thoroughly impressed. Editor Here’s what Peter Brown wrote in his feature, “Valve Demonstrates the Future of VR Better Than Anyone.”
“It’s an impressive piece of kit, featuring a high-res, independent display for each eye, and a chassis that’s packed with sensors to monitor your movements so that they can be replicated in VR,” he said at the time. “It’s a great VR headset, but so are the Oculus Rift and Sony Morpheus, which have seen great improvements over the last year. Yet, after my demo during GDC this week, I can say one thing with certainty: Valve has taken the lead in the VR arms race.”