In a surprising move, HTC announced a strategic partnership with Valve at MWC 2015, to develop the HTC Vive, an attempt to bring mass-market virtual reality (VR) to consumers. HTC Vive Developer Edition will be launched in Spring 2015, followed by the consumer edition available by end 2015.
Valve’s Steam VR tracking and input technologies mated with HTC’s world-renowned design and engineering prowess has potential to set a gold standard in the VR industry, which has yet to go mainstream.
Vive offers the most immersive VR experience with its Full Room Scale 360 Degree Solution with Tracked Controllers. It lets you get up, walk around and explore you virtual space, inspect objects and truly interact with your surroundings.
The headset sets a new benchmark for performance, featuring high quality graphics, 90fps video and incredible audio fidelity.
Alongside the headsets, HTC also introduced new wireless VR controllers that come in a pair.
Hardware is nothing with content so some of the world’s top game developers are already on board. Beta versions of the Vive Developer Edition have already generated content from renowned game developers like Vertigo Games, Bossa, Barry -Fireproof, Dovetail Games, Wemo Labs, Google, Steel Wool Games and Owlchemy.
VR isn’t just about games of course. HTC and Valve are working closely to realising a broader vision for VR, beyond gaming. Transforming everyday experiences like travel, meeting friends or shopping aren’t too far away in the future. Leading content creators like Google, HBO, Lionsgate and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan are working with HTC and Valve to make that vision a reality.
Want to learn more about HTC Vive? Visit www.HTCVR.com.
Initial impressions
The hardware looks sexy, as one would expect from design-centric HTC. It’s a surprising and ambitious route attempted by HTC. The road ahead is unpredictable
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