HTC Vive VR Headset for Steam

brynhh

Didn't read it to be honest, just saw that it was the only one that mentioned the Everest demo that HTC said on Twitter they were gonna do.

brynhh

In an effort to clear up speculation and misinformation surrounding the launch of HTC Vive this month we are excited to give the community an update on the status of HTC Vive. 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.

Since announcing the HTC Vive in March of this year we have focused on developing immersive content, refining both hardware design and user experience, and building relationships with new partners both inside and outside of the gaming industry. In collaboration with Valve, we have been distributing the HTC Vive Developer Kits to developers and content creators, and are continuing to work with many other innovative companies to create content that spans gaming, entertainment, medical, education and retail. This includes hosting a developer conference in Beijing on December 18th, launching the second generation of the HTC Vive Developer Kit at CES and engaging audiences at key events including The Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, GDC and MWC while expanding our demo tours.

We will be starting the new year by making an additional 7,000 units available to developers, followed by commercial availability in April 2016. We are incredibly excited about the future and look forward to sharing more information as we move forward towards launch.

HTC Vive - In an effort to clear up speculation and... | Facebook

Smurfin

Love it that the exciting news is simply announcing a delay

MikeKay1976

Ouch. This is a big hit imo sure it won't be a ko blow but a 3 month headstart vive had over the rift would have sold a lot of units

Nivek TT

And the delay surprises no-one!

April doesn't count as Q1. Your move Oculus!

MikeKay1976

so my understanding is that this is a new refined devkit, a DK2.

Now colour me cynical but I cant help but wonder if the lightweight cloth design of the Oculus rift did not take them buy surprise  and they maybe decided to go back to the drawing board.

there was never planned to be a DK2 of the VIVE, it was meant to be going to release version, so I am wondering if this DK2 IS the design they were planning on, along with the very limited early launch (they always said the 1st batch would be under 10K) but now they are relabelling it a DK2 and working on a better design for next years launch

Presuming Ed

Isn't the CV1's launch date still a rather hazy 'Q1'? So a 3 month headstart could be a little optimistic - they could still launch within days of each other.

And, call me pessimistic, but delays are still possible for both!

MikeKay1976

The VIVE was touted to have "upto" a 3 month headstart over the rift, now it looks likely the rift will have probably at least a month head start over the vive.

as I said elsewhere....

i am not expecting the rift cv1 to come out in Jan, if it was they would be taking orders now, as well as telling us the price and showing us the full package etc.

however imo there is a good chance it will hit the Q1 time frame. iirc the 1st mass produced unit rolled off the belts a few months ago, so right now they are just building up stock.

http://www.roadtovr.com/the-first-oculus-rift-has-rolled-off-the-production-line/


edit.
could be BS but 1 post about the delay here

Inside Information On HTC Vive Delay - Pastebin.com

Nivek TT

The cloth design was very 'meh' for me. I'm gonna look like a tit using it no matter how fancy it is. Fortunately I can't see myself using it.

If the delay is due to a design issue I hope its more than just a competitively cosmetic issue.

That said, HTC make beautiful phones. Perhaps their pride cannot allow the competition to be more beautiful. The Vive is definitely the ugmo when compared to Oculus CV1 and PS VR.

Sony have a 4k phone on the market. Perhaps HTC are gunning for a 4k display. Even if the render wasn't 4k the high native res should benefit the screen door effect.

MikeKay1976

the cloth was more than just eyecandy tho.

it meant it kept weight down as much as possible, as well as allowing better airflow, increasing comfort and helping reduce fogging.

I have no bias for either HMD, I would be happy to own either I really do not care... BUT with valve seeming to be quite happy to embrace opensource,  with the rift supported on steam VR (hell look at elite dangerous, that is not actually supported in the newest drivers, but is happy working in the steamVR mode), but with the rift being more locked down looking at getting exclusives.....

on 1 hand i feel i should reward the company not looking to lock down the market.

on the other hand I want access to as many VR games as possible.

Right now my heart is saying buy a VIVE, my head is saying get the rift.

if the rift comes out 1st and is £400 or less, i doubt i will have the willpower to wait TBH esp now i have sold my DK2