HTC Vive VR Pushed Back To April 2016 Launch

HTC’s Vive virtual reality headset was supposed to be out around about now. Earlier this year HTC and partner Valve said they were targeting a soft launch in November, but this hasn’t come to pass. After months of intense speculation, HTC has announced the HTC Vive will now be commercially available from April 2016.

That’s a 6-month delay from the original target date, and the additional development time should at least mean a superior product, along with a much more stacked launch line-up. Without some quality software to shift the units, it’s going to be a tough sell.
“We will be starting the new year by making an additional 7,000 units available to developers, followed by commercial availability in April 2016,” wrote HTC in an update on the Vive situation. “We are incredibly excited about the future and look forward to sharing more information as we move forward towards launch.
“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.”
In the meantime, HTC will be making an additional 7,000 HTC Vive software development kits available in the new year.
What it does do is hand the advantage back to the Oculus Rift. The pioneering VR headset from Oculus is still pencilled in for a Q1 2016 launch, so it could end up beating the Vive to market. On the subject of pre-orders for the Oculus Rift, Oculus CEO Palmer Luckey said “Ask for a raincheck! Can't say when they will open just yet.”
Will 2016 end up being the year of VR? Are you intending on picking up a headset? Which one? Let us know!

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