Taiwanese company HTC is first and foremost known as a smartphone maker, having recently unveiled its latest handset, the HTC 10. But the company has also become one of the biggest players in the virtual reality (VR) space over the past year with its HTC Vive, made in partnership with Valve and its Steam VR system. It’s no secret that the mobile side of HTC has been struggling in recent years, but the company is looking to its newly launched VR kit to help rectify that situation.

Graham Wheeler, HTC’s Product and Service director, reportedly said as much to Forbes last week, noting that “brand recognition” gained through the anticipated popularity of its VR HMD will help smartphone sales pick up steam. Wheeler hopes that the HTC Vive will help restore the company to a household name. It’s a big bet, especially given the HTC Vive’s $799 USD price tag, which doesn’t include the high-powered PC needed to actually run it. That said, HTC anticipates having every unit that was promised to ship this month out before the end of April.

Earlier this week VRFocus reported that HTC had issued a statement regarding the situation with shipping the HTC Vive. Shipments have seen delays in certain parts of the world, and the company noted that it ‘should have been clearer’ that these were being made from certain locations across the globe rather than one facility shipping out all units.

Check back with VRFocus for the latest on the HTC Vive.

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