Ever since Valve and HTC announced their collaboration earlier this year on the HTC Vive head-mounted display (HMD), virtual reality (VR) fans have been eager to get their hands on the device. HTC then claimed a small initial release would be happening towards the end of 2015, but as the year draws to an end that was looking less and less likely and the company were keeping fairly tight lipped on any further information. Today HTC has released a statement announcing a commercial release and the availability of more developer kits.
The statement, announced on Twitter and Facebook reads:
“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.”
So it seems as though VR fans will only have to wait four more months to finally see the HMD’s release, if all goes to plan.
VRFocus will continue to follow the latest updates from HTC on the HMD, reporting any further announcements.
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