The new year is only just kicking off but it’s already time for the first major event. The 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is set to take place from 6th – 9th January and is expected to house plenty of virtual reality (VR) products. Among them will be the HTC Vive, the major upcoming head-mounted display (HMD) from the Taiwanese phone maker and its partner, Valve. Late last year the former teased that it would be showcasing a ‘very, very big breakthrough‘ at the show, and now Valve has stepped in to confirm that its focus as CES will be strictly on hardware.
The company’s Chet Faliszek recently noted as much on Twitter. “So there is no confusion,” he began. “CES is a hardware/technology show where we will be talking about and showing hardware – VR hardware with HTC…” Faliszek’s comment seems to refer to rumours within the VR community that new software for the HTC Vive could be reveal at the show. In fact, when ADR1FT developer Adam Orth jokingly replied about going to the show expecting to see software for the device, Faliszek (humoursly) noted: “I will be the guy punching you…”
The developer also teased its CES showing earlier in the week, writing: “Last year at CES we were just quietly meeting with people and checking things out while we kept our secret. This one will be a bit different.” Responding to another two excited fans, he noted: “Less hype train in my mind – more just all of this becoming real. This year is just starting – pace yourself.”
The HTC Vive uses Valve’s SteamVR system which provides positional tracking data such as Room Scale tracking in which players walk around an area of up to 15 feet by 15 feet and have those movements replicated within the given experience. It also consists of two position-tracked controllers allowing for realistic interaction within VR worlds. The kit was recently delayed until April 2016, though pre-orders will be going live in February.
Keeping reading VRFocus for the latest on the HTC Vive.
-END-
The post Valve: ‘pace yourself’ for 2016, Teases CES and Confirms Focus on Hardware appeared first on VRFocus.
