HTC Vive preorders will open February 29th, the company has confirmed.
HTC Vive preorders starting February 29th, still shipping in April
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
First reported by The Telegraph and confirmed by an HTC spokesperson, the news comes a week after the announce of the Vive Pre, a second-generation development kit that includes a front-facing camera and redesigned controllers. As we've previously heard, the Vive will ship in April, but there's no exact release date given here, nor is there a price — although the headset is widely expected to cost more than the Oculus Rift, which was recently revealed to cost $599. HTC tells us that the company will reveal the pricing, shipping date, and final consumer design "close to" the preorder date.
The Vive was initially supposed to ship last year, but HTC and co-developer Valve chose to delay its launch in order to add the camera, which provides limited augmented reality options. If the April release date holds, this will make it the second high-end VR headset to see release: it’ll appear shortly after the Rift, which starts shipping March 28th. While we don’t know much about the Vive’s catalog of games and other experiences, HTC told us at CES that we’d see more at a Valve showcase later in January.
Like the Rift, the Vive will likely appeal mostly to early adopters. In addition to its price, it requires a high-end gaming machine similar to the one Oculus recommends.
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