Early this year, it was rumored that one of the very first versions of a still-fledgling VR headset industry to be out in the market is the HTC Vive. The speculations might be proven accurate as HTC hints that the virtual reality headset may come out sooner than fans think.
Although he did not give any specific release date, HTC's Graham Breen said that the Vive will be released "soon." Speaking to RTE News, Breen said, "We're really close, actually."
Breen added that HTC has been building on a dev kit, and the device is already in production for a targeted release date in 2016 and that the current month will not come to an end without any fresh updates. He stated, "So this is a dev kit that we're working on, but we're going to be launching it early next year so we're going to be making some proper announcements in the coming weeks. But we're really close, actually, so it's a pretty exciting time."
The HTC Vive is one of the most promising VR headsets rumored to come out starting next year. Developed together with partner Valve, the Vive VR headset will have a SteamVR system feature. This will make the headset support Room Scale tracking.
According to VR Focus, this feature will allow the user to walk around a 15x15 feet area and the movements will be replicated in a given experience. Not only for walking movements, the same feature will also integrate the positional tracking system for the SteamVR controllers, which will mimic hand movements in the experience. This gives the user an almost-total immersion in the VR environment, giving an inclusion-and-participation feel in the VR experience (playing a location-based VR game, for instance).
As for the pricing, the industry follower also reported that the HTC Vive will not be a bank-breaking accessory but will not be cheap either.
