14 DAY TRIAL // The development teams at Valve and HTC working on the Vive virtual reality platform are announcing that they are planning to start taking pre-orders for the device starting on February 29, although it's unclear whether a price for it will be announced before that date or not.
The plan outlined by Cher Wang, the executive, leading the company, as quoted by VG247, involves a full launch in a variety of stores during the month of April, but there are suggestions that those who want to get a headset quickly will need to place a pre-order for it.
The Vive signals the fact that HTC is moving away from smartphone development and has big plans to make its virtual reality solution the most important one on the PC market while also finding ways to integrate it with other hardware.
A leading designer for the technology says that VR can enhance how human beings interact with one another and rewire brains to make it easier to learn and to express empathy.
He states, "On a couple of occasions I’ve taken people who are in wheelchairs and taken them through The Blue demo. I’ve had people get emotional because they would potentially never have the chance to go underwater scuba diving, or see a whale like that. As you push them through the demo and turn them around, they feel like they’re swimming. That’s a super-powerful thing for me. I think that’s cool."
Valve and HTC are not offering information about the price of the Vive at the moment, and it's highly probable that the reveal will only take place when pre-orders open on February 29.
Vive will compete with the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR
All the coming virtual reality solutions will have to convince potential customers that paying more than the price of a home console for the first iteration of this new tech is a good idea.
The Oculus Rift will cost 599 dollars, or 699 Euro and gamers who have managed to place a pre-order for the platform will be able to get one in March, with some stores expected to also stock the device during April.
Sony has also said that it will offer more details about the price of the PlayStation VR later in the year, with the solution designed to work only on the PlayStation 4 and some rumors saying that it will have an external processor unit to deliver a solid performance.
Those looking to get a virtual reality solution on the PC might also have to invest in a new powerful graphics card and to make sure that they have the required number of USB slots to use the tech.
Valve has suggested that it will launch a dedicated line of Steam Machines that are designed to run VR experiences easy when using a Vive.
Microsoft is also working on its HoloLens solution, which will deliver an augmented reality solution and seems to be focused on commercial uses rather than gaming, despite its early Minecraft-powered demo.