HTC and Valve are rather aggressively trying to push their new Vive virtual reality headset, and will be offering the headset for free to developers who want to create for the platform.
It's currently unknown exactly how many headsets the companies will offer for free and those who do want to get their hands on a free headset will need to apply online.
"Built to deliver high-end VR, the HTC Vive Developer Edition is the first look at SteamVR," says Valve on the Steam website. "The dev kit comes with a headset, two controllers and two base stations-everything you need to dive in and start creating new interactive VR experiences. It will be available this spring, followed by consumer edition hardware later in 2015."
A specific date has not been given for when the developer edition will be available. However, some rumors suggest that it could be as soon as in the next week. Developers who want updates can also sign up to an email list from HTC's website for the headset.
The strategy that HTC and Valve are taking is very different from other companies to develop virtual reality headsets. Oculus VR sent its first headsets to backers on its Kickstarter campaign, and anyone can buy a developer version of the Oculus Rift for $350. Non-developers, however, are discouraged from purchasing the developer version of the headset. Oculus is taking a similar route to Sony, which is keeping its Project Morpheus headset under pretty tight wraps and is only being sent to select developers.
Sony is also offering its headset to developers for free. However, the program is to borrow the headset, not to keep it.
Developers approved by HTC and Valve's program will be sent a headset along with to controllers and a base station, according to HTC. This is everything that developers need to begin creating virtual reality experiences for users once the headset is finally released.
The new headset somewhat stands apart from other headsets because of the fact that it is rooted in real space rather than a virtual space. Instead of users sitting down and moving through a controller, motion sensors on the headset map out the room that the user is in and apply that map to specific scenarios. If a user starts to get to close to an object or wall in the real world, the system will let them know. While exploration of a space is limited to rather small spaces, it allows for a much more immersive experience.
