HTC's Vive VR headset received some pretty rave reviews when it was first shown off at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, something that isn't so hard to do given the influx of headsets being developed.
HTC has announced that it is taking the headset on tour, allowing those living in the announced locations or willing to travel to see what all the hype is about.
"HTC is one of those companies that believes in the possibilities of virtual reality, and we've invested in it by partnering with Valve Corporation to create the HTC Vive," said HTC in a blog post. "The Vive is one of the latest editions coming to our product line, and to show the world the wonder of this technology, we're taking it on the road."
The HTC Vive is getting good reviews for a number of reasons. While it is similar to headsets like the Oculus Rift, the Vive features positional laser sensors, which can track the user's movement around a room, adding to the emersion possible with the headset.
Here's the complete list of cities that HTC will hit with the Vive headset. Note that this list is subject to change.
- July 9-12, Island St & 6th Ave, San Diego, CA, USA
- July 17-19, Forecastle Festival (Invite Only), Louisville, KY, USA
- July 21-23, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL, USA
- July 25-28, specific location TBD, Kansas City, KS, USA
- August 2-8, The International, Seattle, WA, USA
- August 5-9, Gamescom, Cologne, Germany
- August 13-16, specific location TBD, San Francisco, CA, USA
- August 20-23, specific location TBD, Portland, OR, USA
- August 28-31, PAX Prime, Seattle, WA, USA
- September 4-9, IFA, Berlin, Germany
- October 28-November 1, Paris Games Week, Paris, France
The Vive was created in partnership with Valve, suggesting that the headset will, like other virtual reality headsets, have a major focus on gaming. With a partner like Valve, it will certainly be interesting to see what kinds of games get the VR treatment when the headset is finally released to the public.
Currently, the HTC Vive is only available in a developer edition, and while an official release date about the device has yet to be announced, speculation suggests it could arrive around November this year, beating out the likes of Oculus with the Oculus Rift, which is slated for an early 2016 release.
By this time next year, the virtual reality market is sure to be totally different than it is now. Only time will tell what kind of a place the HTC Vive has in that market, but based on first impressions, it seems as though it will be a prominent one.
