HTC and Valve’s virtual reality headset is being delayed until April

HTC and Valve’s co-developed virtual reality headset has been delayed by a few months. We’ve known the device wouldn’t fully hit the market until sometime next year, but HTC claimed that limited quantities of it would be available by the end of 2015. Unfortunately for the few of you who wanted to get their hands on the HTC Vive before anyone else, HTC recently announced that the commercial release of the device is being pushed back to April, although the company intends to bring more of the devices to developers in the coming weeks. This is being done to ensure that the product that’s released is as high-quality as HTC and Valve can make it. 

The HTC Vive VR headset, which was expected to be available commercially in “limited quantities” by the end of 2015, has been pushed back to April of 2016. HTC announced the updated launch window on Facebook, where it said it remains “focused on delivering the very best experience possible for a consumer release.” “Since announcing the HTC Vive in March of this year we have focused on developing immersive content, refining both hardware design and user experience, and building relationships with new partners both inside and outside of the gaming industry,” the message states. “In collaboration with Valve, we have been distributing the HTC Vive Developer Kits to developers and content creators, and are continuing to work with many other innovative companies to create content that spans gaming, entertainment, medical, education and retail.” The plan now is to release another 7000 Vive headsets to developers at the beginning of 2016, followed by “commercial availability” in April. Unfortunately, the statement doesn’t clarify whether the delay will mean that a greater number of units will be available to the public when it launches. That doesn’t strike me as overly likely, but I’ve emailed Valve for more information and will update if and when I hear more.