HTC Reveals Vive Consumer Edition at Mobile World Congress
HTC and Valve today unveiled the consumer edition of its Vive virtual reality system, powered by Steam VR. The system will be available for pre-order from 29th February 2016. Compared to the Vive Pre, which debuted last January at CES, the Vive consumer edition has the same features but comes with an updated headstrap, updated wireless controllers with haptic feedback and dual stage triggers and a front facing camera that blends physical elements into the virtual world.
HTC says that Vive will be delivered as a complete kit allowing users to instantly jump into a virtual environment using two wireless controllers, 360 degree tracking and room scale movement sensors.The integration of SteamVR into the bundle ensures that all Vive equipment is kept up-to-date with the latest features.
With Vive Phone Services, you can receive and respond to both incoming and missed calls, get text messages and send quick replies, and check upcoming calendar invites directly through the headset.
Priced at US$799, for a limited time the consumer edition will also ship with two VR games:
- Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives by Owlchemy Labs: In a world where robots have replaced all human jobs, step into the 'Job Simulator' to learn what it was like 'to job'.
- Fantastic Contraption by Northway Games in collaboration with Radial Games: Imagine walking around a grassy island floating in the sky, building a machine the size of a horse with your own hands, and then watching it roll out into the world.
In addition to these launch titles, HTC is working with developers to create content that spans multiple sectors including entertainment, retail, education, design, healthcare and automotive.