[MWC15] HTC Partners Valve for HTC Vive – VR Headset

[MWC15] HTC Partners Valve for HTC Vive – VR Headset

HTC, today announced plans of entry to mass-market virtual reality (VR). Through a strategic partnership with Valve, HTC promises to transform the way in which consumers interact with technology and the world around them with the debut of HTC Vive. This bring them alongside tech giants such as Facebook (Occulus Rift), Samsung and Sony who have ventured to the VR space.

The HTC Vive will combine Valve’s Steam VR tracking and input technologies with HTC’s world-renowned design and engineering talent. Cher Wang, Chairwoman of HTC commented, “It’s rare that a company has an opportunity to forever transform the ways in which people interact with the world and communicate with each other but that is exactly what we plan to do with Valve.”

There are interesting features of the HTC Vive that HTC shared.

Full Body Immersive Experience

Vive offers the most immersive experience of any VR package, plunging people into other worlds at a moment’s notice. HTC and Valve have introduced a Full Room Scale 360 Degree Solution with Tracked Controllers, letting you get up, walk around and explore your virtual space, inspect objects from every angle and truly interact with your surroundings. This is acived through the multiple sensors in the HTC Vive (gyrosensor, accelerometer, and laser position sensor) to track not just your head, but also your physical location in a room. When used with a pair of Steam VR base stations, it lets you walk around your virtual environment (just be careful you’re in an open space with no obstructions!). Amazing, but may not be practical in space constrained tiny apartments.

Setting a new benchmark for performance, the headset features high quality graphics, 90 frames per second video and incredible audio fidelity.

HTC is also introducing new wireless VR controllers that will make you feel one with your virtual environment. The new HTC VR Controllers come in a pair and are designed to be so versatile that they will work with a wide range of VR experiences. Unlike typical game controllers, the HTC VR Controllers are simple and intuitive to use, helping everyone make the most of their experience.

VR Offers Experiences beyond Gaming

Beta versions of the Vive Developer Edition have already generated rich entertainment content from some of the world’s top game developers including Vertigo Games, Bossa, Barry–Fireproof, Dovetail Games, Wemo Labs, Google, Steel Wool Games and Owlchemy.

“Our collaboration with HTC is driven by the companies’ shared desire to produce the most compelling and complete VR experience,” said Ken Birdwell of Valve. “Delivering content
creators with the Vive Developer Edition is an incredibly important milestone in our efforts to achieve that goal.”

While amazing gaming experiences are a staple in the VR universe, the potential beyond gaming is limitless. HTC and Valve are committed to realizing a broader vision for VR and see a real opportunity in transforming everyday experiences. Travel, attending a game, meeting friends or even shopping will never be the same again and the companies are working with leading content creators, including Google, HBO, Lionsgate and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan in order to make that vision a reality.

“Vive creates an exciting opportunity for all developers and content creators, to help us bring virtual reality into the mainstream with an end-to-end solution that completely redefines how we entertain ourselves, communicate with each other, learn and, eventually, how we become more productive,” Cher Wang concluded. “HTC Vive is real, it’s here and it’ll be ready to go before the start of 2016.”

HTC Vive Developer Edition will be launched this Spring, with the consumer edition available by the end of 2015.