HTC Vive, the new VR solution from HTC and Valve, is now available for preorder in a limited number of countries from around the world.



Who could have guessed a few years ago that users will be able to choose between competing VR (virtual reality) solutions? Well, it turns out that we can now choose between various companies although only a couple of them seem to have products worthy of being used in a gaming environment. These are Vive and Oculus, and they are going head to head.
Oculus is backed by Facebook and Vive by Valve. Strict from a gaming perspective, Oculus is already loosing, and with good reason. It’s very likely that Vive will get much better support from the games on Steam, which will put it in front. On the other hand, Oculus is cheaper.


Vive can be preordered now The preorders for HTC Vive are now live, but it looks like they are not going everywhere and they are limited to a few countries.
“HTC Vive is available for pre-order now with first shipments targeted to begin on Tuesday, April 5th. A complete VR solution, Vive includes two wireless VR controllers, room scale movement, a full 360° of tracking, and an HMD featuring a built-in camera to create what many critics are calling the most convincing VR experience launching this year,” reads the announcement from Valve.
The company is sweetening the pot with an interesting offer. If you buy HTC Vive you are also getting Tilt Brush from Google, Fantastic Contraption from Northway and Radial Games, and Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives from Owlchemy Labs. These are not top tier games, but at least it’s something.
The promise of integration with Steam games is the main driver for this VR solution, but it remains to be seen if $799 (€717) is going to hit the spot.

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