HTC Vive VR Headset Is Launching Next April

HTC has confirmed that its Vive virtual reality headset will finally be launching next Spring, a year after it was originally announced.

The company said Vive, developed alongside video games company Valve, will be rolled out to developers early next year and followed by commercial launch in April 2016.

First revealed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 back in March, the HTC Vive is the company’s first foray into virtual reality technology following similar moves by the likes of Samsung and Oculus.

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HTC says that today’s information was released in an effort “to clear up speculation and misinformation” concerning a rumoured launch of the device this month.

“We are excited to give the community an update on the status of HTC Vive”, the company said. “We remain committed to delivering the HTC Vive to a broader group of content creators and partners, and remain focused on delivering the very best experience possible for a consumer release.”

This delivery program will now see HTC and Valve hosting a developer conference in Beijing later this month, before launching the second generation of the HTC Vive Developer Kit at CES 2016 in January.

An additional 7,000 development units will then be made available to developers ahead of the Vive’s official launch in April.

“We are incredibly excited about the future and look forward to sharing more information as we move forward towards launch,” the company added.

The launch of the Vive could prove to be part of the company’s new focus on wearables, following reports last week that an HTC smartwatch could be arriving in February. The number of wearable technology devices sold this year is set to reach its highest number yet as more and more companies start to enter the market.

Recent figures from analyst firm IDC estimate that 45.7 million wearable devices will be sold this year, up 133.4 percent from last year’s figure. The rise is only set to continue over the next few years, with IDC estimating 126.1 million units will be sold in 2019.

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