Developers can request VR glasses from Valve and HTC

From Wednesday, Valve will give developers the opportunity to sign up to receive a developer version of its VR glasses HTC Vive free of charge. The Vive should be released to consumers later this year for an as yet undisclosed price.

However, supplies are limited, which means that deliveries starting this spring will continue into the summer, Valve says. It is the first time that people outside of Valve and HTC can receive and test the VR glasses. The intention is that developers have games ready for the glasses before the release of the HTC Vive. That’s why the company requests a lot of data with the application, including the plans for applications that a developer wants to make for the Vive.

HTC and Valve presented the VR glasses at the beginning of March. HTC and Valve want to distinguish the Vive from other VR glasses with the sensors on the front, which allow users to walk across a room. As a result, users should be able to move through a virtual space by actually walking.

The kits for developers are free of charge, but the Vive will cost money for consumers. How much that will be is not yet known. The Vive will be released later this year, Valve reiterated in Wednesday’s announcement.