HTC delays public release of VR headset Vive – update

HTC has postponed the release of its VR headset Vive to the general public until the first months of 2016. Initially, the intention was that the VR headset would get a wide release this year, but HTC does not meet that deadline.

Both HTC and Valve, with whom the smartphone maker is developing the headset, confirm the postponement to tech site Recode. The intention is now to bring the VR headset to the market at the beginning of 2016, almost simultaneously with the Oculus Rift, one of the competitors of the Vive.

It is unknown why HTC is delaying the Vive, but it is not the first time that a manufacturer has had to postpone a product this year. That happened before with its wearable Grip, which should have been released this summer. It’s unclear if the product delays have anything to do with HTC’s financial problems. It recently announced it would lay off some of its staff, but explicitly stated that it would continue with the Vive.

HTC announced the Vive in early March this year. It is a VR headset that should allow physical movement in a virtual world thanks to the use of sensors. The developer version of the Vive came out in June. The manufacturer already mentioned in July that physical stores could probably only expect the Vive in 2016 in a story from game site Polygon.

Update, Saturday, 15:59: HTC says to Engadget that there will be a limited number of Vive headsets on the market this year, and the majority will only appear in 2016.