Gaming firm Valve has partnered with Taiwanese smartphone and tablet maker HTC to make a virtual reality headset, in a bid to rival Facebook’s upcoming Oculus Rift device.
HTC said that as the Vive is powered by SteamVR, plenty of games that use it will be available soon on Steam.
The Vive features a 1200 x 1080 pixel screen in front of each eye, with a refresh rate of 90 frames per second. HTC says it fills your field of vision in all directions, thus avoiding the jitter associated with other VR devices.
Players can use VR game controllers in each hand to virtually use objects and interact with the virtual world.
HTC said that Vive will also go beyond gaming, and it’s already working with Google, HBO, Lionsgate and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan to build virtual reality experiences. But video game developers are also interested. Vertigo Games, Bossa, Fireproof and Dovetail are all involved.
A consumer version is slated for a “holiday 2015” release in a bid to beat rival VR headsets Oculus Rift and Morpheus to market. A developer version will be available in the spring.