HTC’s newest venture into virtual reality, the HTC VIVE, is now available for pre-order on the system’s official website. If you’re uncertain about your computer’s ability to use Vive Steam has an application that consumers can use to test out their hardware.
Vive is being powered with SteamVR; Steam released the recommended specs for the hardware:
- OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
- Processor: Intel® i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970 / AMD Radeon™ R9 290 equivalent or greater
Like the Vive the Oculus Rift requires at least an Intel i5, but unlike it’s competitor, the Rift requires 8 GB Rams and three USB 3.0 ports plus one USB 2.0 port.
The Vive will run buyers in the US $829 after shipping and Canadian buyers $1214 after shipping. The system will ship with two games, although HTC says that they will be bundled ‘for a limited time’, they did not give a time frame for when they may pull the bundle.
- Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, by Owlchemy Labs: In a firmly tongue-in-cheek world where robots have replaced all human jobs, step into the ‘Job Simulator’ to learn what it was like ‘to job’.
- Fantastic Contraption, by Northway Games in collaboration with Radial Games: Imagine walking around a grassy island floating in the sky, building a machine the size of a horse with your own hands, and then watching it roll out into the world.
I got a chance to try the Vive last year, HTC showed off a few hands-on demos including the aforementioned Job Simulator game, I walked away impressed by the precision of the controls and the immersion as GLaDOS destroyed the room around me.
HTC Vive will start shipping in May, users can pay by credit card or PayPal. According to the official Vive website oders includes the Vive headset, two wireless controllers, two base stations, link box, earbuds, Vive accessories, Job Simulator game, Tilt Brush by Google and the Fantastic Contraption game.