New orders of the Oculus Rift are still backed up to an estimated shipping date of August. The company began shipping Vive from its web store on a limited basis in April and, at the time, promised to ship in the month noted in a customer’s order-confirmation email.
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According to the latest reports, the Taiwanese electronics company, HTC, is trying to enter into the offline market zone with its new Vive VR headsets.
The company’s decision to offer its Vive Business Edition (Vive BE) in addition to a consumer-focused version for $799 has caught the attention of analysts who foresee a potential market for using VR in commercial settings, such as design, auto manufacturing and medicine. The Oculus Rift is approx $100 cheaper but is reportedly less immersive (lacking room-scale tracking) and there may be further delays faced by those who wish to buy Oculus Touch controllers rather than the Xbox One console gamepad now bundled.
Euro Gamer reported that that the HTC Vive VR headset is available for demo in selected retail outlets like Microsoft stores, GameStop and Micro Center locations.
The list of stores carrying the Vive can be found here.
“With Vive BE, we are answering the overwhelming demand from global industries for a complete VR experience, to provide innovative solutions for their business needs”, said Daniel O’Brien, VP of virtual reality at HTC.
From now on, the manufacturer vows, if you purchase a Vive from its website, that Vive will be shipped within three days.
Towards this end, the company also launched the Vive X fund in order to assist other companies in developing VR applications for the platform.
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In total, the demos will be available in 100 retail locations across North America, giving potential buyers a chance to “experience room-scale virtual reality first-hand”. That includes the headset, two controllers, two base stations and four face cushions (important).
