Staggered launch will see most HTC Vives shipping in Q1 2016

If you were hoping to get your hands on HTC's Vive virtual reality headset before 2015 is out, it looks like your chances may be a bit slimmer than anticipated. According to a new press release, it sounds like HTC and Valve are gearing up for a somewhat staggered release for the consumer launch, pointing to the first quarter of 2016 for mass availability. From The Verge:

"In a press release announcing the company's presence at the PAX Prime expo, Valve says that "HTC will offer the first commercial Vive units via a limited quantity of community and developer systems" later this year, "with larger quantities shipping in calendar Q1 2016."

While such a release will still give HTC its original goal of the end of 2015 for a commercial launch, the limited availability likely means you won't get a chance to get your own until the beginning of 2016. Unfortunately, this could mean some stiff launch competition for HTC and Valve, as both the Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus are due out around the same time.

More: How Vive changed what we knew about the future of VR

Source: The Verge

Dan Thorp-Lancaster