The HTC Vive will go on pre-order from the 29th of next month, and it is already getting some much-needed publicity on American network television. The upcoming VR headset from the Taiwanese tech company was featured prominently on Tuesday night’s episode of NBC’s ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’. While at least three high-profile VR launches are slated to happen this year, virtual reality is far from being mainstream the way smartphones or gaming consoles are. That being the case, the fledgling industry probably needs every bit of publicity it can possibly get, and being showcased front and center on the most highly-rated late night talk show in the country is exactly the sort of boost not just HTC, but the entire industry needs as a whole. On the show, Mr. Fallon is seen trying his hand at Google-owned VR painting app, Tilt Brush.
Virtual reality as consumer technology is widely expected to go mainstream with the launch of at least three much talked-about launches this year from HTC, Sony and Oculus VR. Other players like Chinese tech company 3Glasses is also reportedly readying its own offering in the sector, called the D2 Vanguard Edition, and it is only a matter of time before more vendors will look to join in. While developer editions of at least some of these aforementioned gadgets have been available for a while now, it is only Samsung’s Gear VR that has been commercially available to whet the appetite of VR enthusiasts, but that is about to change drastically this year, with the slew of launches lined up for this year.
That being said, success will depend heavily on the platform, and the number of VR titles available currently is fairly miniscule when compared to other, more established platforms like Windows (x86-64), Android and iOS, not to mention Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo. While the manufacturers are expected to make sure their respective platforms already have enough titles to entice buyers, developers too are expected to start populating the market with games and applications once the devices start appearing on store shelves worldwide. The only cause for concern, however, can be the accompanying price-tag, what with Oculus already facing the heat on social media for pricing the Rift at $599. In retrospect that seems like a steal, seeing as the Vive was recently rumored to cost as much as $1500 at launch, while Sony’s upcoming PlayStation VR is also said to come with a rather hefty $1125 price-tag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtA6woCsN1g&feature=youtu.be