HTC Vive Virtual Reality Headset Won’t Be Available for Everyone This Year

Don’t expect to get your hands on a HTC Vive virtual reality headset in time for the holidays: Valve just announced that it will release the device only “via a limited quantity of community and developer systems” this year, shipping larger quantities in the first quarter of 2016.

SEE MORE: Oculus Unveils Virtual Reality Headset for Consumers

This means that the headset, which Vive is building in cooperation with HTC, won’t actually have a whole lot of release time advantage over the Oculus Rift, which Facebook-owned Oculus plans to ship in early 2016 as well. Valve had previously said that it would start to sell the Vive in 2015.

Of course, a few extra months could also help developers to get their VR games and experiences ready for consumers. Valve said this week that it has already given away 10,000 developer units of the HTC Vive, and that more than 80 games are in development for the headset.

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