Valve Launches SteamVR Store As Vive Begins To Ship

Virtual Reality is upon us. With both the Oculus Rift and Valve/HTC Vive “shipping”, VR for the masses is already starting to gain momentum (outside of a mobile phone strapped to your face). Rob is currently at NVIDIA’s GTC event in California’s Silicon Valley, and a major theme at the event has been VR (among other things).

One of the more exciting parts of VR is Valve’s back of the Vive. Valve has been a top tier game developer for over a decade, and their input into the design of the Vive has been a driving force behind the VR platform that is competing head to head with Facebook’s own Rift. Even though the Vive appeared to have come out of nowhere, Valve has been experimenting to VR for a number of years – although likely spurred on to produce a final product by the Rift.

Announced yesterday, Steam, a leading online distributor for games and software, officially expanded into the world of Virtual Reality as it introduced SteamVR – featuring dozens of VR titles from developers around the world. The launch comes the same day HTC began shipment of the Vive; the first complete SteamVR system.

Similar to other areas of Steam, the SteamVR pages showcase dozens of titles and experiences for VR enthusiasts to check out. Some for sale, some free. Some are games, while others are a little different – encroaching on ‘experiences’. Each has its own page to provide information on the title through images, trailers, and more, much like standard Steam titles.

Also today, HTC begins shipment of its Vive VR system, after it opened pre-orders at the end of February. Priced at a rather eye-watering $799, the Vive is the first complete VR solution, including wireless VR controllers, room scale movement, and an HMD (Head Mounted Display) featuring a built in camera. As an added bonus, and for a limited time, those who purchase a Vive will also receive a free copy of Tilt Brush, theBlu, and Fantastic Contraption.

Valve also launched "The Lab," its free VR game compilation, and a host of new trailers and information via SteamVR today. To view the new trailers and learn more about Steam and virtual reality, please visit SteamVR.com.