Pre-orders for HTC Vive virtual reality system now open

Pre-orders for the HTC Vive virtual reality system opened worldwide on February 29 with shipping to begin on April 5.

The Vive five-piece virtual reality kit, comprising a high-spec HD visor, two location-sensing cubes, and a pair of controllers, costs $799, and orders will be limited to one unit per customer. In addition to "Fantastic Contraption" and "Job Simulator," Google's "Tilt" will now also be included in the pre-order package.

Designed and manufactured in partnership with PC gaming giant Valve Corporation ("Dota 2," "Portal," "Half-Life" and the Steam store), the HTC Vive virtual reality kit also includes a phone service that allows users to make and take calls, compose text messages, and check up on calendar appointments all while within the Vive's virtual world.

Computers powering a Vive will need an Nvidia GTX970 or AMD R9 290 graphics card, and an Intel i5 or AMD FX 8350 CPU chip.