Taiwanese smartphone company HTC has just announced a partnership with Valve to bring a new VR Head Mounted Display (HMD) to the masses as early as this year. During their Mobile World Congress conference (see video link below and skip to the 56 minute mark) the company announced three new products but the HTC Vive VR seems to be the most interesting from a gaming perspective especially considering the heritage of Valve.

You can also take a look at the first game developed for the system here.

According to reports (as no official specs have been revealed yet), the HMD will sport two 1200×1080p screens at 90hz and a gyrosensor, accelerometer and laser sensor for tracking the rotation of the head on both axes. A developer kit version will release in the coming months with the full consumer release at the end of the year. What’s more, the device seems to have garnered support from the likes of HBO, Google and Lionsgate to name but a few.

What’s interesting about this announcement is how this will impact Oculus and its developments. Having already released the Gear VR into the market for the Note 4, has just revealed the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge HMD which is said to be 15% lighter than the original Gear VR and will boast additional features. VR is obviously on the verge of a boom if handled correctly, although there is a fear that a lack of cross compatibility and flooding the market could stifle adoption.