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With each passing day, virtual reality (VR) is solidifying itself as technology that’s here to stay. Facebook releasing its Oculus Rift, Sony dropping its PlayStation VR (in the fall) and the launch of the HTC Vive have all made 2016 the year VR has officially made its big debut. We went from zero to three unique offerings, provided you can get your hands on them.

Since the HTC Vive is now available for order in Canada (though with a delay in shipping due to high demand), the company arranged for me to have some hands-on time with its new virtual reality headset. Walking away from the experience, I was not only impressed with the end result but it made me more excited for the future of virtual reality in general.

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History and setup

As a partnership between Valve Corporation (known for games such as Half Life, Counter Strike and Portal) and HTC, the HTC Vive has been four years in the making.

JB McRee, Vive’s senior manager of product marketing for the HTC Vive, told me Valve had been developing a VR headset on its own for about three years before it partnered with HTC for another year after the two joined forced. Being a gaming company, Valve wanted to emphasize performance in its VR headset, McRee says, and HTC felt it could bring a more consumer-friendly design to it. The end result, he adds, is supposed to be the two companies meeting up the middle on performance and design.