Potential HTC Vive buyers spill plans for VR rooms, computer upgrades

The clock is ticking for HTC and Valve's upcoming virtual reality collaboration, the Vive, to meet its announced (and "limited") 2015 launch window, but in the meantime, the companies have begun working in earnest to learn more about the headset-and-controller rig's potential buyers. Last week, moderators at the official SteamVR forum asked its members to take part in a survey, and on Tuesday, they followed that up with a post about its results—which, up until now, appears to be the largest survey we've yet seen about VR shoppers' preferences.

As Gamasutra reported this week, just over 2,000 users responded to the survey, which revolved around various logistical issues for the HTC Vive, a VR system that has been advertised as "room-scale" VR—meaning its games and software will support the ability to walk around real space while wearing a VR headset.

Among the findings: over 76 percent of those surveyed are prepared to dedicate at least 42 square feet (2x2 meters) to a Vive rig, with 63 percent ready to dedicate 65 square feet or more. A little over seven percent of respondents plan to create a dedicated "VR room" for their rigs, while most say they'll place an HTC Vive in their bedroom (32 percent), living room (29 percent), or office (14 percent).