Skip to main content

We’ve made a map so you can find the HTC Vive demo nearest you

HTC VIVE
Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends
We’ve hammered out many words about why the HTC Vive is great, and honored it with our Editor’s Choice award. But we’d understand if you’re still not sure what this VR thing is all about. It’s an experience that’s unlike anything most people have ever tried, so it’s hard to grasp by simply reading of it. You really have to try it for yourself. HTC is aware of this, so it has a comprehensive demo program that let you try out the experience for yourself. Here’s where you can try the VR revolution before throwing down $800 to become a part of it.

National locations

HTC has three Vive demo partners — Gamestop, Microsoft, and Micro Center. While you can read more about each below — and see a full list of demo locations — we’ve summarized the locations, including two from Newegg, on Google Maps, so you can find the location nearest you.

As you can see, most locations are in North America. There are some locations internationally, but they are not taking place through HTC’s three major partners.

Gamestop

Select Gamestop stores started Vive demos in mid-April, and more have rolled out in the months since. Around 54 Gamestop locations now feature demos for the HTC Vive. Demos tend to occur once a day for a couple hours, often in the morning, but this is on a store by store basis, so you’ll have to call a nearby store to find out when the demo occurs. Gamestop has partnered with CyberPowerPC to provide the hardware for the demo stations. Most of the stations are on either the west or east coast, but more than a few are available in midwestern and southern states.

Here’s the full list.

Microsoft Stores

After a small initial roll-out, Microsoft quickly expanded the Vive demo program. Today, 56 Microsoft stores across the country are showing the Vive on Alienware Area 51 gaming rigs. Microsoft says free demos last 10 minutes or so, and that customers must either be 18 years old, or 13 years old and have the permission of a parent or guardian.

Microsoft is the only demo partner with locations outside the United States, too. It has several in Canada, and one in Sydney, Australia.

Here’s the full list.

Micro Center

Electronics retailer Micro Center sells the Vive — and occasionally offers some great discounts — but certain stores also have the option to demo the Vive. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t have a complete list of participating locations, nor has it detailed how long the demos last or when it will stop demoing units. Your best bet is to see if there’s a Micro Center store near you and give them a call to see what’s up.

International locations

TP Cast Vive wireless adapter
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Canada

Try the Microsoft Stores! There are locations in Burnaby, Calgary, Edmonton, Mississauga, Toronto, and Vancouver where you can access Vive demos.

Australia

There’s only one demo location in Australia, and it’s located at the Pitt Street Maill in Sydney. This place can get pretty crowded, however, so plan accordingly.

United Kingdom

HTC has five demo locations in the United Kingdom. Three are at Curry’s PC World stores, one is at an Overclocker’s U.K. location, and one is at Scan Computers. These are all listed on the Google Map above.

Sweden

Swedish electronics retailer Inet has also started offering scheduled demos of the HTC Vive at six different locations in Sweden, including Stockholm and Malmö. You can book a demo via the the Vive product page on the company’s website.

Trade shows

Big events like CES are very important for emerging technologies like virtual reality. With a big trade show gear toward electronics, you’re almost guaranteed to see the Vive and the other big players floating around. You’ll have to arrange your own admittance, however, and potentially wait to try out the demos.

Other events

Still having trouble finding a nearby demo? Well, some VR enthusiasts have taken matters into their own hands, using Meetup to stage informal gatherings to demo and discuss the latest games and experiences available for headsets like the Vive. Just search your location for “virtual reality” to find a meetup near you.

Editors' Recommendations

Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
HTC brings two new headsets, a VR browser, and ‘Netflix for VR’ to CES 2019
Vive Cosmos

HTC Vive's apperance at CES wasn't just to offer small updates or incremental changes. On the contrary, the HTC Vive press conference offered information on two different headsets, a new subscription service, and a new interface that will be used to power virtual worlds. Here’s everything announced.
Vive Pro Eye Brings Integrated Eye Tracking to VR
The Vive Pro headset has been upgraded with integrated eye-tracking support to become the Vive Pro Eye, scheduled to launch in Q2 2019.

With the technology built into every Vive Pro Eye headset, menu navigation and other gaze-oriented tasks can be done entirely without using controllers. Not only will this be useful for consumer-level applications like games and learning tools, but also for businesses needing more accessible VR experiences, as it will make use of fewer resources than previous eye-tracking solutions.

Read more
Logitech’s A50 X is a gaming headset and HDMI switcher in one
Tech of the Week Logitech A50 X

Logitech has announced its latest gaming headset, the Astro A50 X. It costs a whopping $380, but for good reason: It's a headset that's compatible with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X that doubles as an HDMI switcher.

The new device is an evolution of Logitech's popular Astro A50 headset, which features a distinct base stand. The A50 X builds on that idea in a few ways. One key example is that it's able to connect to both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. That might sound simple, but the consoles feature different connection methods that make it difficult to find a one-headset-fits-all audio solution.

Read more
Fortnite’s Rocket Racing is so fun, it could have been its own game
rocket racing hands on impressions jumping through air

Yesterday, Fortnite began its biggest expansion yet by dropping Lego Fortnite, a full survival crafting game that's playable for free within Fortnite. It was a pleasant surprise, but it isn’t the best piece of new content coming to the live-service juggernaut this week. That honor goes to Rocket Racing, an arcade racing game from the developers of Rocket League that’s available in Fortnite today.

This isn’t a simple kart racer that anyone could have put together in Fortnite’s creative mode. It’s a full-throated, free-to-play game that features 26 tracks at launch and some surprisingly deep driving systems. While Lego Fortnite may have had trouble standing on its own two feet outside of the Fortnite client, Rocket Racing could very well have launched as its own game -- and it still would be the best racing game of its type this year.

Read more