With some still reeling from the news that the virtual reality (VR) headset from Facebook-owned Oculus will cost a whopping $600, HTC is reminding us all that it too is about to launch a VR headset of its own.
The Taiwanese electronics giant, famous for its smartphones, has stated that pre-orders for its Vive headset will open on February 29, the company’s CEO revealed to the Telegraph. With Oculus setting the benchmark to some degree on VR headset pricing, several will be curious to see what pricetag HTC can muster up, however, the company has yet to reveal what the Vive will cost. However, we can assume it won’t be cheap.
The initial surprise at the Oculus Rift pricing was born more out of expectations, which had been influenced to a degree by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey who seemingly suggested a “ballpark” $350 price for the Oculus Rift last September. However, he was actually giving a lower figure as an estimate in comparison with some outlandish guesses that were placing the Rift in the $1,500 range. Still, Luckey has apologized for his messaging and the world still revolves.
HTC has partnered with video game developer Valve for the VR headset which uses Valve’s Steam VR technology. VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi said it was one of the best VR systems he’s tried, with excellent visuals, room-based tracking and movement, and dedicated VR controllers “for precision input.”
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas the previous week, HTC promoted the new Vive Pre — the second incarnation of its HTC Vive development kit — with this new promotional video.