The HTC Vive will cost $799 and come with two games
The pricing for the HTC Vive has finally been revealed. When pre-orders go live on February 29th, it will cost you $799 to purchase one. This is $200 more than the Oculus Rift, but the Vive includes two controllers as well as the Lighthouse stations needed for positional tracking.
Included with the Vive for a limited time will be two games: Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption. Job Simulator I was able to play at CES and it's is fantastic. I had so much fun messing around in various job settings and the game's pretty humorous. I've never tried Fantastic Contraption though.
Something new announced is what they are calling Vive Phone Services. With the Vive headset on, you can receive and response to phone calls as well as text messages. It's a way to keep you connected to the world while inside the virtual world.
But the big news is the pricing, which is a pretty steep cost yet I think it offers better value than the Rift. The Vive has a front facing camera that really helps when you are walking around by projecting a virtual outline of anything that can impede your movement. I really like the controllers although I think the Oculus Touch controllers are a smidge better. Still, you do get them right off the bat with the order rather than having to wait like the Oculus Touch.
Shipping starts in April so about a month and change is when you can get your hands on the headset if you are one of the early pre-orders. I've been waiting on the price to see which one I will order and I think the Vive will win out for me. I can't wait to get my hands on one.
HTC AND VALVE BRING VIRTUAL REALITY TO LIFE WITH UNVEILING OF VIVE CONSUMER EDITION
HTC reveals complete Vive system at Mobile World Congress, available for pre-order from 29th February 2016
Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, February 21, 2016 – HTC, a pioneer in innovative, smart technologies, in partnership with Valve® today unveiled the consumer edition of its ViveTM virtual reality system. Continuing to build upon the Vive’s exhaustive list of features, this complete Vive system, powered by Steam®VR, introduces yet another new technological innovation – Vive Phone Services – once again setting a new standard in virtual reality.
Enabling you to stay connected to the real world without exiting the virtual world, Vive Phone Services demonstrates the ability to combine both realities without losing touch of either. By allowing you to receive and respond to both incoming and missed calls, get text messages and send quick replies, and check upcoming calendar invites directly through the headset, it creates a hybrid reality opening up a whole new world of possibilities for both consumers and businesses.
Taking Vive one step further, with refreshed branding and an updated headstrap, the Vive consumer edition builds upon the innovative features that were introduced into the Vive Pre. These include updated wireless controllers with haptic feedback and dual stage triggers, a front facing camera that blends physical elements into the virtual world, a redesigned headstrap that offers greater stability and balance and an improved visual system with brighter displays to give a deeper sense of immersion.
Priced at US$799, for a limited time the consumer edition will also ship with two fully fledged VR experiences to get you started in the VR world:
- Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives by Owlchemy Labs: In a tongue-in-cheek world where robots have replaced all human jobs, step into the ‘Job Simulator’ to learn what it was like 'to job'.
- Fantastic Contraption by Northway Games in collaboration with Radial Games: Imagine walking around a grassy island floating in the sky, building a machine the size of a horse with your own hands, and then watching it roll out into the world.
But it’s not just about gaming. In addition to these launch titles, HTC is working with developers to foster the creation of content that spans multiple sectors including entertainment, retail, education, design, healthcare and automotive.
“From the beginning, Vive has been at the forefront of virtual reality, with HTC pioneering several ground breaking technologies,” comments Cher Wang, chairwoman and CEO, HTC. “Since announcing Vive this time last year, we have worked tirelessly with Valve to deliver the best VR experience on the market; winning multiple awards; and receiving critical acclaim from media, consumers and the industry. With the Vive consumer edition we are now able to realize our ultimate vision of bringing Vive into homes around the globe so that people can experience immersive virtual reality in a away that fires the imagination and truly changes the world.”
Pricing, Updates and Availability
The Vive consumer edition will be available to pre-order from 29th February, with pre-order fulfilment and full commercial availability starting in early April. Priced at US$799, the Vive is the first complete VR solution, including two wireless VR controllers, room scale movement sensors, and an HMD featuring a built in camera and phone, plus the two VR titles. The integration of SteamVR into the bundle ensures that all Vive equipment is kept up-to-date with the latest features.
