When the Oculus Rift revealed its final, official price gamers revolted saying that it was too high, and that the HTC Vive would dominate the market. Many assumed that the Vive would come in lower, as the Rift had exceeded price expectations of many. However, the price was revealed earlier today, and it seems that the Oculus Rift will be the more budget conscious choice for many.
The HTC Vive price will be $799 when it becomes available for pre-order on February 29th. The news comes out of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona,, via UploadVR. The release date puts it behind the Oculus Rift as well, launching in “early April” as opposed to the Rift’s March timeframe. Of course, the Oculus Rift is currently sold of its early shipments, so potential buyers will have to wait until June or later to receive theirs.
The HTC Vive coming in at a higher price isn’t too surprising considering the fact that it comes with much more hardware. The Oculus Rift opted to include a standard Xbox One controller with early shipments, with a customized controller set to debut later this year. However, the Vive will come pre-packaged with their controllers, as well as the Lighthouse system that scans and tracks your room and movements.
To help a little with the price, the HTC Vive will come with a couple of games. Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption will come with every HTC Vive at launch, so you’ll at least have something to play on your expensive new headset.
We previously opined that the Oculus Rift price was far too high and that it endangered the future of VR as a whole. Now that the other shoe has dropped it seems like this is just how VR will be for the foreseeable future. The dream of a VR headset in every home is certainly not happening with this round of hardware. The question now is, will the gamers be there to buy the next round, and the one after that.
