The HTC Vive virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD) is set to go up for pre-order later this month on 29th February 2016, with first shipments arriving in April. The company behind the kit had promised to share details such as pricing before that date, though, and today it’s made good on that promise. The company has confirmed the price of the device at the 2016 Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona, Spain, as well as confirming some of the titles that will be available for free with the kit.
The HTC Vive will retail for some $799 USD, which includes the Lighthouse base stations needed to enable Room Scale user-tracking in which players can walk around a real world environment and have those movements replicated in the given title in-HMD. It also includes two position tracked controllers that allow you to bring your hands into the experience and interact with objects in realistic ways. That price may be high, but the cost won’t come as too much of a surprise given that the kit’s main competitor, the Oculus Rift, costs some $599 for just the HMD and some bundled videogames and an Xbox One controller.
Speaking of bundled titles, it’s been confirmed that Owlchemy Labs’ Job Simulator will be included with the device as will Northway Games’ Fantastic Contraption. Both titles make full use of Room Scale VR, with the former allowing you to mess around in seemingly mundane jobs and the other letting you build twisted devices.
Pre-orders will start at 10:00am EST on 29th February and shipping will start on 1st April, just a few days after the Oculus Rift starts to ship on 28th March 2016. The news arrives shortly before Samsung is expected to give an update on its HMD, the Gear VR, at MWC.
Stay tuned to VRFocus for the latest updates on the HTC Vive’s progress.
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