Japanese website S-Max.jp is reporting that HTC will announce the HTC’s Vive price during the Mobile World Congress (MWC), to be held Feb. 22-25 in Barcelona. According to S-Max.jp’s source, HTC then plans to open up pre-orders for the HTC Vive on Feb. 29.
Previous rumors suggested that the HTC Vive could be released with a price point of up to $1,500, a figure derived from foreign brokerage estimates. The rumor stands in stark contrast to the Oculus Rift’s announced price point at $599, and even that received criticism for being too expensive for the casual consumer. Extra equipment must still be purchased for the Oculus Rift, however, as most of it’s computing power comes from the PC it must be attached to.
According to WCCFTech , who referenced a translated copy of the S-Max article, HTC has some minor qualms about releasing the HTC Vive at almost twice the price as its competitor and may have revised its planned price point lower to the Oculus Rift’s price. Reportedly, HTC was worried about poor market penetration as consumers flock to lower priced virtual reality headsets. Still, the HTC Vive is a feature packed virtual reality headset that is capable of advanced spatial recognition, and is bundled with wireless controllers that open gameplay possibilities never seen before.
The HTC Vive will launch first in Japan according to WCCFTech’s translation of the S-Max.jp article as well.
HTC Vive was created out a partnership between HTC, a Taiwanese firm known for their smartphones, and Value, a video game developer and digital distribution studio.
