HTC Vive Virtual Reality Headset To Cost $799

HTC has announced its Vive virtual reality headset will cost $799, making it clear the idea is to compete on quality rather than price.

The cost is $200 more than the Oculus Rift, though the package does include two controllers, something that will carry a separate charge for Oculus. The package will also include two games, Fantastic Contraption and Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, though these sound like relatively simple titles designed to demo the technology and acclimate players to the experience.

That doesn’t include the cost of a fairly high-end PC needed to run Vive, which looks to have broadly similar spec requirements to the Rift. To give some context, branded PCs which are being sold as part of a complete Oculus Rift package will start at a thousand dollars.

The Vive has a few tweaks for the final version including a front camera that can turn real-world objects into a blue wireframe in the virtual view, Tron style. It’s more of a safety than gaming feature, the idea being to stop players from bumping into furniture while they move about.

There’s also the addition of a microphone, which seems mainly for using phone features. Meanwhile the two base stations, which are used to mark the edge of the area in which the player moves about while gaming, have been redesigned to make less noise.

Pre-orders for the Vive begin next Monday and the units should be delivered in early April.