HTC reveals pricing for Vive VR headset

Now that the Oculus Rift has a price and a release date, things are starting to get rolling in the high-end VR headset market. Until now, the best VR headsets have been for mobile that rely on smartphones to display content. Samsung teamed up with Oculus to put out the "best VR headset available today." Now, HTC wants the world to know that Oculus does not need to be the only dominant player in the high-end market of VR headsets using dedicated PCs and gaming consoles. The HTC Vive got a price recently for the US and other markets. The company announced the Vive will cost $799 in the US and be released in April. The Vive will sell for more in overseas markets with a markup ranging from moderate (Europe) to quite high (China). By comparison, the Rift will start at $599.

Besides the headset with the screen, the Vive comes with a pair of base stations for better motion tracking, two wireless controllers, ear buds and the Vive Link Box. The PC requirements are similar to the Oculus Rift, but the Vive includes support for some AMD processors and advertises minimum RAM requirements at 4GB as opposed to 8GB.

Given that mobile VR headsets are easier to make and sell, China suppliers have focused on this market segment. However, some of them are recognizing the potential of PC-connected headsets. Shenzhen New Dream Technology and Shenzhen Corfu Technology are two manufacturers on Global Sources already offering headsets that support PCs. The product segment is expected to grow as it matures thanks to developments from larger players.

See a comparison table of selected mobile VR headset suppliers on GlobalSources.com