Back at MWC, HTC were one of the big announcers with lots of eyes on them and waiting for them to unveil their latest flagship device, the One M9. However, a lot of people were so focused on the One M9 that they were taken by surprise when the company announced their first foray into virtual reality (VR) in the form of the HTC Vive. Well, in spite of the surprise, the HTC virtual reality unit seemed to of been received rather well. The unit looked interesting and in contrast to Samsung’s offering, the Samsung Gear VR, looked to be putting a greater emphasis on the game playing abilities of virtual reality.
In spite of how interesting the unit looked and its game compatibility, there was very little details provided on what the likely price of the unit will be. More importantly, how competitive it will be, price-wise, to the likes of Samsung and Oculus. Well, it now seems the first indications of the pricing are starting to emerge and they suggest the HTC Vive will not come cheap. In an interview given with MCV (source link below), Jeff Gattis, Executive Director of HTC Connected Products Marketing, made it clear that Vive will be a high-end device “We want to deliver the most premium VR experience the world has seen. That’s not marketing speak, but more about where Vive is positioned in the market. This is at the high end“. For those thinking ‘high end’ does not necessarily have to mean ‘high price’, then Gattis also was noted saying “Starting with the premium experience, even if it has a slightly higher price point, is the right thing to do from a strategic point of view“. Further alluding to a higher price by saying “The price can always come down as the market grows“.
So for those who were hoping HTC would attack the market at a lower price point, this seems unlikely now. However, the good news is that Gattis does recognize ‘price’ is crucial to getting users to adopt the platform and was noted finishing up the interview with “Whether we do that with Vive or other form factors and devices, we understand the importance of driving price down to achieve adoption“. With that in mind, there is still hope, that in time the price of the unit will become more mass market affordable. However, it does seem at launch, the HTC Vive will be priced at the top end of what is a very new market at the moment. You can read the interview with Gattis in full by clicking the source link below.