It’s been a long time coming but the HTV Vive, VR pet project of HTC and acclaimed video game and Steam developer Valve, is finally going to see the light of day as a full-blown consumer unit this Spring. In a move timed with Mobile World Congress 2016, HTC has finally unveiled that it will be selling the full kit for $799 come early April, and price and release date that’s both earlier and cheaper than many surmised. We’ve had a number of opportunities to try out HTC’s Vive, including the second generation Vive Pre dev kit at CES 2016 just last month, and it’s truly something to behold.
The version of the HTC Vive that will ship to consumers for $799 includes the headset, beacons to detect movement throughout the room, as well as those two all-important controllers for maximum immersion in virtual space. Unlike the Oculus Rift, which is shipping their flagship VR headset without the critically acclaimed motion controllers for $200 less, HTC is including everything in the box to make this the full experience. In addition to this there’s no official price or release date for the Oculus Rift motion controllers, giving HTC a leg up on the VR game even though it’s shipping its headset kit a few weeks after Oculus ships theirs.
Right now VR is a niche enthusiasts game, given both the price of the units themselves as well as the cost of the systems needed to run the tech properly. When done right though it’s an experience unparalleled in gaming, and one that’ll open up new pathways to games that have yet to be seen. VR won’t replace everything, and that’s clear in the price tag here and for the Oculus Rift, which is well outside the budget of most gamers out there. To make the value a tiny bit better HTC will be bundling the hilarious Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, as well as the brand new Fantastic Contraption puzzle game, a popular flash game that has received a significant facelift for the Vive. Both of these games will get your VR journey started when the Vive launches this April, so long as you can afford the experience of course.