Google’s standalone VR headsets are to launch with a high cost as it’s been stated that they’re expected to be priced similar to the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets that are powered by PCs, both of which cost more than $600 to pick up. This is according to Google’s VR team, though the team does note that they won’t have any say in the final cost, and the price point could change depending on what hardware is used to build the headsets.
While some might have been expecting or hoping for a standalone Daydream headset to be priced somewhere in the middle of the already available Daydream View and more expensive PC-based virtual reality offerings, it seems that won’t be the case. There hasn’t been an actual price point given to the public yet but if the cost is indeed going to be similar to the Vive and Rift, then consumers are going to be looking at having to spend quite a bit to invest in one of these new units. That said, the end cost will ultimately be up to the companies that are making the headsets which in this case is HTC’s Vive team, as well as Lenovo. While there might not be a reference point for a Lenovo VR headset, HTC’s Vive team already has their foot in the door with a fairly expensive offering set at $799.
There’s nothing to suggest that HTC’s Daydream headset will be the exact same price, but “similarly priced” could mean it will be in the same range, though at this point anything is really possible and it could end up being just a few hundred bucks. Both the HTC headset and the Lenovo headset could potentially launch by the end of the year, though there hasn’t been a time frame listed for launch of the headsets so any details that are closer to being concrete probably won’t surface until it gets closer to a release date. In regards to prices for them being similar to PC-based units, it shouldn’t be too surprising given that HTC and Lenovo are going to have to pack everything that’s generally needed by a PC or a smartphone for the power source into the headset itself.