HTC has revealed plans to sell PC bundles alongside its Vive Pre virtual-reality headsets.
In an interview with Fortune (via Android Central), HTC’s vice president of planning and product management Dan O’Brien revealed that the eagerly anticipated device will be available to buy with specially optimised PCs.
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“But I don’t think PC bundles will be a major driver of sales,” he added.
The approach will mirror Oculus VR’s tactic with the Oculus Rift headset, with the program aimed at bringing PC users on board with the top-end GPU requirement.
Despite concern over the $799/£689 price tag, driving sales doesn’t look like it’ll be a problem for HTC and partner Valve.
When pre-orders went live at the end of last month, the Vive Pre sold an allotment of 15,000 units in only ten minutes.
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The HTC Vive Pre will be released on 5 April and will be bundled with three games.
The company says that the extra items in the box make the Vive Pre farl better value for money than rivals entering the space.
“The price point is not an apples to apples comparison because we put more in the box,” O’Brien told Forbes.
“A year-and-a-half ago, when we first sat down with Valve and 20 development teams, we announced that we were developing a room-scale virtual-reality platform with a front-facing camera, a headset with 360-degree tracking and controllers for both hands.
“Plus, we have the Chaperone system that ensures safety when navigating VR experiences in your living room. We’ve accomplished that and put all of that technology in the box. All you have to do is take it out of the box and plug it into a PC.”
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Will you be snapping up a Vive Pre? Share your preferences in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
