At £689, the HTC Vive headset is far from a cheap entry into the world of virtual reality. Add the need for a high-end gaming PC to run it and you’re looking at well over £1,000.
Now HTC is seeking to squeeze a few more quid out of early adopters by announcing when its newest will go on sale and how much they’ll cost.
The Vive Tracker (pictured) and Deluxe Audio strap were revealed at CES 2017. Both will be available for $100/£100 a pop.
Related: Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive
The former is a wireless VR tracking device, which can be attached to your wrist or any items you’ll be using in the VR world, for example a great hose for wiping out fires.
It will be available on March 27, with developers first, with a consumer roll-out before the end of the year.
The Deluxe Audio Strap is supposed to increase the comfort level and it’ll arrive in June with pre-orders commencing on May 2.
It features a pair of built-in headphones and has a much more robust strap than the elastic band that ships with the console. Both will be available to developers first of all, before rolling out to the general public.
Nice as both accessories may seem, they’re hardly essential and add another hefty bill for those getting in on the high-end VR trend early.
The firm is yet to announce when its Intel-powered wireless adapter will go on sale.
Earlier today at MWC 2017, HTC said it was “very proud” of early Vive sales, but also congratulated Sony on its whopping 915,000 sales since November.
“I think it’s a very healthy sign,” Alvin Graylin of Vive in China told UploadVR.
“I mean at the end of the day, the more VR experiences out there, the more users that are using VR the faster this industry is going to grow. So we’re really happy for Sony, we think they’ve done a really good job.”
Is the bill for top VR experiences getting out of control? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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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.