HTC has announced that it is permanently lowering the price of its virtual reality headset, HTC Vive, by $200.
That means that if you’re looking at grabbing the HTC Vive in North America, it will now cost you $599, compared to a price of $799 before the price drop.
It’s not just in North America where the Vive has seen its price cut though, with the headset seeing a price reduction in other regions as well. In the UK, the Vive is now £160 cheaper, meaning that it will now cost you a mere £599.
HTC’s decision to lower the price of the Vive is an attempt to get more people into virtual reality gaming. Since virtual reality hit the mass market last year, the HTC Vive has been seen as the “premium” headset, with its competitors, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR, being a lot cheaper. While the HTC Vive still costs more than the Rift or PSVR following the price drop, it is now within reach of a lot more potential VR gamers than it was before.
In addition to the cheaper price, HTC are also hoping that its Viveport Subscription service will help to pull gamers towards the Vive. A Viveport Subscription allows you to choose five titles a month out of a choice of 200 to play. You’ll also get a free copy of Tilt Brush, Everest VR and Richie’s Plank Experience. Anyone who purchases a Vive will get a five-month free subscription to the service.
“Our goal at Vive has always been to offer the best and most advanced VR system and drive mass market adoption for VR across the globe,” said HTC chairwoman Cher Wang.
“We’re continuing to deliver on that commitment with this new price for Vive, making VR more accessible to a broader audience and driving the entire VR industry forward. Vive’s game-changing technology, best-in-class content and unmatched global partners are fulfilling the promise of VR like never before. With highly anticipated titles, and the upcoming launch of Vive Tracker, there has never been a better time to embrace Vive, and enjoy the most immersive VR experience available.”
If you’re looking at getting your first taste of virtual reality, now might be a good time given the price drop. And according to HTC, there are currently more than 3,600 titles available to play on the Vive across Steam and Viveport, with many more on their way, including Fallout 4 and Doom.