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Vive Pro Will Retail For $799, Original Vive Dropping To $499
HTC has announced the Vive Pro, the upgraded version of its current virtual reality headset, will retail for $799.
With that news also comes news of pre-orders, which will begin shipping on April 5. Additionally, anyone who purchases a Pro before June 3 will receive a free six-month subscription to Viveport, which lets customers choose five free games per month to play from a selection of games (anyone who buys one within 60 days of release will get a two-month subscription). The price of Viveport will also be increasing to $8.99 per month after March 22, though current subscribers can lock in at the current $7.99 price point until the end of the year.
The company isn't leaving out the original Vive, however. That unit's price point is dropping to $499.
The Pro makes a number of improvements on the original Vive; it increases the headset's resolution to 2880 x 1600 across both eyes (up from the Vive's 2160 x 1200), adds integrated headphones, better microphones and cameras, and makes the headband more comfortable and adjustable.
Our Take
The press release briefly mentions that "Current Vive owners can upgrade their headset for the best display, audio, and comfort in the industry," but I think that's more of a general "you can buy the new thing now!" than an announcement of any kind of program. If that's not the case, I'd love to see an upgrade path for current owners to get a Pro, since early adopters often get the short straw when it comes to companies releasing new hardware iterations.
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