HTC today started selling the long-awaited Vive Pro headset and SteamVR 2.0 base station hardware bundle, making it the first instance of the 2.0 tracking hardware coming to market. The new hardware bundle, which includes the Vive Pro headset, two 2.0 SteamVR tracking base stations and two of the ‘pro blue’ controllers, costs $1400 USD.
Update (04/23/18 – 2PM ET): HTC Vive Pro Bundle availability is now hitting Western markets. You can find it on Amazon for $1400. The listing currently says the bundle will ship “within 3 to 5 weeks.”
The headline has been altered to reflect this. You can read the original article below, which details the bundle’s availability in Japan which HTC announced earlier today.
Original article: According to an official HTC press release (Japanese), the suggested retail price is ¥162,880 yen (~$1500), an amount that the company specifically says doesn’t include local taxes
The new hardware bundle includes the Vive Pro headset, two 2.0 SteamVR tracking base stations and two of the ‘pro blue’ controllers. Residents of Japan can purchase the headset direct from HTC, in stores, and through online vendors such as Yodobashi, one of the leading electronics retailers in Japan. Currently Yodobashi lists the package at ￥175,910 (~1620), an ammount that does includes local Japanese taxes.
SteamVR 2.0 base stations are what Valve desciribed at its unveiling as “smaller, more reliable, and offer improved performance,” including a larger tracking volume at 10 × 10 meters. The 2.0 base stations aren’t compatible with existing HTC Vives since they use a different method for sync timing.
HTC says they’re planning to sell the 2.0 base station separately as well, although there’s no specific pricing available yet.
The company launched HTC Vive Pro without base stations and controllers earlier this month for $800. Things got a little awkward though when the company then announced it would be shipping a 1.0 base station and controller bundle for an extra $300—a move that was likely related to the backlash the company received when they first announced Vive Pro’s steep price tag.
The headset is commonly thought of as a 1.5 version of the Vive Headset, and not a proper second generation offering despite its support for SteamVR 2.0 tracking. With its dual 1400 x 1600 OLED displays (total resolution 2800 x 1600), the headset boasts 615 ppi and a 78 percent increase resolution over the original Vive. Check out our review of Vive Pro if you want a deep dive.
It’s uncertain when other markets will get the 2.0 tracking bundle. Japan has a thriving out-of-home VR arcade market, which could be the reason the company launched the bundle there first, although this is simply conjecture at this point. What’s interesting to note is the pre-tax price of the bundle is almost exactly $1500 at the time of this writing, which clearly lends credence to the global price being $1500 as well. (see update above)
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We’ll keep our eyes peeled for global availability and update as soon as they launch in Western markets.