It looks like we could be learning the official price tag of the Valve-backed HTC Vive virtual reality headset very soon. We already know that pre-orders are due to go live at the end of the month but apparently the price tag will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which kicks off next week.

This is according to a translated version of a report from the Japanese website, S-Max, the translation was posted on NeoGAF. The report says that HTC has also acknowledged that selling units will likely be an issue due to the high price tag, fitting in with rumours that the headset could cost quite a bit more than the $600 Oculus Rift.

HTC has apparently been working on getting its price down following on from the Oculus announcement, which received a bit of a negative response. The HTC Vive is going to be a more expensive package anyway thanks to its room-scale VR sensors and motion controllers, which come pre-packaged with the headset itself, unlike the Oculus Touch motion controllers which will be a separate add-on sold later in the year.

Apparently HTC is expecting to sell less than one million units during the Vive's first year on sale but we should find out more for sure next week if this report is to be believed.

KitGuru Says: If you had any hopes that the HTC Vive would be cheaper than the Oculus then you may want to lower your expectations as chances are, it is going to be more expensive, largely thanks to the additional hardware. On top of that, HTC's financial position isn't great as it is, so it can't necessarily afford to sell at a loss. 

Become a Patron!