HTC Vive Pricing Announced.

[Asp Explorer]

That you can already check out, there's a few reviews of the final device and they all say the same thing, the OR CV1 and HTC Vive are better than the DK2 by more than a little bit. I'm thinking the Vive is the better choice at this price point, I just need to add the cost of at least a single 980 Ti to it since my 750 ain't gonna cut it

Well both the DK2 and the Titan X were gifts, it's not like I'd be paying $800 "more" for lets say, 50% better VR. I'm already pretty much at the limits of my old 3570k rig anyway - so it's probably time for a new build.

The only problem is - I have neither the room nor the electrical requirements for yet another PC - and I can't get rid of this one as it's the only machine certified to work with the drive systems I submit my "work" on.

An interesting dilemma

 

[Yaffle]

Move house?

 

[Asp Explorer]

Move house?

If I could find some other place that's within the required 15 minutes drive-time of work - then yes that'd be a nice idea.

 

[DragoonKnight]

That's about $400 more than I'm willing to pay for VR.

Basically two tiny monitors with some lenses and head strap. The early adopter pricing with either degrade like IPS prices did, or the market will stay so niche that it won't be developed for by other publishers.

ED is a safe zone though. But $800 VR + a $700 card?? Plus $300 for controllers and another $1000 at least for your base PC. Tack on the lifetime pass out upgrade fees and playing ED is like buying a RL car.

I've already dropped about $1000 just on stuff related to only to this game.

RL Car? Not even close. $5000 these days gets you a used car that will probably need another $1000 invested into it.

Video games are relatively cheap as a hobby.

Auto Racing - Costs for 8 track days
track fees - $2500
Tires - $900
Brakes - $900
Fuel for racing and travel - $800
Food - $320

Not even going to mention the costs of motels, track insurance, fluids, or the possibility of you breaking something without doing anything crazy.

 

[Asp Explorer]

Auto Racing - Costs for 8 track days
track fees - $2500
Tires - $900
Brakes - $900
Fuel for racing and travel - $800
Food - $320

Not even going to mention the costs of motels, track insurance, fluids, or the possibility of you breaking something without doing anything crazy.

Watching some boasty Yamaha R1 scrub being track-banned for having glycol in his coolant - priceless.

 

[Sanderson]

For the money, I'd choose the Vive over the rift.

Don't need CV1's headphones
Don't need CV1's Xbox controller
Don't want to pay $200 or more later for Oculus controllers
Absolutely hate Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg

like Vive's camera and features
Like Vive's option of seated/walking/standing
Like Gabe Newell and Valve

Easy choice for me. Glad I didn't order a CV1

 

[RiftFlyer]

So will we get a statement from FDEV regarding support for Vive before the pre order on the 29th like they gave us for the rift?

Valve are dropping 'extended mode' from steamVR. Wasn't the move to direct mode rendering the cause of the issue with supporting the latest rift runtimes. How will the Vive be any different?

 

[shadragon]

In addition to the highlighted costs, I also pay a 25% import duty so this will sting, but I don't have a DK2 so looks like it will be an investment.

 

[gapper4]

That's about $400 more than I'm willing to pay for VR.

Basically two tiny monitors with some lenses and head strap. The early adopter pricing with either degrade like IPS prices did, or the market will stay so niche that it won't be developed for by other publishers.

ED is a safe zone though. But $800 VR + a $700 card?? Plus $300 for controllers and another $1000 at least for your base PC. Tack on the lifetime pass out upgrade fees and playing ED is like buying a RL car.

I've already dropped about $1000 just on stuff related to only to this game.

That's a bit of reductionist view, no ? Yes, it's two tiny monitors, some lenses, and a headstrap. But you get a whole new world out of it. I pre-ordered the CV1 and now I'm also going to get the Vive. PC gaming is my hobby and I want max enjoyment out of it. I also have NVidia 3D Vision. Also a niche product but it's been worth every penny over the years I've owned it.

Anyway, I'm sure prices will fall rather quickly. Too much money has already been invested in the tech. It won't be dropped.

 

[Nicky the Hutt]

/edited out/

But yeah, personally I recently bought a Thrustmaster Warthog for 380€, and $799 'murican translates to 899€ in my country. I must wait for a later wagon.

 

[Jonathan E]

So will we get a statement from FDEV regarding support for Vive before the pre order on the 29th like they gave us for the rift?

Valve are dropping 'extended mode' from steamVR. Wasn't the move to direct mode rendering the cause of the issue with supporting the latest rift runtimes. How will the Vive be any different?

....

 

[jabokai]

For the money, I'd choose the Vive over the rift.

Don't need CV1's headphones
Don't need CV1's Xbox controller
Don't want to pay $200 or more later for Oculus controllers
Absolutely hate Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg

like Vive's camera and features
Like Vive's option of seated/walking/standing
Like Gabe Newell and Valve

Easy choice for me. Glad I didn't order a CV1

And on the opposite side...

Want built in, detachable, headphones for the convenience (seriously, who can be bothered with headset on, headphones on, headphones off, headset off when it can just be headset on/off?!)
Not interested in walking around, at all.

$200 cheaper, easy choice for me. Won't be ordering a Vive.

 

[BillD]

If you only want to play ED then yes it makes sense. But eventually if you want to buy controllers for VR feedback, that might be another story. Especially with the oculus excessive freight charges.

The vive comes with the controllers and they appear to work very well. just look at these guys playing Arizona Sunshine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7IvNImCyLU

 

[jabokai]

Yeah, but from what I've read the Oculus controllers are better!

Horses for courses... the Oculus suits me better. I'm aware the Vive will suit a lot of other people better though - I was just presenting the other viewpoint.

 

[BillD]

Same. I will have both on order hehe. I can't make up my mind. I prefer the design of the oculus controllers (although there is no pricing yet) But I also do like the camera in the vive allowing you to see keyboard etc, if required.
Another consideration for me is that I am late just delivery for the oculus, If I can get 2 months earlier delivery for the vive that will be another reason to swap.

 

[Jesters09]

I went with a friend to EGX last year with the soul intention of testing both the Vive and Oculus.
Whilst in the queue we had a fair bit of time to chat with other Elite enthusiasts about the VR headsets and their pros and cons.
Tested the Vive playing Elite and as nice as it was being "inside the game", the GFX quality seemed quite pixelated.

Talking to those who tested it, we all were thinking along the same lines, "It is good, but it isn't ready".

Was the Vive being used at EGX (NEC) last year a pre/sub production model of a lesser quality or is it pretty much what is on sale now for $800?
Can those who are "in the know" throw some light on this as $800 is a lot of money for something that may not live up to all the hype and I'd be more inclined to spend that money on a large monitor and have razor sharp GFX.

I could probably stump up the cash for a monitor or a decent VR headset, not both.

 

[jabokai]

Same. I will have both on order hehe. I can't make up my mind. I prefer the design of the oculus controllers (although there is no pricing yet) But I also do like the camera in the vive allowing you to see keyboard etc, if required.
Another consideration for me is that I am late just delivery for the oculus, If I can get 2 months earlier delivery for the vive that will be another reason to swap.

I'm getting a free CV1 but I'd still choose to buy it over the Vive, that is the honest truth - the headphone issue, having used VR since the DK1 first came out, is a major annoyance for me.

The Vive is a great deal though, much more in line with the Rift than I thought it'd be.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

The Vive's price is indeed way lower than I expected. However, I won't cancel my OR CV1 preorder.

Recently, I had the opportunity to try out the DK 2 and the Vive.

- The Vive was wastly superior to the DK2 in respect to the picture quality. Really, it was like day and night! Upgrading to one of the latest HMDs (CV1 or Vive) will definitely be worth it for DK2 owners, in my opinion.

- During the demonstration, I walked around and all went perfectly well... wearing the DK2! Really, I don't get, where this myth comes from that walking around is not suitable with the Rift.

- However, I liked Vive's 'Chaperone system'. This blue "safety net" does in fact provide reassurance in your movement. However, I don't see why there shouldn't be a software solution with pre-defined movement limits in the OR. (Sure, without a camera, there won't be any "real-time" boundaries.)

- While the fact that the controllers are part of Vive's bundle is definitely great, I wasn't overly impressed by the controllers themselve. They felt like clubs in my hands. Granted, I wasn't able to try OR's 'touch' controllers, but they look way more gracile and natural to use.

- I still like the fact that the CV1 is lighter and supposedly more compfortable to wear. Having said this, I didn't feel uncomfortable with the Vive neither. However, the demonstration was way too short for any long-term experience and I was blown away by the VR experience anyway...

Don't get me wrong, I definitely think that the Vive itself is an awesome piece of technology! But I think the OR is a more than even match. And with the preferable controllers, the lower price and the (at least for me preferable) included (or otherwise available) games, I am still confident about my decision.

 

[StarJim]

HTC did it right, no question.

They said this will be more expensive than Oculus - this is true, but not by that amout what People were expecting.
They (I'm sure) started rumors about expected Price of 1500 - and halved it almost with the release Price - very good turn.
They offer much more than Oculus do - the fromt camera alone is already a lot - and added phone connectivity as well - i expect apps that will use it, imagine an ED "Personal assist" .
They stated that just one of Lighthouse-Laser sensors will be enough and can be mounted like Oculus camera - perfect for ED.

And they claimed to deliver in April - we will see if this happens but if so - even better than Oculus.

And two games as well - at least not worser than Oculus.

And confirmed to work with ED just right now.

Conclusion:
They will have my Money in any case.

 

[jabokai]

And they claimed to deliver in April - we will see if this happens but if so - even better than Oculus.

Oculus starts shipping in March so, erm, WORSE than Oculus!