Updated: HTC and Valve announce Vive VR price point

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Update: The UK pricing details have emerged.  It's a little bit harder on the wallet than we expected at £689 but, given the pedigree of the companies involved in its development, it should be a solid piece of kit. The original story follows.

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Pre-orders for Valve and HTC’s Vive virtual reality headset are set to open at the end of the month, before the device releases in early April. The Vive will be delivered as a complete kit, including two wireless controllers, 360 degree tracking and room scale movement sensors.

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by Chris Brand

@pass_controller

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Powered by SteamVR, the consumer model features refreshed branding, an updated head strap and integrated phone functionality. If Oculus has taught us anything, it’s that these gubbins don’t come cheap - Vive certainly fits the bill with a hefty $800 asking price. There's no confirmation yet on what we'll have to pay in the UK, but given the current exchange rate, expect upwards of £550.

Vive Phone Services allows you to combine virtual reality with actual reality, affording you the ability to respond to phone calls, send and receive text messages and check incoming calendar invites through the headset.

For a limited time the consumer edition will come with two virtual reality "experiences" to get you started.

Job Simulator by Owlchemy Labs puts you in a world where robots have replaced all human workers and invites you to step inside the Job Simulator to see what it was like to work.

Fantastic Contraption, a collaboration between Northway Games and Radical Games, has you walking around a grassy island floating in the sky, building a machine the size of a horse with your own hands and then watching it roll out into the world.

​You can have a gander at the trailers for each below:

Offering more than just gaming, HTC is working with developers with the goal of creating content that spans many sectors, including retail, education, design, healthcare and automotive. Whilst entertainment may be the focus of virtual reality for now, it's not hard to imagine a world in which it's a vital tool in education and training.

With the high price point causing a degree of backlash, Head Writer Sam maintains his stance that Sony and their PlayStation VR will undercut the competition in order to maintain the goodwill they have built with gamers.

​We'll update you with the UK pricing as soon as we get some solid info, in the meantime feel free to continue this discussion in our forums.

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