The market for virtual reality headsets may be very young, but that doesn’t mean competition isn’t fierce. Not long after Facebook cut the price of its Oculus Rift headset to $399 in a six-week summer sale, rival HTC has lopped a quarter off the price of its Vive headset.
HTC’s $200 cut means the Vive now costs $599 and will do so “for the foreseeable future,” the company—still best known for its smartphones and tablets—said in a Monday statement. The regular price for the Oculus Rift is $499.
HTC’s price cut means the Vive and Rift are closer in price, though in both cases users will also need a beefy PC to power the virtual reality (VR) experience. Sony’s PlayStation VR, which requires an accompanying PlayStation 4, costs $399.
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In April, HTC unveiled a new subscription service for VR titles that works with the Vive. This costs $7 for five titles a month, although the company also gives buyers of the HTC Vive kit a free trial subscription.
The company also sells various Vive accessories and add-ons, such as the Vive Tracker, a little device that can bring real world objects and other accessories into the experiences of users of the VR system.
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“We know price is just one component of a purchase decision, but when you line up all that Vive offers, we’re building a complete VR ecosystem that customers can rely on today and for years to come,” HTC said Monday.
This article was amended to reflect the fact that the Oculus Rift now comes bundled with a controller.
