The most expensive VR system yet: HTC Vive priced at R12,300

On the face of it, you’d be forgiven for thinking the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headset were equal; in fact, the HTC Vive is easily the most capable system of the two. That capability, however, won’t come cheap.

In partnership with Valve, HTC has announced that the HTC Vive’s pre-orders will be available on February 29^th, putting the device at $799, or R12,300 – in other words, a lot more than the Oculus Rift.

The good news is that the Vive will ship with two fully-fledged virtual reality experiences – Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption.

That’s a lot of money, especially when you consider that you’ll still need a beastly computer to use the thing.

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970, AMD Radeon R9 290 equivalent, or greater
CPU: Intel i5-4590, AMD FX 8350 equivalent, or greater
RAM: 4GB+
Video Output: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, or newer
USB Port: 1x USB 2.0 or greater port
OS: Windows 7 SP1 or newer

Minus the need for 3 USB 3.0 + 1 USB 2.0 ports (in the case of the Oculus Rift), the HTC Vive requires much the same hardware as the Rift, though many would recommend a GTX 980 or equivalent instead if you want a true VR experience.

So, why is the HTC Vive so much more expensive then?

Cursory glances at their spec sheets shows that both sport a 2160 x 1200 resolution (1080 x 1200 for each eye), 90Hz refresh rate and an FOV of over 100 degrees, courtesy of some fantastic OLED displays, but from there all is different.

The Oculus Rift is best suited for sit-down VR play, equipped with 360-degree positional tracking for your head and a controller. There’s nothing stopping you from standing, but its philosophy seems orientated around traditional gaming experiences improved with virtual reality.

The HTC Vive, on the other hand, comes with two 360-degree motion controllers, a front-facing camera and a couple of sensors for tracking your movement and position from a number of angles, not only allowing you to stand while gaming but actively encouraging developers to use the space around you for interesting and new experiences.

Should developers choose to do so, the sensors and camera will not only detect and display hazards around you but can be used to augment your play.

It’s for that reason that so many of the Oculus Rift demos, some of which you may have experienced, have you sitting or standing in pace, and only rarely moving a short distance.

While you probably haven’t had a chance to use the HTC Vive yourself, watching any demonstration of its most current build will show a markedly different experience to the Rift – gamers often having to walk around, move their head or hands, or both, to best experience a demo.

Many have also reported that in spite of the same display specifications, each headset offers a discernible difference when it comes down to what is actually seen.

We know that Oculus have their own touch and motion tracking capable controllers on the way, but unlike with the Vive, they won’t release with the headset.

The Rift does come with a single sensor array and integrated audio headset, but the sensor suit isn’t as good as the Vive’s, and the integrated audio is a spot of contention for many.

The good news for audiophiles is that you can remove them and opt to use your more expensive cans.

At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to preference. Each headset will likely share the same library of games, but exclusives are also on their way – each also offers a different UI and in-headset dashboard, which will win different people over accordingly.

And then there’s the fact that each offer motion tracking controllers, but both are very different in feel and, in some ways, function. In the favour of the Rift, there are a good number of gamers and techies who have gotten their hands on both and preferred the Rift’s Touch controllers.

We’ll just have to wait for the launch of each before we weigh in.