The HTC Vive VR Headset Will Cost £689

HTC has revealed that its highly-anticipated virtual reality headset, the HTC Vive, will cost £689 when it goes on sale in the UK.

The headset, developed by HTC and iconic video games studio Valve, will go on sale here on April 5, with pre-orders opening at 3pm this afternoon.

HTC is even looking to sweeten the deal with the bundling of three full VR ‘experiences’, including an app developed by Google that lets users paint in 3D space.

Coming soon

Customers picking up a Vive on April 5 will also receive two wireless VR controllers, room scale movement sensors, and a Head Mounted Display (HMD) featuring a built in camera and phone services, plus the three VR titles.

They will also be able to receive and respond to both incoming and missed phone calls using HTC’s Vive Phone Services – which also allows users to get text messages and send quick replies and check upcoming calendar invites directly through the headset.

First revealed at Mobile World Congress 2015, and given pride of place at this year’s event, which ended last week, the HTC Vive is the company’s first foray into virtual reality technology following similar moves by the likes of Samsung and Oculus.

Recent figures from analyst firm IDC estimate that 45.7 million wearable devices will be sold this year, up 133.4 percent from last year’s figure. The rise is only set to continue over the next few years, with IDC estimating 126.1 million units will be sold in 2019.

Virtual Reality was one of the main themes of this year’s Mobile World Congress, as major firms including LG and Samsung laid out their latest attempts to re-launch the technology into the public eye.

VR also got a major supporting hand from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who said that the technology was key in getting developing nations connected to the rest of the world, and laid out his goal to have ‘millions’ of VR devices handed out by the end of the year.

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