HTC Vive Pro launched in April 2018 with a few key improvements over the company’s original 2016 HTC Vive headset, although its launch was marred somewhat by its steep retail price of $800 for the headset alone. Now the company appears to be responding to recent competition in the space by cutting the price of its Vive Pro headset permanently to $600.
Alongside the addition of SteamVR 2.0 tracking sensors, integrated audio, and ergonomic head strap, one of the biggest improvements to Vive Pro was undoubtedly its displays, which feature dual 1,440 × 1,600 AMOLEDs—a clear upgrade over Vive’s 1,080 × 1,200 per lens resolution. That works out roughly to a 77% increase in the number of pixels for each eye.
The Valve Index, a direct competitor to Vive Pro, sells for $500 for the headset alone however, which boasts the same resolution as Vive Pro but at a slightly larger field of view; Vive Pro is somewhere around 110 degrees while Valve Index is around 120-130 degrees. If you want to know more about Index, check out our deep dive review.
Moreover, HTC is now selling its ‘Vive Pro Full Kit‘ for $1,200, which includes a pair of the newer SteamVR 2.0 base stations and a pair of Vive wand controllers. Notably, Valve is selling the superior all-in Index bundle with the much improved Index controllers and SteamVR 2.0 base stations for $1,000.
You might think HTC would be able to serve up a cheaper all-in SteamVR 2.0 bundle due to the inclusion of the aging Vive wands, making HTC’s new pricing scheme for Vive Pro overall a bit of a perplexing move.
Additionally, HTC is also offering up its ‘Vive Pro Starter Kit‘ for $900, which includes the Vive Pro headset, a pair of older SteamVR 1.0 base stations, and two Vive wand controllers.
Vive Pro, whether purchased through a bundle or the headset alone, comes along with a six-month free trial of Viveport Infinity (a $78 value), the company’s Netflix-style game service that lets you download a number of participating games from the digital distribution platform Viveport.
