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HTC has struggled to sell Android phones amid the continued authorisation of Samsung and the growth of new players like Huawei. The i bright spot in its business organization may be the Vive virtual reality headset, just even that device hasn't sold equally well as HTC and other purveyors of VR products had hoped. HTC is now gearing upward to launch an improved version of the Vive with sharper displays and some design changes. Meanwhile, the electric current Vive is getting a $100 price drop.

The new Vive Pro was unveiled at CES earlier this year, just HTC was intentionally light on the details. Now we know this new VR headset volition retail for a whopping $799, which is the same equally the original Vive at launch. However, that's just for the headset. You don't get the "Lighthouse" towers or controllers with information technology. HTC says a bundle version with all the accessories included volition come later. Pre-orders for the Vive Pro are live today, and it'll begin aircraft on April 5th.

Since the Vive is essentially a fancy display that attaches to your face, it makes sense the main improvement is the display resolution. The current HTC Vive offers 1080 x 1200 per heart, but the Vive Pro boosts it to 1400 x 1600 per eye. Yous might think the original sounds enough high, but keep in mind the displays are simply in front of your eyes. At that altitude, 1080p doesn't look then hot.

In addition to the new display, the Vive Pro has a few ergonomic improvements. The strap tightens with a dial rather than velcro, making information technology easier to get a proper fit. The location of the strap has as well been adapted to be more comfy and make way for the new integrated headphones.

To sweeten the deal, HTC is offer a subscription to its Viveport service if y'all purchase the Vive Pro early on. Just buy the Vive Pro before June 5th, and you lot get vi months of Viveport. This service offers access to 5 games of your pick in the Vive game catalog each month. There aren't as many titles in the Vive store as you'll notice on Steam, but information technology'south grown steadily since its 2022 launch. Subscriptions are ordinarily $6.99 per calendar month, but you can purchase games individually likewise.

If yous don't want to drop $800 on the latest and greatest VR headset from HTC, yous tin get the original Vive for a lower price. The already reduced toll is dropping past another $100 to $499. This is still a bundle with the Lighthouse trackers and controllers, unlike the new Vive Pro. This is also still $100 more the PlayStation VR or Oculus Rift.