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HTC today launched the Vive Pro McLaren Edition, which includes a limited edition Vive Pro with 2.0 devices and colorful accents, a theme box, a copy of the rFactor 2 McLaren Edition, and the McLaren Garage VR Experience. With a price of $ 1,550 ($ 150 more than usual), this decision indicates less than ever if the Pro is for professional / commercial use or consumers.
When the price of the helmet for the helmet alone was announced at the price of $ 800 earlier this year, RV enthusiasts, including those already acquired in HTC's VR ecosystem, were not happy. The company's defense at the time was that the headset was really intended for businesses and commercial customers. We heard the same feeling when the price of the Vive Pro 'Full Kit' (including base stations and controllers 2.0) was announced for $ 1,400.
The defense of the price by HTC makes sense. The most notable benefit of 2.0 tracking technology is that it allows the extension of the 11.5 × 11.5 'to 33 × 33' tracking area with four base stations instead of the usual two. This is exaggerated for most regular consumers. It is therefore reasonable to say that the headset (and its price) is intended for businesses and commercial segments.
But HTC has always included consumer use cases in its marketing message for the Vive Pro, causing consumers to ask "why so many things?
To be honest, they offer a slightly cheaper Vive Pro "Starter Kit", which includes the headset with 1.0 tracking devices, and it is possible to buy the Vive Pro headset without the 2.0 tracking devices (for those who own already a Vive and I just want the improved helmet).
But the current launch of the Vive Pro McLaren Edition has taken a semblance of clear market positioning and thrown it in the trash.
The McLaren Edition is clearly a consumer-oriented helmet because it includes a race simulation ready for use and the trailer announcing the headset clearly appeals to every racing fan. And yet, the McLaren edition not only includes the 2.0 tracking devices (which we have established are excessive for normal consumers), but it has added $ 150 of premium to a product already sold at a higher price, all at a higher price. ridiculous cost of $ 1,550.
There are two things that make this particularly strange. The first is that the helmet seems to want to appeal to fans of VR racing simulators. For this, the most thoughtful package of Vive Pro would be the single helmet with a single 1.0 base station and no controller – no serious racing simulator using VR controller for input – and somebody sitting on a chair to play a VR racing game clearly does not. Take advantage of the extended tracking area supported by base stations 2.0.
Such a package would be a clever way for HTC to call sim riders who want high-resolution headphones and solid ergonomics for racing games, without asking them to buy way more than they need. And yet, HTC went in the opposite direction by including the entire 2.0 device band and then decided to charge even more than the non-McLaren edition.
Secondly, HTC has chosen to launch the most expensive edition of Vive Pro McLaren on Black Friday, in perfect contradiction with the sale of the company on the full Vive Pro kit, which creates an even more blatant price difference between the McLaren edition ($ 1,550) and -McLaren Edition ($ 1,200 for sale).
A sampling of comments from the Reddit Vive section about the McLaren Edition helmet offers the feeling of Vive enthusiasts:
quintthemint
If I owned a McLaren, I would definitely buy it.
But for all those who can not spend $ 200,000 by car, me included, it's hard to believe the price.
AerialShorts
It looks like it's an orange trim around the front cameras and a McLaren theme box.
The orange does not even go well with the blue Vive Pro.
The specifications are the same as for an ordinary pro.
Sorry McLaren and HTC, not even interested. How about some 2.0 headlights for my living room? Much better than these …
LouPoh
Pfff, holy moly … HTC really thinks it can attract people with this "exclusively" crap offer for more than 30% of the normal price ??
Good luck with that.
They will sink like a stone as soon as Valve drops their own helmet … and no one will shed a tear.
At this point, there is no hiding behind the notion that the Vive Pro is for professional / commercial use; This decision only increases the loyalty of the enthusiasts of the first HTC users who would like nothing more than to continue to support the company's ongoing efforts in VR, if only they could afford it.
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