HTC Joins Facebook in Slashing VR Headset Price
21 Agosto 2017 - 4:29AM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah E. Needleman
HTC Corp. is dropping the price of its Vive virtual-reality
headset by $200, weeks after Facebook Inc. made a similar price cut
for its Oculus Rift goggles.
The Vive now costs $599, still $200 more than the Rift, which
had its price slashed in July on what Facebook said was a temporary
basis. Both devices come bundled with advanced controllers and
require a connection to a powerful computer sold separately.
Sales of high-end VR systems have been sluggish, according to
estimates from research firms. Despite more games and apps, there
is no blockbuster to send hardware flying off the shelves, analysts
say.
With the price cuts, HTC and Facebook are looking to better
compete with Sony Corp.'s $399 PlayStation VR. In June, Sony said
it had sold more than a million units since the headset came out in
October, roughly six months after the Vive and Rift. Neither HTC
nor Facebook have disclosed sales.
Facebook last month lowered the price of a bundle including the
Rift and its Touch controllers by $200. The sale originally was set
to last six weeks but Facebook on Friday said it plans to extend it
for a few more weeks, without specifying an end date.
Like Facebook, HTC said it is looking to boost its user base
beyond early adopters willing to spend big upfront. The timing is
right because "we're going into the second holiday season," said
Dan O'Brien, general manager of HTC Vive for the Americas,
referring to this year's Christmas shopping season.
HTC is working on a wireless successor to the Vive, but it isn't
close to launching, Mr. O'Brien said. The company is still
supporting the headset with new accessories coming next month and
expects sales to continue well into 2018.
The price cut "is not a way to clear channel for us," he
said.
Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 21, 2017 03:14 ET (07:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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