X

HTC to launch Vive Pro starter kit bundle

For a little more money, you can now get two controllers and base stations along with the Vive Pro VR hardware update.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
See full bio
Abrar Al-Heeti
2 min read
htc-vive-pro-005

The "Vive Pro Starter Kit" will include two Vive 1.0 controllers and two 1.0 base stations.

 Sean Hollister/CNET

In an effort to clear up confusion around the Vive Pro upgrade, HTC announced on Tuesday that it'll be launching a "Vive Pro Starter Kit" starting Thursday.

The bundle pairs the Vive Pro Head Mounted Display, two Vive 1.0 controllers and two 1.0 base stations for $1,099.  

The HTC Vive Pro, a hardware update to the PC-connected HTC Vive virtual reality system, was unveiled at CES in January. Its $799 initial cost was revealed in March, but that didn't include the required controllers and base stations, which cost extra. 

HTC says it's responding to feedback by introducing the bundle, which launches on the two-year anniversary of the original Vive's launch. The entry price of the Vive was lowered to $499 last month, which includes controllers, base stations, a two-month subscription to Viveport and Fallout 4 VR. 

Existing Vive owners who purchased Vive Pro will also be offered a $100 Viveport content credit. In addition, their Viveport subscription offer will be extended to one year.  

Vive owners will also be offered the following Vive Studios content for free: Front Defense, Front Defense Heroes, Super Puzzle Galaxy Lite and Arcade Saga. They can be redeemed through Viveport from April Wednesday to Sunday. Viveport subscribers will also receive a free copy of Everest VR. Lastly, the virtual reality app store will offer a 50 percent discount on a three-month subscription.

Taiwan-based HTC, best known for making slick-looking phones, introduced the Vive in April 2016 for $800, at the time more expensive than rivals the $500 PlayStation VR and the $600 Oculus Rift. Since then, prices have dropped on all those high-end systems, as VR systems have struggled with consumer adoption.