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A Vive Pro will cost £800, Vive reduced to £500

VR not having enough savings.

The new and improved Vive virtual reality headset - the Vive Pro - will cost £800 and will begin shipping 5th April. Pre-orders are open on the Vive website and at various retailers now.

The existing Vive VR headset, meanwhile, will be reduced in price to £500.

The Vive Pro most notably leaps to 2880x1600 resolution from the existing headset's 1080x1200, but also has built-in headphones with noise cancellation and a redesigned head strap.

The Vive Pro works with SteamVR Tracking 1.0 and 2.0 so you only need replace the headset if upgrading from a first generation Vive.

HTC Vive launched two years ago as the high-end virtual reality device, with a launch price of £690 - later bumped to £760 because of the lowered GBP value following the Brexit vote. HTC sliced £160 off the Vive asking price in August 2017.

Oculus Rift, Vive's PC VR competitor, launched at £500 in the UK but without any packed-in controllers. Oculus Touch, as the controllers are known, came later. These days you can get an Oculus Rift plus Touch bundle for around £400.

PlayStation VR, the other major VR gaming headset on the market, launched at £350, and can be picked up today for around £200.

Oculus hasn't revealed plans for a Rift 2 generational leap yet but has announced an all-in-one, no computer needed, VR headset called Oculus Go. Sony, meanwhile, is subtly improving PSVR hardware to replace the model currently on sale.