HTC Vive price hike for UK - blame Brexit

Brexit sparked turmoil for the pound - and now it's having a knock-on effect on the price of video game products that are imported into the UK from abroad.

Following Britain's decision to leave the EU, the pound sank to a 31-year-low against the dollar.

On Wednesday, 6th July, Sterling hit a low of $1.2796. The last time the pound was lower was in June 1985.

In a message to UK customers, HTC served notice of a Vive price hike from £689 to £759 + P&P, effective from today, 1st August.

Why? "Due to recent currency valuation changes and the current value of the GBP," HTC said. In other words, blame Brexit.

By way of comparison, Sony has so far stuck to its PlayStation VR pre-order for £349.99 RRP. Oculus Rift currently costs £499, without shipping.

I had a look at the impact of Brexit on the video game industry in the week after the referendum result was announced.

While we expect the cost of video game software to remain static in the UK, PC components and console hardware are potentially going to be more expensive than they would otherwise have been.

With new products from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all due out in the next 12 months, as well as new graphics cards from the major players, it could get a lot more expensive to be an early adopter in the UK.