HTC Cuts Vive XR Elite Price Ahead of New Headset Reveal

HTC has recently announced a price reduction for its flagship standalone headset, Vive XR Elite, dropping it from $1,100 to $900.

This price cut seems to be specific to the US market, as the Vive XR Elite is still being sold at its original launch price in other major regions – €1,449 in Europe and £1,299 in the UK.

Launched in February 2023, the Vive XR Elite was initially positioned as a competitor to the Quest Pro, offering a compact and lightweight standalone design with mixed reality capabilities.

Shortly after its release, Meta closed the price gap by reducing the Quest Pro from $1,500 to $1,000, essentially eliminating one of the Vive XR Elite’s key features.

With the price now set at $900, HTC is looking to clear out Vive XR Elite stock in the US, which has been a strong market for XR consumer devices.

Furthermore, HTC is running two promotions for Vive XR Elite and Vive Ultimate Tracker bundles in the US, available on Vive.com until August 31st.

• VIVE XR Elite + Ultimate Tracker 3 trackers + 1 dongle for $1,398
• VIVE XR Elite + Ultimate Tracker 5 trackers + 1 dongle for $1,696

Meanwhile, HTC teased a new XR headset in a video released last month, hinting at what could potentially be the next offering from the company.

While details are scarce beyond the video, a leak reported by tech analyst Brad Lynch suggests that the upcoming headset may be an iterative design based on the Vive Focus 3, possibly named Vive Focus 4.

The leak indicates that the new HTC headset could feature the same displays and optics as the Vive Focus 3, along with the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset used in the Vive XR Elite. It may also include built-in eye-tracking, USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode, and compatibility with Vive Focus 3’s accessories, although these details are not confirmed.

If the leak is accurate, HTC may risk overshadowing the functionality of the Vive XR Elite, potentially becoming a direct competitor to Meta’s Quest 3, offering similar features at a significantly lower price.