HTC has been selling its upgraded Vive Pro VR headset for the past several months, though only as a standalone product—you had to either recycle your existing base stations and controllers (assuming you were upgrading from the first generation Vive), or purchase them separately. That is no longer the case. HTC and its retail partners are now selling the full Vive Pro kit with controllers and base stations included.
The two base stations that come in the Vive Pro kit are the upgraded SteamVR 2.0 models offering a total play area of 6m x 6m. If that's not large enough, the Vive Pro supports up to four base stations supporting a play area of 10m x 10m.
HTC also bundles in a new set of pro controllers that come in the same blue color as the headset, plus a mounting kit, link box, USB 3.0 and DisplayPort cables (one each), a cleaning cloth, and a few other odds and ends.
The big difference between the Vive Pro and the original Vive is the resolution—the Pro gives you 2880x1600 pixels (1440x1600 per eye) over the original's 2160x1200, serving up a 78 percent increase in resolution. HTC also tweaked the weight distribution to make the Vive Pro more comfortable, and upgraded the headphones with a digital amplifier.
All of this comes at a significant cost premium. HTC's asking price for the Vive Pro kit is $1,399, which is almost triple the price of the original Vive ($499). If you already own the first-generation Vive and just want to upgrade the headset, the Vive Pro by itself sells for $799.
That said, HTC told us it found that most users don't have the space to take full advantage of the 2.0 base stations, so it also offers a Vive Pro Starter Kit with 1.0 base stations and controllers, for $1,098.
Several retailers are taking orders for the full Vive Pro kit. You can buy it direct from HTC, on Amazon, or at Overclockers UK (£1,299).
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