HTC releases F1 McLaren edition of Vive Pro

HTC and sports car maker McLaren have presented a limited edition of the Vive Pro on the eve of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. With collaborations such as McLaren, HTC is trying to tap into new sources of income.

The arrival of the Vive Pro McLaren Edition, available in the team colors blue and orange, was already announced in May, when HTC and the carmaker signed a multi-year partnership contract. HTC has since been the official VR partner in McLaren’s esports program, a virtual racing competition. There is not much difference with the regular Vive Pro. However, the buyer will receive two VR titles that are usually reserved exclusively for users with a paid Viveport subscription. It concerns the simracer rFactor 2 from Studio 397 and McLaren Garage VR Experience, in which you can take a virtual look at the pitlane.

The price of the Vive Pro McLaren Edition is at 1550 euros a lot higher than the regular version of the vr kit, which costs 1399 euros. For HTC, the partnership with McLaren may also be a way to tap into other revenues. The company experienced increasing competition from the Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Media glasses, especially in the first half of the year, according to the hardware and software survey that Valve conducts monthly among Steam users. However, the latest figures show that HTC’s market share has stabilized again.

HTC already announced in July that companies like McLaren are increasingly investing in virtual reality, in response to a report from Digital Trends that sales of VR headsets would have fallen sharply, with the site relying on sales data from Amazon. “In the VR industry, it’s important not just to supply units, but to ensure that we are driving growth for customers and businesses over time,” the company said at the time, referring to IDC figures that claim the HTC Vive has the highest market share in terms of sales, followed by Samsung and Sony. HTC and Oculus do not disclose sales numbers.