HTC had the hottest VR headset out of the gate in 2016, but the thinning margins on consumer hardware thanks to Oculus have pushed them into the enterprise business.
Today, the company released the Vive Pro Eye headset, its latest enterprise play that integrates eye-tracking camera to give users an additional input mode and a way for users to signal attention. It’s available in a bundle with SteamVR 2.0 base stations and Vive controllers for $1,599.
The only difference over the previous-generation Vive Pro (with a $1,399 bundle price) is the eye-tracking capabilities. The $200 premium for that feature seems a bit healthy, but I suppose you don’t need much of an excuse to charge enterprise users more.
As a consumer, there’s really no reason to buy this. Few titles are going to boost eye-tracking support until more consumer-grade headsets integrate the tech. It’s worth contrasting the price point here with other headsets like the Valve Index which is several hundred dollars less and then the Rift S which is $1,200 less.