High Priced VR Headsets

Emerging, evolving gear comesfrom game world,  will this be seen seriously in industry? 

VR headset prices high as Apple bides its time

Published  14 hours ago in BBC,  By Zoe Kleinman  Technology editor

Last week in Las Vegas I boxed, hunted for cute aliens, flew a laser-shooting robot and drew my own masterpiece - all in virtual reality.

Some of the headsets I used to try out these experiences cost almost twice as much as the smartphone we used to snap the photo above. Arguably they have a lot less functionality, for now at least. So are they worth it?

HTC's new Vive XR Elite, out next month, will cost £1,299 or $1,099. Meta's Quest Pro launched a couple of months ago, priced at £1,499 or $1,499.

Meta declined to tell us how many it has sold so far, but my guess is not that many. It is aimed at businesses and (wealthy) early-adopters, designed to be a teaser for Meta's vision of the future, rather than a bestseller.

Evolving hardware

The hardware involved in VR has often been described as off-putting and, to be fair, it once was. Early headsets were renowned for being clunky and heavy, and many required tethering by cables to a high-end PC, powerful enough to process the graphics.

These new headsets are comparatively lighter and far more portable. The Vive XR Elite folds up into a case about the size of a tub of peanuts.

HTC's newer headsets come with a clever little bit of internal design - you can adjust the lenses to correct common vision impairments, which is good news for short-sighted people like me who do not enjoy wearing glasses and a headset at the same time. ... '