HTC Vive: UK price and release date revealed for virtual reality headset

We've been waiting for word from HTC on the availability of its virtual reality headset in the UK and now the company has delivered: the consumer edition of the HTCVive will cost £689 and goes on sale on 5 April.

Pre-orders for the HTC Vive, which has been developed in partnership with video game studio Valve, go live at 3pm on 29 February. The headset will cost €899 in Europe, while HTC previously revealed that the Vive will be priced at $799 in the United States.

The HTC Vive is being bundled with three VR "experiences" upon launch, including a 3D paint application created by Google, Northway Games' Fantastic Contraption and Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives by Owlchemy Labs. The headset ships alongside two wireless controllers, two Vive motion-tracking base stations, earbuds and the Vive Link Box, which is used to connect the VR headset to a PC.

The HTC Vive will be going toe to toe with the Oculus Rift, which opened for pre-orders on 16 February ahead of an expected April shipping date. HTC's inclusion of extras means the Vive is priced considerably higher than its rival, with the Oculus Rift costing £499 as a standalone device. However, both headsets will also require some beefy PC setups to run them, meaning neither is going to be particularly kind on the wallet. We've included the recommended specifications for each device below, while Oculus VR is also offering dedicated PC bundles for the Rift.

PlayStation owners now await word on the availability of Sony's own virtual reality headset.The company is holding a PlayStation VR event at this year's Game Developers Conference on 15 March, so we're keeping our fingers crossed for more information on a price point and potential launch date.