For customers in the UK, the barrier to entry for virtual reality is now higher, at least for the HTC Vive head-mounted display (HMD). The price for the company’s VR headset increased an additional £70 to a new price of £759.
In February, HTC listed the price of the Vive HMD in multiple countries, including the UK, where it sold for £689. A blog post from the company indicated that the reason for the recent price hike was because of the “recent currency valuation changes and the current value of the GBP (Great British Pound).” In other words, Brexit, which occurred earlier this year in June, affected the price point of the HMD.
The price of the two other major VR HMDs on the market, the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR (PSVR), hasn’t changed because of Brexit. The Rift still costs $599 (about £453), and PSVR has an estimated retail price of £349.