HTC Vive pre-orders commence at the end of February

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on HTC’s Vive virtual reality headset, you may not have to wait much longer. HTC has just announced that pre-orders for the headset will go live on Monday, February 29th. Unfortunately there’s still no pricing information available to the public, but considering the recently-announced price of the Oculus Rift, we really don’t expect this headset to come cheap. Plus, you’ll need a beefy computer to power the Vive, which we understand not everyone owns.

HTC just showed off an updated version of the headset, called the Vive Pre, at CES 2016. The updated unit features a lighter, more compact and streamlined design, as well as a revamped head strap and interchangeable face and nose foam gaskets that should make it much more comfortable to wear. The Vive Pre’s overall design has gone mostly unchanged, though HTCsays the clarity and vividness of the images are much better thanks to new software the company has just put in place. The newer version also comes with improved controllers and base stations that will let the system better calculate the user’s position.

We got the chance to check out the HTCVive Pre at CES, and you can see our reactions here. Of course, we’ll update this post as we learn more about the Vive’s pricing and availability. Tell us – if the Vive totes a price point similar to that of the Oculus Rift ($600), would you buy one? Or will you be holding off until the price drops? Let us know what you think.

• See all our CES 2016 coverage in one place