HTC Vive Prices in Canada

You’ve probably heard of the HTC Vive as a major competitor in virtual reality, but how much do you know about it? Read up on the various HTC products for VR and find the latest and best prices for the HTC Vive in Canada.

Here’s the latest and best prices for all HTC Vive products in Canada:

Looking for a more immersive gaming experience? 

Sometimes, 4K resolution and super realistic graphics aren’t enough. For full immersion, you need to try out Virtual Reality gaming. There are multiple options out there but if you want a premium experience, there’s no better choice than HTC products.

Yes, we’re referring to HTC the smartphone manufacturer. They partnered with Valve, the folks behind games like Half-Life and the Steam gaming platform, to create the HTC Vive headset. 

Don’t know how their VR products work or if it’s worth the investment? Let us clear it all out for you. Here are 12 things you need to know about the HTC Vive and its variants.

What is the HTC Vive?

The HTC Vive is a VR headset and system. Putting it all together, you get to play Virtual Reality games, which simulates the feeling of being “in” the game.

It’s not the first in the market: most consumers already experienced VR with the Playstation VR, Oculus Rift, and Nintendo Labo VR. Even smartphones offer VR, such as the Samsung Gear VR.

The one thing that sets HTC Vive apart from the competition is HTC’s partnership with Valve, the company behind Steam. Together, they made sure the HTC Vive is one of the most powerful gaming VR systems and that it has instant access to hundreds of titles from the Steam game library.

The Vive Cosmos

The Vive Cosmos is HTC’s newest iteration of the HTC Vive. While the HTC Vive Pro is geared more towards more professional users and for that reason might be a bit too expensive for most casual users, the Cosmos is their latest ‘consumer’ Vive.

Its impressive 2880×1700 resolution is the best, yet and an 88% increase over the original HTC Vive. New LCD panels reduce pixel-distance and minimize the so-called screen-door effect.

You can flip it up while wearing if you want to interact with the real world. This is a massive advantage as you don’t have to take off the entire headset every time you want to check the phone, for example.

The new controllers are a huge step-up from the original ones, featuring precision joy-sticks and improved tracking. And the best thing about the Vive Cosmos: no cords! (Even though it costs a bit extra).

Which Vive Products Do You Need?

The most basic Vive has three main components: the headset, the wireless touch-controllers, and the two Lighthouses. The Lighthouses are sensors that you have to set up on the walls for 360-degree tracking to create a virtual play perimeter and help the Vive stand out from the competition.

There are other versions of the Vive, such as the HTC Vive Pro and the HTC Vive Cosmos. In terms of the HTC Vive Pro vs HTC Vive, the prior gives better resolution and a built-in AMOLED display in the headset.

The Cosmos, however, goes a few steps further. It no longer requires external Lighthouses and instead relies on six built-in sensors to deliver 310-degree tracking.

You will also need a high-end PC or laptop. If you’re not sure if your system can use it, run a system requirement test here.

How Does The HTC Vive Work?

How does the Vive work to provide a full immersion VR experience? 

The magic lies within the Lighthouses. They use laser sensors to track your headset and the touch-controllers, tracking them as you move within the virtual perimeter. This is why you can walk and even crouch to touch in-game items on the floor. 

Keep in mind that the headset connects to your PC with a wire. Fortunately, the cord is long enough to ensure you won’t trip over it. The controllers are wireless, enabling free movement.

How Much Space Do You Need For The HTC Vive?

Do you need a lot of space for the Vive to work? It depends on the mode you play. 

The first mode, Room Scale, requires some space. You’ll set the Lighthouses on two opposing corners of the room and then you need to draw a virtual perimeter using the controllers. This ensures you get enough space to walk around, interact with the ground, and move both your legs and hands while gaming.

If you don’t have that much space to play in, you can use the Standing Room Only mode. The system will only read your hand movements and you only have to stand in place while gaming. This works for small bedrooms, apartment spaces, and tiny living rooms. 

Unfortunately, not all games work with Standing Room Only. Make sure to read the game’s description on SteamVR to check if it works in that mode.

How Many HTC Vive Games Are There?

Right now, there are 3,814 VR-only games in Steam that you can play with the Vive. In total there are 4,557 games if you add VR-supported games to that.

And did you know that the Nintendo Switch, arguably the most popular console today, launched with only 10 games? Five of these had physical retail releases while the other five were digital-only. Even the Playstation 4 launched with only 27 games.

Compared to that, the Vive started with 30 free games and now has access to thousands of games on Valve’s Steam platform, specifically SteamVR. So, you’ll never run out of games to play on the Vive and there are more getting added to the platform each day!

Is The Vive OK for Kids?

Can you use the HTC Vive for educational purposes? Yes, and we’ll tackle that more below, but it’s better for students at least 13 years old and above. This means it’s better suited for students in middle school and above.

The main reason why younger kids shouldn’t use the Vive is because of the headset’s build and the nature of VR gaming. Put these two together and younger children could suffer from motion sickness or seizures due to the simulated movement or flashing lights directly in front of them.

Older kids, particularly teenagers, benefit the most. That said, adults get the most out of the Vive. It’s powerful gaming capabilities enhance the experience for First-Person Shooters, horror games, and other mature video game titles. 

Is The Vive Portable?

At first glance, it looks like the Vive isn’t portable. However, everything can fit into one luggage, even if you have to bring a PC or laptop too. The Lighthouses might seem bulky but they can fit!

Speaking of the Lighthouses, how can you hook them up if they have to stay high up on the walls?

The solution is to buy a tripod or light stand. We’ll tackle this more in-depth below. The key fact to take away here is that the Lighthouses already come with the appropriate sockets for tripods.

The Best Games For The Vive

Which games should you get for the Vive?

Perhaps the most popular one is Beat Saber. It’s a rhythm game where the player holds sabers similar to lightsabers from Star Wars. The player then has to strike blocks following a specific direction and color. 

Other popular VR games on the Vive include Superhot, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, and the hit horror game Resident Evil 7. You may also want to try games like Job Simulator, The Lab, and Fallout 4 VR. 

Minecraft also works with the HTC Vive. It’s one of the most popular games in the world and is an educational tool too. Now you can build and explore as if you were in the game!

Useful Accessories For The Vive

While you can use the HTC Vive right out of the box, you might want to invest in a few accessories too. Start with a tripod or light stand. These can go as high as a few feet, ensuring they’re high enough for the Vive’s Lighthouse boxes.

Fortunately, the Lighthouses already feature sockets for a typical light stand or tripod. It’s all about buying ones that reach the required height. Now you don’t have to drill the Lighthouses into your home and you can easily set up the Vive anywhere you go.

Other important accessories include audio straps, a face cushion, and better grips for the controllers.

Phone Use With The Vive

Can you still use your phone while wearing the headset? You can but to a limited degree. This is the weakest aspect of the HTC Vive but improvements are already on the way.

At the time of writing, you can still see your phone notifications and reply to SMS messages. However, the system limits you to pre-written messages that you have to pick before wearing the headset. 

This means you won’t be able to use your phone to answer app messages or respond to specific app requests. You can’t use your phone to check the internet while on the headset, for example.

The HTC Vive For Schools?

The HTC Vive isn’t solely for people looking for an immersive gaming experience. It can also be an educational tool. Some schools already introduced the HTC Vive to their classrooms.

After all, you can use VR games to explore virtual representations of the pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, and more. Students can play educational and fun building games like Minecraft in VR too. 

Dungeons and Dragons, the world’s most iconic tabletop game, is also an educational tool. Fortunately, some games support the HTC Vive and these allow you to create a virtual tabletop. This allows players to see a better map or icons representing their adventure and characters.

HTC Vive PC Requirements

You’ll need an Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 processor at the very least. For video cards, the basic setup requires at least an NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290. You also need a minimum of 4 GB RAM.

To fully connect the system, you’ll need an HDMI port or a Display Port 1.2. You’ll also need a USB A 2.0 port though USB A 3.0 also works fine. In terms of PC operating systems, HTC Vive works with Windows 7 and above.

At the moment, HTC Vive doesn’t run on Mac or Linux. They are working on compatibility so expect it soon. 

Try the Vive Now!

HTC, a giant in the smartphone industry, is making big strides with its latest HTC products such as the HTC Vive. If you’re into VR gaming and you have a powerful desktop, this is the ideal VR system to play with.

Of course, we offer more than gaming advice. Feel free to go through our other price lists today, like this one discussing the Oculus Rift!