HTC Vive Pro McLaren Edition

Back in May, McLaren and HTC announced a multi-year partnership making the Vive Pro headset the official VR device for McLaren’s eSports competition.

Now HTC and McLaren unveiled a limited edition of the Vive Pro VR headset which comes accented in Vive Bleu and the racing team’s signature color orange. The unit (including 2.0 base stations and controllers) is packaged in a box featuring its own McLaren themed artwork.

Technically, the HTC Vive Pro McLaren Edition is identical to the regular version of the product, however, the Limited McLaren headset comes bundled with two VR enabled racing titles being a custom version of Studio397’s rFactor 2 (McLaren Edition) and the McLaren Garage VR Experience. Furthermore, the package includes six months of VivePort subscription service as the special edition McLaren games are available exclusively on the Vive app store)

That said, we can not help but feel that the McLaren themed set is pretty expensive. Where the regular version of the Vive Pro VR is already priced pretty steep retailing for 1,200€, the McLaren Edition can be yours for 1,550€. That is a whopping 350€ more for a printed box, a custom color on the headset, and two relatively cheap games.

We do realize that branding can be an expensive business, but taking into account that this bundle is clearly targeted at the home consumer and especially the automotive enthusiast or avid sim racer, the product choice and pricing seem ill-suited to the task at hand. Sim racers and racing gamers have no real need for the enhanced controllers and will not benefit from the expanded tracking provided by the 2.0 base stations.

Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC, said:

Grand prix racing attracts over 500 million fans globally, and we’re excited to partner with McLaren to bring a unique perspective to race fans through VR. Through our collaboration, we’re combining our best-in-class VR headset with their long heritage of racing expertise to create the most immersive experience for fans across the globe. This is a chance for customers to go beyond being a spectator and feel the excitement of being a McLaren driver or pit-crew right from their living rooms.

Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing, said:

It’s been brilliant to tap into HTC’s technology and work together closely to create this top-of-the-range headset and VR experience, so fans can feel like they are in the heart of the action, at a racetrack with the McLaren Racing team. We think this limited edition Vive Pro headset is hugely exciting for both racing and VR fans alike.

Lando Norris, McLaren Driver, said:

VR is an incredibly exciting technology that brings fans closer to racing than ever before. The realistic experience provided by the VIVE Pro McLaren Limited Edition headset can be enjoyed by everyone from casual gamers to professional drivers.

Official Webpage – www.vive.com