HTC launches its high-end Vive VR headset at MWC 2016

The virtual reality headset from Taiwanese manufacturer HTC - the HTC Vive - was officially announced at Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona on February 21.

The HTC Vive headset will be available for pre-order starting February 29 while shipping starts early in April. It gets a price tag of $799 (approx ₹54795), which is apparently much higher than the Oculus Rift which starts at $600.

Bundled with the headset are two wireless controllers, two wall units which act as motion sensors and a hub that collects all the data and sends it to a PC. In addition, the HTC Vive will also come bundled with two popular gaming titles which include Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption.

The Vive headset will also be capable of is making and receiving calls along with text messages. This would allow users to "combine both realities without losing touch of either," HTC said in a statement.

The company has also made a slew of improvements in the new HTC Vive. For instance, the headset now has a microphone, along with two tiny motion tracking camera which are now wireless.

Read more: MWC 2016 first impressions: It's not just about phones anymore

The Vive will launch in April in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, Taiwan, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand. No information about its Indian specific launch are available as of now.

HTC has also revealed the minimum PC requirements for the HTC Vive:

•GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970, AMD Radeon R9 290 equivalent or better

•CPU: Intel i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or better

•RAM: 4GB or more

•Video Output: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 or newer

•USB Port: 1x USB 2.0 or better port

•Operating System: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 or later, Windows 10