One Vive is great, but what happens when the boss asks you to order 20?
HTC has found tremendous success with the headset already. Consumers are struggling to get their hands on one, even after HTC dramatically reduced shipping times and partnered with Microsoft to sell through their stores as well. It's a great problem to have, but there's a curious hiccup for companies that want more than one headset. Until today, HTC has limited direct purchase of the Vive headset to one per person. To address the growing need for enterprise customers to acquire more than one headset, the HTC Vive Business Edition, or HTC Vive BE, has been announced.
Available from June 2016, Vive BE allows individuals and organizations to order Vive VR systems with additional services adapted for business and commercial environments. Alongside the full Vive VR system, Vive BE comes with commercial licensing, a dedicated Business Edition customer support line and a 12-month limited warranty. Businesses will be able to buy multiple Vive BE systems, with the option to order large quantities.
This special Business Edition Vive will run a much steeper $1,200, but the inclusion of commercial licensing and special support line allows companies to do things like rent time on a Vive or even fill an auditorium with Vive headsets for large-scale gaming. It's an impressive step forward for HTC, and makes it a lot easier for companies to not only purchase headsets, but design large-scale strategies around using them.
HTC is pointing anyone who wants to know more about the Vive BE program to the to file an inquiry.