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HTC Vive now on Finance for £34.84 Per Month - Is this the way forward?

Shadowmask72
Honored Visionary

I just got this email and thought it was interesting even though this has been discussed for a while now. I wonder if Oculus/Facebook are planning something similar. Is this the way to get people into VR? I doubt it very much. I can see this being useful for some people who want to spend their money on the PC to run it but basically this is the mobile phone contract model as seen with the Gear VR except you don't get a phone. 24 month contract is also fine for spreading out payments but within two years from now will there be a new Vive or Rift which you'll probably want, what then? Maybe if they offered an upgrade package then it might work.


Quote:


Over 24 months, we now offer 9.9% financing for a total monthly cost of £34.84 (plus shipping). The application process is simple – just select “Financing” from the billing page upon check out, the whole process takes a few minutes. What’s more, there’s no deposit required. 

Every purchase comes with two great pieces of content, Richie’s Plank Experience and Everest VRDon’t forget, you’ll also get 1 month’s free access to Viveport Subscription, where you can pick five monthly selections from a specially curated collection of VR titles.

Additional European countries are due to follow soon, stay tuned to the Vive blog for updates.



System Specs: MSI NVIDIA RTX 4090 , i5 13700K CPU, 32GB DDR 4 RAM, Win 11 64 Bit OS.
12 REPLIES 12

Calmfixup
Heroic Explorer

Atmos73 said:

I think when we see £800+ mobiles sell in their millions on contracts it makes some sense for VR to follow suit. I prefer to pay cash leaving all upgrade options open though.


I absolutely agree. I also prefer to pay up front, but most people I know (especially those who can't afford the things they actually want LOL) do buy things in payment plans! Most people would prefer to pay small subscription fees for expensive items, mobile phones being case-in-point. The main difference between the two is that you still need a powerful PC for VR, but those can already be bought on financing plans as well!

Plus there's been plenty of proof that shows there are many Rift/Vive capable PC's where consumers have just been to unsure about VR to buy in. I really hope that Oculus will begin offering something like this to bring more into the fold.


Shadowmask72
Honored Visionary
Me too. Thing is though, most people use their phones daily and are tied to them (worryingly so at times) whereas a VR headset is a more luxury item that won't have the same reason for existence.  So I question who is going to use finance to pay for these, not many. That said, having more options isn't a bad thing but I suspect just won't bring in the numbers. For real market penetration the overall cost has to come down considerably and that includes the PC to run it. This is why wireless HMD that don't require any additional hardware  or messing around are a more feasible option outside of us lot who want the best at all times which most likely can only be had tethered to a PC in some form.


System Specs: MSI NVIDIA RTX 4090 , i5 13700K CPU, 32GB DDR 4 RAM, Win 11 64 Bit OS.

vannagirl
Consultant
this is one way to get vr out there ofc,
yes with phones costing the budget of small countries, why no its all tech and a good way to get someone into vr if they are willing to pay a little premium

Look, man. I only need to know one thing: where they are. 

Anonymous
Not applicable
874 quid  😮

MowTin
Expert Trustee
But the high end PC and video card is another barrier. 

People with high end video cards usually can afford a Rift without financing. 
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

flexy123
Superstar
I absolutely don't get what's so special about it.

Here in Europe, many/most retailers offer such financing plans anyway.
And when you buy with a credit card, this is sort of financing as well, although with interest rates.

Do you think they finance you a €800 purchase without a credit check and sell you a Vive just they like your nose? In the same way as the many retailers, they will do a credit check, either via one of these relatively new companies who check for credit worthiness using your internet presence (social media etc)....or do it the normal way, means the credit check and then the financing itself happens via a 3rd party bank. Pretty much anyone offers this here. (And I don't remember this was also possible in the US, correct me if I am wrong)

Again...I don't understand what's so special about HTC offering financing?

vlodato
Adventurer
I'm pretty sure you can buy a rift on a bestbuy card which has no interest plans for a year or 18 months. Also microcenter has similar no interest plans. Just make sure you pay by the due date or be prepared to pay 25% interest retro active on the whole purchase. A $500 hmd will end up costing you $625.

vannagirl
Consultant
well this news is a cheaper announcement then having to announce games for vive



i see myself out :#
Look, man. I only need to know one thing: where they are. 

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

MowTin said:

But the high end PC and video card is another barrier. 

People with high end video cards usually can afford a Rift without financing. 


Yes, this is a key point. I'm okay with HTC, or anyone else for that matter, providing financing to help get VR in to more homes. But financing a kit does appear odd considering the cost of the PC that the VR Kit depends upon. Typically someone who can afford the PC can also afford the kit. I can't imagine anyone with a "VR Ready machine" already in their possession needing financing for the VR. But who knows. Whatever works!