VR headsets are expensive, especially the $799 HTC Vive. It’s certainly not something just anyone can afford upfront, but HTC and retailer partners are now giving consumers more options.
Last year we reported that UK games seller Game was offering a chance to get the Vive through monthly payments. Now other companies are taking that on board. In America, JD.com will sell the Vive with a 0% financing scheme with monthly payments of $138 (plus tax and shipping) over six months, or $66.58 over 12 months. A 7.99% plan for $40.13 a month over two years is also available.
In China, meanwhile, three 0% financing schemes are on offer. One is for three months at ¥2,296 ($334.05), the next is for six months at ¥1,148 ($167.02), and the final is over a year at ¥574 ($83.51).
This may be a key way of getting VR into people’s hands, though that money still doesn’t get them the expensive, high-end PC needed to actually use a Vive. It’s one of several varying business models the company is trying for its kit, the other including upcoming subscriptions for content services, and offering software to location-based arcades. Just how well any of these schemes stack up to more traditional business models remains to be seen.
Updates on this story to come.
