HTC says it has sold more than 140,000 Vive headsets

HTC claims that it has sold more than 140,000 HTC Vive virtual reality headsets.

According to a transcript by Seeking Alpha of a call between investors and the company, Chialin Chang, the president of the HTC’s smartphone and connected devices business, said, “of course it’s higher than 140,000,” when asked about the sales number that circulated widely last week.

Chang, however, declined to provide a specific number, merely noting, “I’m very happy to report to you that we’ll continue to be happy with the current selling condition in the last quarter, and we’re looking to a good…Christmas shopping season for that.”

Chang also stated that HTC sells each Vive virtual reality headset package “at a profit.” Neither Facebook nor HTC have released official sales numbers for their respective high-end virtual reality headsets, making it difficult for developers and investors to decide what platform to focus their efforts on.

Last month, a rumour started circulating suggesting the HTC Vive had sold 140,000 units. It turns out that in a conference call late last month to discuss earnings the company said it sold more than that stat.

Next month Oculus is releasing its Touch controllers, bringing the Rift’s functionality up to par with the HTC Vive’s room-scale functionality.

The Oculus Rift is priced at $849 CAD plus the cost of Touch at $200 USD (Canadian pricing hasn’t been revealed yet). The HTC Vive is priced at $1,149 and includes the two laser tracking base stations necessary for room-scale. Both headsets also require the power of a high-end PC, which can cost as much as $2,000.

[source]Seeking Alpha[/source][via]UploadVR[/via]