HTC and McLaren today announced a special edition of the Vive Pro with McLaren styling which includes two McLaren themed VR games along with 6 months subscription to Viveport. The bundle is priced at $1,549, $150 more than the regular Vive Pro kit. The bundled games are rFactor 2 (McLaren Edition) and McLaren Garage VR Experience.
In terms of hardware, there package is contained in a new McLaren themed box, the plastic surrounding the cameras on the front of the headset is now orange, and the app buttons on the controllers are orange too. The bundle includes the new SteamVR Tracking 2.0 base stations and controllers.
McLaren Garage VR Experience was teased earlier this month on McLaren’s Twitter page. It was unclear at the time what the app would be, but has now been revealed as a VR F1 pit crew simulator. Using HTC’s VR controllers you can virtually take on the role of a tire gunner, tire mounter, or tire demounter. A leaderboard system is included so players can compete to see who can perform the fastest pit stop.
rFactor 2 is a popular racing simulator with a heavy focus on realism. It was released in 2013 and VR support was added in 2017. The game, if you can call it that, simulates in detail the physics of driving in different vehicles, track types, and weather conditions. The McLaren Edition of the game included in this bundle includes exclusive McLaren cars.
HTC is McLaren’s official VR partner, according to the two companies. Their partnership was first seen at ChinaJoy 2018 where the companies hosted a contest to see who could achieve the fastest lap time in a virtual McLaren F1 car in the Vive Pro headset. With the release of this special edition Vive Pro with McLaren branding, it’s likely we’ll see this corporate partnership go even further in future – we’ll keep you updated on any future VR projects from HTC and McLaren.
