The HTC Vive XR Elite is due to launch soon, and we’ve been lucky enough to get hands on with this sublime wireless VR headset.
VR has always been something of a problem for us here at Gamespace. After the original Oculus hit Kickstarter, it was clear that there was a future for this mode of gaming in the home. Today, the Quest line-up happily commodifies your existence and aims for an acceptable experience, but the truly enjoyable VR encounters have a few too many barriers to entry to make them compelling for most consumers. Costing more than many people spend on a gaming rig and then demanding an extra bedroom to pepper with base stations, the best way to experience VR and AR often ends up sat on a shelf. That ends with the HTC Vive XR Elite. The brand new wireless headset take the flexibility of the company’s compact Flow glasses and expands upon the lessons learned to launch a headset that could help move the market forward in a significant way. But first, the specifications:
Video
Resolution: 1920*1920 pixels per eye (3840*1920 pixels combined)
Refresh rate: 90 Hz
Field of View: Up to 110 degrees
Tracking: 6 DoF Inside-out Tracking
Audio
Dual microphones for echo cancellation
Embedded speakers
Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ XR2
Storage: 128 GB
Memory: 12 GB
Connectivity
1x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-C peripheral port
1x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-C power port
Bluetooth 5.2 + BLE
Wi-Fi 6 + 6E 1
Sensors
4x Tracking cameras
16 MP RGB camera
Depth sensor
G-sensor
Gyroscope
Proximity sensor
Ergonomics
Weight: Approx 650g with battery
Ergonomically curved battery module
Independent bipolar lenses: 54 to 73mm IPD range
The Vive XR Elite is a first and foremost a premium VR experience. Before I even slipped on the brand new build from Taiwan’s based HTC, there’s an obvious elegance to the design. Much like the Pico 4 this headset and battery come in at well under a solitary Kilogram. At roughly 650 grams / 1.4 pounds the distribution of mass aids to its comfort, with the battery acing as a counterbalance to the rest of the electronics. The balanced build of the XR Elite isn’t just easy to pick up, it also forgoes the endurance required to strap into several kilos kit and trudge through other VR encounters. The light touch design seems to stem from the recent HTC Vive Flow, and there are some obvious similarities. However, the XR Elite brought a whole new level of comfort to my hour of jumping around in the dark. Alongside the secure fit and svelte frame, the XR Elite incorporates a surprisingly adequate detachable foam eye cover, adjustable bipolar lenses, a twist to tighten headband, and thoughtfully placed active cooling that dials down the thermals to keep the internal electronics from getting quite as sweaty as I did.
To ensure that my nobody got bored, the headsets were fully charged and ready to go when we walked into our anointed space in a London hotel basement. For the home user they’ll get around 2 hours of full on gaming , but can run wired via USB-C if you want to go ahead cand charge the battery. As somebody with a problematic stigmatism, the bipolar lenses were never going to give me a perfect picture. They did, however, manage by far the best approximation of 20/20 that I’ve ever had with a VR headset. Good enough, in fact, that I ditched the specs and prepared to immerse myself in darkness while things booted up. Instead,, what I found was an entirely unexpected experience. Rather than rely on base stations or produce a grainy horror tinged monochrome picture of the outside world, I got a full color pass through and an additional depth sensor so I could move around with relative ease. The augmented reality presence provided by HTC’s latest offering means no more messing about with virtual spaces, grainy black and white images, or simply sitting down in case the cat wanders by. It was also worth it just to see the rest of the press pack flailing around as wildly as I was about to.
The variety of activities on show for our first hands on was maybe not what you’d call AAA encounters. While Sony show off Horizon Zero Dawn, we got to grips with some experiences that demonstrate the XR Elite’s technical competencies instead. Rather than call us to the mountain, we got to start things off with a sci-fi bullet hell in multiple dimensions. Something like a cross between R-Type and an exercise program gone wrong, it pushed us to move across, up, down, and round incoming fire. Yes, I crawled under attacking enemies to shoot them out of this inner space and I’ve never felt quite so protective of my own intergalactic hero as limboed under a wave of energy bolts..
Other fully VR encounters included a demonstration of the Vive’s admirable hand tracking capabilities that would have been put to better use playing Rock Band than pressing me into service as a classical conductor, while the dulcet tones of Brian Blessed accompanied flinging items in a cartoon training camp.
Where the XR Elite really excelled, however, was getting me to move. Traditional VR apps like Beat Saber are all tied to the spot with lots of up and down, the XR Elite blows away that fear of flinging an arm into the local light or lamping a loved one. During a reaction wall test, I was able to orientate myself in free space. Without a wired encumbrance and quite ignorant of the headset, I could bounce in and out backing up and moving side to side to catch targets and keep on my toes.
The graphical capability of the Elite XR is on par with the comparable Meta Quest Pro in most regards. Technically there’s little real pace between them, yet the HTC headset is just a joy to use by comparison. Whether you decide to go hands free without controllers, sit down and plug in, stream over WiFi6/WiFi6E or just load up a local game, the XR Elite is incredibly flexible, seemingly quite capable, and totally immersive when you barely notice it’s even there.
While it might not be a featherweight price, at £1299, its cheaper than Quest Pro’s launch RRP and a dam sight less than a spare room for your VR adventures. We can’t wait to try it again, and maybe grab another selfie or two. Find out more or pre order the Vive XR Elite now on the official HTC website.
