It’s been Ten years since the original Oculus Rift was launched, but Virtual Reality (VR) hasn't really taken off in the manner that people expected (or wanted) it to, a minimum of on the consumer aspect. Even while someone with enthusiasm for the space, it’d be disingenuous to consider otherwise. However in a strange coincidence, February 2023 will mark an apparently unintended, tandem push from two of VR’s biggest backers. The first is Sony, with its PS5-powered PlayStation VR2. The second is HTC, the makers of Valve’s original Vive headset, with its new Vive XR Elite.
We know the two primary bugbears for VR will always be very staid truly compelling games (which is largely from the charge of headset manufacturers), and the lifestyle issues that arise from inconvenient setup tasks and headset form factor – every little niggle feels like yet another major hurdle not to put on a VR headset.
PlayStation got a lot right. The initial PlayStation VR headset was lightweight, mostly plug and play (what about a few a lot of plugs), and simple. Consumer focussed, comfortable, and simple to put on. It’s now taken a lot of those design principles several steps further with the PSVR2, and removed several additional barriers – and we’ll convey more on the PSVR2 in the coming weeks.
Oculus (now Meta) also got a lot right with its Quest line, realising that the standalone headset that may power its own games and applications may be the approach to take. Take away the requirement for another console or powerful PC, and adoption will be more widespread.
With the Vive XR Elite, HTC has attempted to adopt the best areas of all of those lessons and incorporate them into its very own powerful, standalone headset, but with a vital concentrate on dramatically – and that i mean dramatically – reducing the physical profile from the device, without compromising its visual clarity, or capability to run visually demanding software.
The goal, seemingly, would be to create the easiest and fuss-free VR experience possible. After about an hour of playing around with a production type of the Vive XR Elite, it's difficult to not be impressed.
The Vive XR Elite is somewhat of the modular device, and at its smallest configuration, it’s essentially a pair of oversized sunglasses or large goggles. They’re light, easy to placed on, and comfortable. I'm able to very easily see myself popping them on at my desk, tethered to a PC for power, and with access to my Steam VR library of seated VR games.
On paper, it’s no slouch. The XR Elite has a combined 3840×1920 resolution (1920×1920 per eye), a 110-degree field of view, along with a 90Hz refresh rate, which sizes it up very nicely to the PSVR2 and the Meta Quest Pro when it comes to visual fidelity, even surpassing those devices in some respects. Really, it features incredible performance, specifically for something with your a concise profile.
The Vive XR Elite also advantages of as being a standalone device, too. Swap the glasses-like arms for any wraparound battery power, and the headset becomes a very comfortable choice for games and applications that need standing, or a broader selection of movement.
The visual clarity and fidelity is still very good, obviously, and the rudimentary games that people were permitted to test running around the device itself performed exactly how you'll want them to. We also tried wirelessly streaming a demanding PC VR game, which in fact had its inherent issues (image artefacting in busier, more complex scenes), but the excellence of the time was still being largely crisp, overall. Again, the headset, and also the ease of use, was the standout X-factor.
My main point of comparison this is actually the Meta Quest headsets, which shifted the chance space of VR, however i don't believe it will be a contentious opinion to say the XR Elite has taken several strides, in terms of making it a far more comfortable and pleasant experience.
The unit is perfectly balanced, and it’s not so front-heavy like the Quest is. There's no awkward vertical strap ruling the top of your head, squeezing tightly for long periods. It's its own form of PlayStation VR's excellent ratcheting/quick-release fitting system, and also the battery power itself provides a counterweight to an already light headset. It feels like you can wear it for ages.
There are also premium niceties, too. As somebody who wears wide glasses, I had been surprised by the fact that I didn't need to use them whatsoever. Each lens features its own diopter, meaning I possibly could focus each individually to accommodate in my specific degree of blindness. It was a first for me personally – and given I must take out a mature, narrower pair of glasses to use my own Oculus Quest at home, I was very enamoured with this feature.
This mixture of comfort and gratifaction comes at a price, obviously. The Vive XR Elite will retail for US $1,100 / AU $2,100 when it releases on 25 February 2023.
By comparison, the PS VR2 retails for US $550 / AU $880, however, you have to element in the price of a PS5 console US $400 / AU $650. The XR Elite’s most direct rival may be the Meta Quest Pro, which retails for all of us $1,500 / AU $2,500.
Hopefully, we'll have time and chance to go more in-depth with the unit at some stage in the long run, for many testing in real-world conditions. I'm already getting excited about revisiting Half-Life: Alyx (and its many mod campaigns) with the fidelity and comfort of the XR Elite. Stay tuned.
