The HTC Vive XR Elite is a shape-shifting, lightweight luxury VR headset

As somebody who considers Uniqlo an extravagance, the HTC Vive XR Elite is perhaps the most costly factor I will ever put on. revealed in CES 2023 Due for launch in March, that is the primary Vive VR headset In years with true PC gaming credentials, whereas borrowing from the extra compact design of the Vive Move VR headset. I just lately went to strive it out right here in London, with a thought turbulent in my thoughts: even with a lighter design than design Vive Cosmos Within the sequence, how may this be value £1,299 / $1,099?

The reply, a minimum of from HTC’s perspective, is flexibility. The Vive XR Elite is an all-in-one headset that requires no base stations, and may be worn wirelessly for much less demanding VR gaming or related to a PC for extra superior fare like Half-life: Alex. Effectively, however another AIO headphones can really try this, together with the less expensive ones Oculus / Meta Quest 2. What units HTC’s newest {hardware} aside is the convenience of connecting to a pc wirelessly, by way of Wi-Fi and no sideloading trickery, whereas additionally making the battery pack removable to show it into a very moveable pair of VR/AR specs that may be fed from an influence financial institution and related to a smartphone. It desperately needs it to be all issues to all VR followers, and whereas the Quest line is obsessive about chasing these laborious bucks and/or promoting your private information, that is not a foul factor.

First impressions: It is really very mild. Second impressions: Rattling, it would not match my glasses. Luckily, the Vive XR Elite additionally copies Move’s adjustable lens diopter dials, so despite the fact that my max myopia setting of -6 was just a little in need of my proper eye’s annoying prescription of -7, I may nonetheless rotate my method to a reasonably sharp picture. What whereas leaving my glasses apart.

Apart from the marginally tight match across the nostril, the Vive XR Elite is a cushty match to put on. Shifting the battery pack to the again of the headgear distributes the general weight extra evenly than squeezing the entire thing into a giant lump within the entrance, and there is not a lot that must be unfold out to get you began. This speaker weighs full with the battery, 625 grams, which is about 80 grams lower than the speaker Cosmos Elite And 184 grams lower than LED indicator.

If you wish to ditch just a little extra bulk, it is easy sufficient to detach the battery pack and substitute the straps with a pair of eyeglasses-style temples. That is for moveable use however you may put on the Vive XR Elite like this as a part of a PC setup, albeit at the price of wi-fi connectivity, as you may want an influence cable to plug into. I’ve to say I most well-liked the battery configuration, although it did really feel safer on the large place to begin. In glasses mode, it is extra front-heavy, and I would be involved about it flying off with sturdy sufficient head actions.

Annoyingly, HTC did not have a desktop obtainable, so I used to be restricted to taking part in in all-in-one mode. Nonetheless, I received , prolonged have a look at how the Vive XR Elite carried out, particularly since one of many video games put in – Delight It’s an AIO port of the desktop laptop’s digital actuality journey. From some folks swimming convincingly for the primary time to the questionably essential detonation of a jellyfish, Hubris gave description of the eye-popping 1920 x 1920 shows within the headset and the nifty controllers. The previous is sharp and full of life, whereas the latter’s monitoring is correct and never too jittery. Not unhealthy in any respect, for tracing from the within out.

Much less enthusiastic was the naked hand monitoring, which I examined Maestro VR, an eccentric orchestra conductor simulator. Utilizing a controller to wave my proper hand holding a stick labored tremendous, however after I wanted to hit my left finger in slowing down musicians, it typically took a couple of moments for that hand to return into my view. I spotted that I used to be letting my left arm stray from view of the headset’s 4 monitoring cameras, and that it isn’t very fast to re-acquire palms as soon as they’re again in body. Latency can also be useful however not measurably sooner than different gaming-focused headsets. There’s nonetheless a touch of lag in actions, even these on the very best stage with the cameras.

General, it isn’t a patch on index controller-assisted hand and finger monitoring, which is a matter when Valve’s full VR suite (together with base stations and a replica of Alyx) prices £919 / $999. That often appears like foolish cash, even for one of the best PC VR headset in the marketplace, however the Vive Elite XR is far more detrimental to your monetary well-being. As a PC gaming gadget particularly, I am nonetheless not satisfied that this premium is value paying.

As a VR headset on the whole, however, there’s a sure enchantment to the Vive XR Elite’s versatility. Its potential to seamlessly run regionally put in video games in addition to hook up with a PC offers it a a lot wider vary of suitable stuff than the Index, and if you happen to actually wish to squeeze each drop of its value out of it, you may even flip it right into a pair of glasses to entertain your self on lengthy flights and bus rides. Welfare? sure. Ineffective? Possibly not.

For extra on VR, and with far fewer photographs that look to me like a driller than Deep Rock Galactic, try RPS pal Rick Lane’s Month-to-month byte actuality column.