HTC introduces its new consumer-oriented mixed reality headset, the Vive XR Elite. This standalone headset has to compete against Meta’s Quest Pro, among others. HTC’s headset will cost 1449 euros including two controllers.
The Vive XR Elite is presented by HTC as a customizable and lightweight headset. The product weighs 625 grams, which is more than the Quest 2, but less than the 722 gram Quest Pro. The Vive XR Elite is aimed at consumers who want to play games, exercise, consume other media or perform productivity tasks.
A distinctive feature is the removable back of the headband which also contains the battery. Removing these, which makes the headset look more like large glasses, can be useful for on the road or for sinking into a chair on the couch. The power must come from another source in this scenario, for example by connecting the headset to the mains via USB or via a separate power bank. There is a small battery built into the headset section that provides power for ten minutes, giving the user time to connect an external power source.
The headset has a resolution of 1920×1920 pixels per eye or 3840×1920 combined, a refresh rate of 90Hz, 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and the basis is formed by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 that is also in the Quest 2. It is unclear what kind of screens these are. There are four wide-angle cameras that track the hands of the user or the included controllers. There’s also a diopter option and the distance between the two lenses can be adjusted, allowing users to take off their glasses, according to HTC.
As a mixed reality headset, it is possible to switch between playing VR games and AR applications. Color pass-through is also possible, for which a single RGB camera is used. This involves the option of outward-facing cameras that record the environment and relay that image to the screens of the VR goggles. The Vive XR Elite can be connected to the PC via USB-C, but also via WiFi, with support up to WiFi 6E. There is no eye tracking support, but optional modules for tracking the user’s eyes or face will be added later this year.