“The next step in the progression towards fully immersive Internet” is what HTC promises with its new mixed reality headset, the Vive XR Elite. At the CES 2023 show taking place this week in Las Vegas, Tech&Co was able to prove to the newcomer that it wants to compete with the new Meta Quest Pro.
If his Vive Flow, a pair of glasses connected to a smartphone, received a more than mixed reception, it clearly served as a basis for reflection in the development of the Vive XR Elite. This is presented as a mixed reality helmet, that is, mixing virtual and augmented, and autonomous. Therefore, it does not need to be connected to a PC or any other means, like its predecessors, to work. It is self-sufficient and even allows itself to offer multiple advantages.
Because this headset is designed for a multi-experience, from gaming to fitness, productivity and entertainment. A wide range of content with more than 100 XR experiences, apps and games will be available at launch.
A high-end helmet, but not premium
The HTC Vive XR Elite comes with big ambitions and clearly gets more luxurious compared to the Vive Flow. There we find 4K LCD screens with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, a fairly wide field of view of 110° and a Snapdragon XR2 chip like in the Meta Quest 2 with a refresh rate that can go up to 120 Hz. However, not enough. to compete with the Quest Pro, which has 90Hz mini-LED displays and a much more powerful Snapdragon XR2+ processor. The Vive XR Elite seems quite a bit closer to the Quest 2, with mixed reality as a bonus.
During CES, we were able to test the headphones through different experiences. Starting with Yuki, quite a fun shooting game where you lead a little fairy against enemy attacks from all sides. Hubris is an action-adventure game where you have to follow, sometimes swimming, another character before going to shoot the enemies, etc.
Other experiences offered for testing by HTC cast us in the shoes of a virtual conductor conducting an orchestra, or as a kayaker crossing a canyon. This latest demo we tested turned out to be visually impressive in its depiction of the environment and the feel of the water. We were less convinced by the paddle and movement detection by the helmet sensors. Very often our kayak would end up on a rock by mis-sensing the arm movement.
A price that cools the ardor
But in general, the detection is quite reactive and accurate. The Vive XR Elite has its own operating system and the weight is fairly well distributed over the headset, which is also pleasing with its small size and low weight (675g). It relies on multiple sensors on the front that will capture the movements of the two provided joysticks, as well as your hands. But its front and rear cameras will also, and above all, serve to restore the surrounding world on the screen, without having to remove the helmet. This is one of the strengths of the Vive XR Elite with its mixed reality.
Thus, some proven experiments have made us appreciate the augmented reality game by adding enemies to our game area while we could visualize what was around us on screens, paint in the same way. The slight disappointment may come from the image quality. If it’s in good color, it doesn’t offer a restitution as qualitative as that of the Meta Quest Pro. But it’s still enough to walk, evolve, grab objects… without taking the Vive XR Elite off your head.
The autonomous headphones from the Taiwanese manufacturer take advantage of WiFi 6e, can connect to a smartphone to retrieve game content or connect to a PC to enjoy more demanding games thanks to its power. The battery is removable and has 30-watt USB-C fast charging. At the moment, we do not know the exact autonomy that it proposes.
Whether it’s the Viveport hosting environment, which won’t throw off Meta Quest users, the gaming possibilities and productivity, or even the gameplay of the controllers and ergonomics, the Vive XR Elite more or less offers a pretty similar experience to the Meta standalone headphones. But its technical inclinations or its desire to plunge headlong into the metaverse are less pronounced than in the Quest Pro. However, it is announced at 1400 euros, closer to the price of the latter than the 450 euros of the Quest 2. The possibilities of mixed reality, still in its infancy, are they enough to justify such a price difference? Not necessarily, except for being a crazy fan of a budding technology, the moment Apple releases its own device…
The HTC Vive XR Elite headset is available for pre-order with five sets offered. Deliveries are expected to start at the end of February.
Source: BFM TV
