Following a small rash of reports from new Vive and Vive Pro users, HTC says they’re looking into issues regarding mismatched display brightness. Additionally, SteamVR’s beta branch brings a firmware update to the Vive Pro which is said to improve the initially disappointing audio quality.

A batch of reports in the last few days have seen users of both the original Vive and the Vive Pro citing display issues with regards to inconsistent brightness from one eye to the next. Most of the reports, like this one from Reddit user ‘DemonFinn’, indicates that during dark or completely black scenes, one display is completely black while the other is grey, creating an uncomfortable stereo conflict.

A spokesperson for HTC tells Road to VR that the company is looking into these reports, and suggests that users with the issue reach out to vive_care@vive.com for support. Thanks to ‘Cmdr StarLion’ who pointed out these reports.

Photo by Road to VR

Regarding an issue relating to audio quality on the Vive Pro, a SteamVR beta update this week brings with it a firmware update which “improves audio quality,” hopefully fixing the issue we noted in our Vive Pro review:

Unfortunately, the Vive Pro headphones are presently crippled with a “known issue” which has them missing out on a lot of bass tones. HTC says a fix for that is in the works, and you can remove the Vive Pro headphones and substitute your own if you wish. I hope the headphones get fixed sooner rather than later, as the volume and mic-mute buttons on the back of them are a useful touch.

We’ll be testing this soon to give it a listen.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Liam Mulligan

    There has also been a microphone driver issue where upon steamvr starting up it is missing. Annoyed us daily.

    • Samantha

      Google offering to new employee $97 hourly.. giving each week salary . Any one can also benefit this official job!!!last Sunday I purchased a great McLaren F3 after I been earning $17276 this-past/four weeks .it looks high-quality process however you could not forgive yourself if you don’t try it.!uf601a:➮➮➮ http://GoogleHQEarnMoneyHomeJobs/get/$99/hr… ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★::::!me201a:wmsyki

  • Ian Shook

    A lot of people are reporting that after buying the Vive Pro, they’re getting a zero or negative value in their bank account.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Oh boohoo, nobody forces you to buy the pro.

      • Raphael

        Oh boohoo, nobody forces you to defend HTC pricing.

      • Luke
      • ymo1965

        A fool and his money are soon parted! lol

        • solomonshv

          if you think $800 is a lot of money to spend on a hobby, then you need to reevaluate your life choices and consider a career change.

          • ymo1965

            On the cointrary, I don’t think $800 is a lot nowadays. I bought a
            gtx1080 for heavens sake. What I do think is not worth it is the vive pro improvements over the gen1. There’s a multitude of people out there with the same opinions as me. Too little, too late at a greedy price bracket. I’ll use my money on the wireless adaptor instead. Much more of a better purchase. If the vive pro had sensors and controllers then I would have a different opinion however.

          • Get Schwifty!

            Not trolling, but honestly I have warned people about HTC’s approach to VR rooted in their phone sales – small, incremental changes at a serious premium counting on Millennials paying without question for bus-stop bragging rights about the latest thing. The deluxe audio strap to correct ergonomics is also a very good example, and then again when everyone has to pony up for Valves “knuckles” controllers or whatever knock off HTC makes.

            My concern is Oculus seems to feel that mobile will be the future ultimately and is not as aggressively working on the PC side with the focus they had before F/B purchasing… might be stuck with just HTC for awhile as the main PC-driver unless Oculus reveals something new.

          • CoffeeBuzz

            You need to open your mind to what makes you happy might not make another, perhaps praying to the dollar is not happiness for everyone. Hence 800 is a lot for a hobby item. Some adults have a bunch of kids to put into college and that is a prioriity to them so 800 is a lot when they weigh it against what the kiddos may need.. AND THAT PROBABLY MAKES THEM PERFECTLY HAPPY. Practice a little understanding . I am somewhere in the middle. I can buy a vive pro but it is not worth it to me. I sold my VIve HMD and am a backer of the Pimax8k. But I do not think ANYONE needs to reevaluate their life if they cannot afford to buy a vive pro. sheesh

          • GunnyNinja

            Maybe we just feel $800 is a lot to pay for THAT. Not worth the price for so little of an “upgrade”.

      • GunnyNinja

        Andrew, that was funny. Get a sense of humor…

    • Jeannine Izquierdo

      Google pays all the people $98 per-hr,, besides, with step by step reliably payouts .. You can also get this super career!on Thursday I bought a great new Lotus Esprit after I been earnin $20400 past month .it seems the most rewarding but you may not forgive yourself if you do not hop over to this.!qh693c:∬∬∬ http://GoogleSimpleHighestPaidHomeJobs/make/$97/hr… ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★::::!df652n:yqddq

  • Brian Brown

    I have a non pro Vive, and use a set of Steel Series Arctic 7 headsets. Even if I had the Vive Pro, I would remove the stock headphones and continue using what I have (if they would fit over the Pro’s headband).

  • FireAndTheVoid

    The improvement due to the driver update is marginal. Without applying the update, I first started up a music app and paid close attention to the bass. Immediately afterwards, I updated the drivers and tried the music app again. There might have been a slight improvement, but nothing huge.

    • Jistuce

      That’s what I expected, really. Headphone quality sounds like a hardware issue to me, not somethind you can patch in software. And something that should’ve been caught in beta.

  • Jistuce

    This is incredibly bad. The problems we’re seeing would be completely unacceptable in a headset that cost half this. For what they’re asking, the damn thing should have been perfect at launch.

  • theonlyrealconan

    No worries. It is the prosumer version. All the parts are super high quality. I am sure the issues are fabricated.

    • GunnyNinja

      I agree. They were fabricated by HTC…

  • oompah

    too costly

  • Laurence Nairne

    Never buy any hardware on day one. Ever.

  • JesperL

    Everything about this is so un-Pro.. Just watch review from Linus Tech on youtube.

  • Jean-Sebastien Perron

    Glad that cheap quality product can be improved with software????

  • Joe Ricards

    I cannot get the headset to update firmware. It fails at 3 of 4 updates. Anyone getting there headsets for get the full firmware update ? Thanks

  • VirtualRealityNation

    I know I am going to sound like a nut. But I was so enthralled with VR that i bought a 25k headset that needed a 40k system to run it back in 2006. So an $800 Vive Pro feels like a steal. Having just about all of the headsets out there. I can say that while the Vive Pro’s specs are not significant noticeably better then the original. The screen door effect is considerably less, but the main improvement is the weight, balance, and comfort. I can nearly promise that big businesses are not even going to think about going for a vive when there is a vive pro out there. Just need the wireless adapter now.