HTC’s upcoming standalone VR headset, which is said to compete with Meta for consumer dollars, may have just suffered a fairly important leak ahead of its promised CES 2023 unveiling this week. HTC seems to have tipped its hand by inadvertently releasing the name and pricing of the headset through its Korean storefront.

Update (January 2nd, 2023): Twitter user Inscothen has managed to find a short-lived listing on HTC’s Korean storefront that lists Vive XR Elite as its upcoming standalone headset, the very same set to be unveiled at CES this week.

The headset is listed for ₩1,790,000 (~$1,400). It’s impossible to say at this point whether that will be close to the official US pricing, although other headsets listed in Korean won are fairly similar to that in USD. A webcache of the page can be viewed here.

That would put Vive XR Elite in competition with Meta’s $1,500 Quest Pro, at least in terms of pricing strategy. It remains to be seen what sort of specs the headset is delivering though, and whether it offers a similar enough experience to Quest Pro to truly call it a competitor. Check back soon for all of the official information, which will arrive at some point during CES 2023 this week, January 5-8.

Brad Lynch (SadleyItsBradley) also posted photos of the alleged Vive XR Elite, which we’ve included below this update.

Original Article (December 16th, 2022): As reported in an exclusive by The Verge, HTC is getting ready to stretch outside the enterprise and business sector once again and offer what HTC global head of product Shen Ye calls a “small, light all-in-one headset that promises full-featured virtual and augmented reality.”

Ye calls it an effort to create something “meaningful and that’s appealing for consumers,” further stating that it’s the culmination of lessons learned from making HTC Vive Flow and the Vive Focus 3.

It’s also likely to be more expensive than the $400 Quest 2, which will be a sticking point if it truly wants to be a consumer-first device, and not a prosumer headset like Quest Pro:

“We’re in an era when consumer VR headsets have been massively subsidized by companies that are trying to vacuum up and take personal data to provide to advertisers,” Ye tells The Verge. “We don’t believe the way that we want to approach it is to compromise on privacy.”

Image courtesy HTC via The Verge

Ye also revealed a few specs ahead of the official info dump:

The unnamed standalone headset is said to offer color passthrough MR, making it more similar to Quest Pro as opposed to a see-through AR such as HoloLens. The upcoming headset is said to contain a depth sensor, which would in theory offer more accurate room mapping. It’s also said to feature better dynamic range, making it capable of better passthrough for things like reading text on a monitor or smartphone. The headset also packs two hours of battery life, and supports 6DOF VR controllers along with optical hand tracking.

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It’s said to be “one of the lightest that’s on the market,” although there are still a few mysteries to unveil. It’s uncertain whether it will include eye-tracking, although HTC has a track record of releasing eye-tracking modules which it may pursue here as well. Privacy protections is also a concern that HTC hopes to address regarding its externally facing cameras, although they haven’t said anything definite yet.

HTC’s unnamed headset reportedly suffered a leak of its design and some key specs back in November, which showed off the outer shell and alleged dual 1,920×1,920 LCDs clocked up to 120hz, mechanical IPD adjustments, pancake lenses, headstrap adjustment mechanism and back-mounted battery.

Allegedly Leaked Design of HTC’s MR Standalone | Image courtesy Brad Lynch

At the time, VR analyst and YouTuber Brad Lynch alleged the leak also included some vague info on its chipset being “faster than the [Snapdragon XR2] in Quest 2,” as it’s speculated to possibly be the upcoming Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2.

None of the information from the leak has been confirmed however, so we’ll just have to wait and see at CES 2023, which takes place January 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • XRC

    “We’re in an era when consumer VR headsets have been massively subsidized by companies that are trying to vacuum up and take personal data to provide to advertisers,” Ye tells The Verge.

    Was told earlier this year in meeting with metawhatsit capitalist, that data worth five times hw cost, they would give the hw away free for premium accounts.

    It’s horribly skewed the market and set unrealistic pricepoints, though Palmer argued it’s not cost but content:

    “You could give a Rift+PC to every single person in the developed world for free, and the vast majority would cease to use it in a matter of weeks or months..”

    • wow 5 times the hw cost is impressive

    • Trekkie

      Says the whatsit Socialist.

      • XRC

        No metaverse/nft/crypto hype or socialism, just independent hardware developer observing impact of subsided equipment?

        ultimately unsustainable retail pricepoints established makes other company setting realistic pricing, get bad press for being overpriced, “prosumer”, “enterprise”.

        Meta couldn’t sustain quest 2 pricing due to lack of software sales, raising pricing towards end of product cycle very unusual

        Old engineering joke:-“Premature cost reduction is the root of all evil”

    • Ad

      War profiteer and trumpy memer Palmer Luckey said that in like 2018. It’s true that people have lost interest in VR though.

  • ViRGiN

    Geez, I wonder why it’s not a PCVR headset for the elitists?

    • ZeePee

      Because they want to compete in the race to the bottom and they keep failing to succeed in providing high quality PC VR hardware.

      • ViRGiN

        Hmm, just like Valve.
        Fuck off with your race to the bottom. This term started with some “leaked” information about Meta cancelling the “true” successor to OG Rift.
        There is no high end software to use the highest end VR headset, get over yourself you maniac.

        • ZeePee

          So you’re saying there’s no PC VR games that are bigger and better (graphically (including mods) and in scale and scope) than mobile VR games?

          • ViRGiN

            So you’re saying there is tons of options that reasonate with customers? Is that why SteamVR never really broke above 2% of PC users adoption?
            I guess you can play Microsoft Flight Simulator for the next 45 years.

          • ZeePee

            I don’t get why you can’t comprehend my comment.

            They are competing for a race to the bottom.

            Did I say that there is loads of competition (ie money and development) flowing to the top instead?

          • ViRGiN

            you won the race for the idiocratic

          • Anonymous

            As much as I still play PCVR games occasionally and agree they are the supercars of VR, PCVR alone is never going to keep developers afloat.

            Name 10 PCVR games, not counting free to plays, with true AAA quality and a healthy active playerbase that is not a flight or race sim.

          • ZeePee

            My statement is absolutely true though, that is undebatable.

            They are competing for a race to the bottom.

            Did I say that there is loads of competition (ie money and development) flowing to the top instead?

          • shadow9d9

            Do you know why no one calls the Switch “mobile console”? Because they are too busy buying the system. Hint: No one cares.

  • Mad Max 2025

    Please ! No more breakable controller rings on VR controllers…… Anyhow, I give HTC a change. No Facebook/Tik Tok/ Big Brother 1984…..

  • ZeePee

    1920 x 1920 LCD is essentially a non-starter for me.

    And it would have to have DP connection.

    These two things make or break this product for me as a PC VR user looking for a next gen experience.

    At the very worst, I’d potentially accept mini-LED at at least 2160 x 2160 per eye.

    But this will be absolutely destroyed by the Meganex and it’s 2560 x 2560 per eye micro-OLED displays in a 300g dedicated PC VR headset with DP connection.

    • ViRGiN

      Meganex, LOL. Take your DP connection, and shove it up your A.S.S.

      • ZeePee

        You need Jesus my friend.

        • ViRGiN

          You need some Deep Pounding connector. For your uncompressed Rec Room and Beat Saber gaming sessions.

          • ZeePee

            I play neither of those games.

            I’m more into bigger more graphically intensive PC games, you know, stuff that a standalone headset can only dream of being able to run, not standalone mobile games that children like to play.

            I’m sure you can’t wait to play Fruit ninja in VR at 1920 x 1920 per eye for the next few years while I enjoy the vastly superior PC VR at 2650 x 2560 per eye with micro-OLED displays.

          • ViRGiN

            Yup, that’s right. Fruit Ninja for LIFE gang! You weren’t capable of even naming a single “graphically intensive PC games”.

          • ZeePee

            You want me to list graphically intensive PC VR games for you?

            Are you that much of an idiot? Go search for it yourself.

            You also have another problem – PSVR 2. PC VR quality titles will start flowing through with the release of PSVR2 – these will end up on PC too.

            Enjoy fruit ninja at 1920 x 1920 per eye in 2024 and beyond, the future is here!

            Meanwhile, PC and PSVR2 users will be enjoying graphical experiences that are at least three generations ahead of your mobile games.

          • ViRGiN

            > PC VR quality titles will start flowing (…)
            insert conspiracy theories down below!
            – when new gpus are released!
            – after holidays cause tons of new people will join in!
            – when chip shortage is over!
            – deckard is around the corner, valve has tons of new unannounced games ready for it!

            you dumb madafaker. take your elitists ass and enjoy your shitty PCVR games.

          • ZeePee

            Haha, you know I’m right ;)

            Maybe in a few years you’ll get a co-op update for Fruit Ninja on your mobile VR. Something to look forward to I guess!

          • ViRGiN

            Maybe you get Alyx 2 in 65 years :)

        • Andrew Jakobs

          Jesus has got nothing to do with it. He’s been dead for over 2000 years.. So no need to gave a zombie for a friend. But then again we’re living in this very inclusive society now….

          • Tabp

            Doesn’t seem very inclusive if you have to misuse copypasted buzzwords to be intolerant while enabling virgin’s highly non-inclusive facebook worshipping. You two need something more than a DP connection.

            But by all means, provide some explanation as to why you’re opposed to the original post about MeganeX and DP, which you gave a thumbs down to, instead of just trying to be provocative.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Because during last handon the people of MeganeX said it will be over $1000 and no standalone capabilities. So comparing a sub $1000 standalone (with (wireless) PCVR capabilities) headset to a wired PCVR only headset well above $1000 is being unrealistic.

            And then getting religious crap into the mix….

            (but i have no idea who he was talking to as for me it says ‘Content unavailable’, so it’s probably someone I blocked a long time ago).

          • ZeePee

            I’m speaking as a PC VR user.

            I’m not talking about relative price points. HTC have been selling the Focus 3 (standalone) at ~£1,300, as well as the Vive Pro 2 at a high price point.

            Most of their products are “high end” with a “high end” price, relatively speaking to Quest 2.

            So to me, looking towards a next gen PC VR headset, I’m looking for a particular quality of spec.

            If a £700 standalone/pc hybrid does it, or a £1300 headset does it, I’m interested in higher resolution than 1920x 1920 per eye crappy LCD, period. Don’t care if it’s cheap. That is terrible for 2023.

            The Reverb G2 has been selling at £600 for the last two years already, beating that spec at 2160 x 2160.

            And I shouldn’t state that it’s not worth it for me to spend £7-800 as a PC VR user on this headset if I’m looking for >2160 x 2160 per eye and micro oled (more than wireless)?

            Come on, fella, just accept that it’s a non- starter for me, and you can go right ahead and be “realistic” and enjoy what is literally peasant resolution for VR in 2023.

          • ZeePee

            Careful what you say.

            What evidence do you have against his resurrection on the third day?

            Have you even bothered to look?

            The ignorance is scary. I hope you find out one day, I say that with love. Your soul depends on it. This is the truth. Learn it. Find out. It’s the truth irrespective of whether you know or not, but your life depends on it.

            Heed these words. Look for yourself without bias. The evidence is there. The clock is ticking.

    • mepy

      I’m really hoping it’s the Vive Pro2 and Focus 3 screens of 2448 × 2448 per eye, but with these new slimmer lenses.

  • Nevets

    Not for circa £2k and a fragment of a software library. Still, competition is good.

  • Sky Castle

    That is the ugliest looking headset I have ever seen.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      But if it performs well and is comfortable, who cares. It’s the inside that counts. And to be honest for whats possible in a glasses type of hardware design, it isn’t really ugly, I’m glad it’s at least black and not ugly white like the Quest 2 or the Pico 4.

    • Dave

      Wow you haven’t seen the Shiftall Megane One, definately a headset worth watching but seems to be designed for function over form. No bad thing for a VR device, I mean who really cares what you look like when you are wearing it, right? Personally I don’t think it looks too bad at all.

  • Lucidfeuer

    I mean at this point we can say fuck you to those VR company. Carmack just quit Meta, and Abrash is probably going to follow. There are some absolutely mediocre, greedy imposters at these companies that just WON’T fucking do a decent headset with the available technology. The ergonomic is horrible, this FOV was already unacceptable in 2018, the battery makes it barely usable untethered (and I hope it can be tethered)…they really did EVERYTHING they could to stall and kill the growing market.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Well, if you know it so well, why don’t you go and create your own headset for a marketprice under $600. Or even try to create one like the pro for the price Meta asks for it. It seems so easy from the outside, but actually doing it for the price you want it to be, it’s just not possible, otherwise a company like Pico would also have a much better headset, and the Pico 4 is already a decent headset for a realistic price with the current hardware possible.

      • Lucidfeuer

        Pico is amazing for what it is. But yes I absolutely would with the appropriate team and budget, I actually know people who work at Meta…so I raise my case, these companies are filled with very skilled workers and untalented imposters their helms that only got their jobs because they had the right name, culture, color and upbringing.

        Like it or not, neither people, the market or reality gives a shit. There’s no magic nor incident, if these products are mediocre and not selling or even viable, there are pragmatic reasons, the same way products are more or less successful are more or less well conceived, design, developed, yielded and marketed.

        • Andrew Jakobs

          No you wouldn’t be able to. Yeah they might have skilled workers, but they would not be able to create anything better under $600. Especially not keeping R&D and the cost of running a business in mind. Again, if it really was possible, companies like Meta, Pico, HTC, Sony, HP, Panasonic, Samsung and Pimax would already have done it, and those are even companies that can much more easily buy components in big quantities so price of the components could be lower.
          Again, if you think you can, why not go for it yourself. Yeah you can talk down on those ‘imposters’, but many times without those ‘imposters’ the skilled workers wouldn’t even HAVE a job. Go ahead, prove you can do it better instead of just claiming it.

          • Lucidfeuer

            By impostors I mean Zuckerberg. He never created anything. He stole Facebook, then bought Oculus, and all it’s creator were fired/left, now Carmack left telling it like many before had said. You’re saying other brands would have done it, but they have the same impostors at their helms except Sony, which kept it simple. You can tell by the horrendous design that goes against all the basic heuristics of ergonomics (HTC, Panasonic, HP), or they simply don’t have the means (Pico, Pimax) or even straight-up abandoned (Google, Samsung). I’m talking about skilled worker because it is not their responsibility, but those in responsibility places just failed at making product, and it’s been obvious since Google Wave: they just don’t fucking know what they’re doing. Not everybody is a Matias Duarte or Steve Jobs, but those who are, simply don’t get hired by those corporations. Meta is dying and it’s good for everybody given the ill they’ve done, but don’t worry, someone who’s not impostors will eventually conceived and yield the iPhone of VR headset, and thank god it won’t be Meta or Apple.

  • metaphysician67

    i think it’s good to have competition, although with HTC’s track record past the original Vive and Vive Pro being, well, spotty, and the fact they’d have to have at least a sidequest store in addition to their own store, the latter being also a bit on the light side, content-wise. i’d also be happy not to have my data sold and would pay more for that. i’m still holding out for the Apple device as the better hardware but i might consider this one if that one gets delayed too much or Apple’s concept is not on point. of course i could care less about gaming really. i don’t hardly have time to game anyway. but if the price was say $1200 or less it might be enticing. $2K or above would be way way too much if they’re positioning it as ‘consumer’, however.

  • NL_VR

    Interesting.

  • gothicvillas

    Why they dont pack a laptop in the headset? They should stop with this the smaller the form the better.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      But that’s what the masses want, smaller and lighter headsets, but ofcourse with as much power as possible.

      • gothicvillas

        I get that. But still, it would be interesting to see how would that hmd look with all the bells and whistles. When I was a kid I imagined VR headsets like a motorcycle helmets :) Im fine with the size and think many more would be. Perhaps, some seperate box attached to waist like a walkman. Anyway, time to find a cryo container and put myself to sleep for some 20 years. This gen only cares about the looks and size, not the performance.

    • Dave

      I want the complete opposite. Make it light as possible and throw away the internal computer. All we really need is wireless from the cloud, computer (both PC VR) or mobile (Mobile VR)

      • gothicvillas

        Yes makes sense if we are talking about pcvr hmd. I was reffering to standalone. If i have standalone, i want to play HL Alyx on highest settings and not a washed down version. How to achieve that? Currently only by packing in more components. Maybe in the future we will have small form factor but i dont have life extension to see future. We have tech available now to make great standalone and match the power to top gaming laptops.

  • Master E

    Someone needs to create a high level HMD , with all the bells and whistles, make a base station or console that it can optionally be tethered to. Have a wide field of view preferably 120<, inside out tracking eye tracking etc… and just flat out make it’s biggest gimmick that it doesn’t collect data for advertisers.

    Make a metaverse hub playground/Sandbox where people can have their basic social life and games

    Then connect to games within a virtual arcade within that land. This arcade could be something like In Dreams on PS. In addition to dropping incentives for advertisers to simply add product placement within the hub world and or developed games.

    I dont mind ads if sorts embedded into games. I do mind all my data being used to feed me some algorithms perception of what I like and am looking for. It’s too bad users have become more the product than the devices they use. And very intrusive

    • NL_VR

      Pitch it to Pimax :)

    • ViRGiN

      you dropped your tinfoil hat

      • Master E

        Yes… no tinfoil hat needed anymore for what’s obvious from these tech giants.

    • mepy

      You got all that in the Varjo Aero with Index controllers except the wireless part, although ceiling mounted cables on pulleys works quite well.

  • Juan Ritz

    We all want somewhat similar things from this industry, and yet somehow these message boards are consistently obnoxious. By all means, have conversations, heated ones even, but why are so many people dead set against being reasonable and courteous around here? I don’t mean this question sarcastically; is a large portion of the comment section children/teenagers? It truly isn’t that difficult to not be jerks to one another, and you’ll find that a lot more ears will open up if you find a way to be adults. I’m not talking about hoping for some sort of kumbaya nonsense either, just an effort to be decent humans. That’s not what we’re searching for, though, is it? It’s just a hunt for that next dopamine hit. Regardless, I hope that everyone has a good end to the year and that this finds you and yours well.

    • ZeePee

      Indeed. Its extremely toxic here, not sure why I bother commenting.

      • metaphysician67

        yep it’s depressing how easily a couple of regular posters can turn the comment threads into an uncivil cesspool. what i don’t understand is the either/or mentality of these folks. it usually ends up in a pissing match between advocates of standalone/Meta and PCVR. seriously who cares if a section of the VR market want better performance and are willing to pay for it?

        i do not believe for a second that any focus on other aspects besides consumer VR funded by Meta is somehow damaging the market, and that those folks deserve to be harassed and insulted. it’s just stupid and childish. we all want VR to succeed and grow, right? and more companies doing it is a good thing.

        • ViRGiN

          > who cares if a section of the VR market want better performance and are willing to pay for it?

          Who cares if someone has negative opinion? Those are always shit on for some reason. Don’t like something, don’t read it. Toxic positivity isn’t going to bring better products.

      • Cl

        I’m convinced some of them are paid trolls

        • Rosko

          Yes they used to have them in the Oculus forums, the amount of time they spent trolling i just assumed they must be getting paid by Oculus.

      • ViRGiN

        I am the king of toxicity eheheh

    • Nevets

      You’re right. Sadly, some commenters on this site are young, angry guys who aren’t getting enough, so their frustration displaces onto comment boards. The satisfaction they get from their toxic behaviour ultimately feeds into their self-sustaining cycle of misery and anger, and they still don’t get enough. Luckily, folk like us treat our fellow humans better!

    • Ad

      VR is its own religion, and people have gotten more angry since they realized that Facebook doesn’t want to make anything positive for the worst and most people now hate VR or don’t care about it since it was turned into a vehicle for a hellish corporate “metaverse.” VR is more than that, or at least could be, but “coulda’s” don’t matter.

      • Juan Ritz

        It’s just going to take patience. As a whole, consumer VR has been a disappointment on the media side, but it has continued relevance and growth on the professional end. There’s obviously currently less general investment flowing into XR, but I’ve consistently received invites from universities and companies that are interested in immersive training and simulation development. So long as society doesn’t collapse, we’ll get there eventually!

        • Ad

          I don’t care if VR becomes mainstream. I honestly find the obsession weird at this point.

    • Rosko

      Just add them to the block list.

  • Adrian Meredith

    This looks great but I doubt it’s got xr2 gen 2 in it and you’d have to be made to get a headset without one in

  • ApocalypseShadow

    It’s great. More headsets equals more competition. This isn’t a bad thing. Facebook controlling the market without competition isn’t a good thing.

  • AschVR

    Focus 3 controllers… why do I need 3 controllers… wait, OMG!!!

  • ZeePee

    The consensus of all respectable historians (including atheist) conclude that Jesus absolutely did exist, and that it was all true including his death on the cross, burial, and the empty tomb, right up to the resurrection.

    The dispute, is if he really is the Son of God and truly rose from the dead.

    Your ignorance is actually scary. Your soul literally depends on finding this out whether this is true or not, and you do not even know that Jesus Christ of Nazareth exists?

  • Smokey_the_Bear

    woohoo. I owned a Vive in 2016, it was my first awesome VR headset. Since then I’ve Owned a Quest, then Quest 2. I assumed my next one would be a quest 3, but this is looking pretty appealing. As always, I eagerly await CES!

  • Anon Imus

    Don’t we have enough premium headsets already? They were supposed to get CHEAPER as time went on. Been hoping to upgrade my Vive but the only cheaper option is to sell you soul to Facebook and own a big fat NOTHING in the cloud.
    No wonder the industry is stagnating and there are barely any interesting games.

    • Bob

      Are you still on the 2016 HTC Vive? It’s 2023 for Gods sakes and you’re still living in SDE land. Good lord.

      • Anon Imus

        That’s why I want to upgrade. But pretty much everything is above 1k and I’m not willing to spend this much considering how few decent games are released and how many of them are even hardware locked.

      • Anon Imus

        Any recommendations for a sub 700 euro headset? Not standalone, I have a decent enough PC ( I think, 2080 super and i9)

    • Andrew Jakobs

      You could buy a Pico 4..

    • Ad

      Reverb G2? It was $300. I don’t like mine but that’s compared to an Index.

  • Nik Med

    It’s a hard pass – headsets are supposed to be getting cheaper not more expensive they just keep working against the consumer for some reason

  • Cl

    Hope you had the same sentiment about the quest pro

    • ViRGiN

      I hope you had the same sentiment about valve index back in 2019

      • Cl

        Which one was that? I think this is good because it undercuts quest pro.

  • Nik Med

    I’m sure it’s possible but not probable – im starting to feel like these are being marketed as consumer but really aimed towards commercial /business use because anything else just doesn’t make any sense..

  • Charles

    The Vive Pro 1 is still, in my opinion, the 2nd best all-around headset. And it was released almost 5 years ago…

    Everything HTC has released since has had one fatal flaw or another.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      I agree, especially with the wireless module (if you can get it for half the price as the 400+ euro’s is just ridiculous). If the pro 2 or cosmos had OLED screens it would be another story.

      • Charles

        The Pro 2 surprisingly had a respectable LCD display, due to increased contrast combined with a backlight that automatically-adjusts for the scene. But it was ruined by an unacceptably-low binocular overlap, which makes things look much less 3D, and causes a lot of people to constantly see the inner-edge of one of the lenses, right in the middle of the view, as a ghost-image (“binocular rivaly”).

        • XRC

          Bought VP2 last year, glimpses of amazing display screens obscured by unpleasant lenses and equally unpleasant stereo overlap. Didn’t end up keeping…

    • 3872Orcs

      Which is 1st in your opinion? I agree with Vive Pro being the second best headset, well kind off.. Vive Pro 1 with the wireless add-on is the headset I should have kept instead of upgrading to Index. Index is an overall better headset and I actually rate it as the overall best headset but I could not get used to cable and the drifting stick issue ruined the experience for me once it crept up. For me Vive Pro with wireless would have been better. But I would not have this knowledge if I had not owned an Index. With better controllers and wireless Index would have been the perfect headset (for its time, now it need a refresh).

      • Charles

        The Index is pretty good all-around, but with one fatal flaw (aside from the issues you mentioned). It uses LCD screens with very poor contrast and black levels, which greatly reduce immersion and aesthetics compared to OLED. Poor black levels (really only gray levels) make dim and dark scenes feel like wearing a cheap laptop display on your face rather than being in a place. Low contrast makes bright and vibrant scenes feel dull and overcast. But, if you’re using it more for business than enjoyment, it’s a solid choice. Same with the Reverb G2 – great if your goal isn’t maximal immersion and aesthetics.

        My opinion is that the Odyssey+ is the #1 best current headset, all things considered (assuming you update the firmware and buy a VR Cover for it). Not only is it OLED, but it’s the only headset that allows you to get 100% pure-off black levels (which can be switched on and off using OpenVR Advanced Settings). It has the same resolution as the Index, except it has a unique “screen door effect filter”, which makes it look like you’re using a 4K display downscaled to 1600p.

        But it’s looking like the PSVR2 just might finally take that title away, assuming someone gets it working with SteamVR.

  • ViRGiN

    Durrr xr2 gen 2

  • Ad

    A product like this is primarily software powered. Obviously if this has a depth sensor that’s a big value add but you need to properly make use of it and support the downstream product stack that even facebook has not developed. HTC has no chance of doing it. And even with hardware, these controllers alone simply make it a worse value than the Quest Pro. Which is impressive considering the Quest Pro is entirely useless and will always be useless (no, a netbook in an HMD is not a use case).

  • Tommy

    $1400? That’s a big NO for me.

  • Sky Castle

    Looks like a Quest Pro prototype with last gen controllers.

  • I’m a little surprised they didn’t continue pushing those awful little trackpads. I guess that’s just a Valve thing. (I hated the little trackpads… I hate them so much…)

    Mini-Trackpad fanboys, UNITE! Tell me again how great they are. I’m certain you’ll convince me this time that they aren’t annoying and useless wastes of precious controller space, taking up space that should be used for ACTUAL useful buttons and joysticks. They are the Quicktime Event of user interfaces.

  • Clownworld14

    they did well with the original HTC vive, but since then, they’re gonna find stiff competition on every other front.