HTC VIVE XR Elite Review
HTC has recently launched the HTC VIVE XR Elite, and we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try it out. The product is currently available for preorder at a price point of $1099, which includes the headset, two controllers, and a battery cradle. While we will need to conduct further testing to fully assess its capabilities, initial impressions are positive and it appears to be a strong competitor to the Meta Quest Pro.
Transcript
00:00 So I just got back from testing one of the most anticipated products of CES
00:04 2023 the HTC Vive XR Elite. It's an all-in-one
00:08 premium VR headset that's here to take on the MetaQuest Pro, but does it hold up?
00:13 The XR Elite is a brand new premium all-in-one VR and MR headset. It's lightweight at just
00:23 652 grams and balanced well with a detachable battery pack to the rear of the device.
00:30 If you're after an even lighter weight experience,
00:33 you can remove the battery pack and replace it with the HTC Temple pads, then power the device via USB-C.
00:40 It truly is a sleek and comfortable design and should allow for long sessions in the virtual world without becoming uncomfortable.
00:47 Some of the units I tried also had a head strap that rested over the top of my head for extra security,
00:54 although when this wasn't present it never felt in danger of falling off.
00:58 The XR Elite has removable face gaskets that easily attach via magnets and
01:03 an adjustable IPD slider along the bottom right that allows you to reposition the lenses inside of the headset
01:09 without having to remove the headset.
01:12 There's a volume rocker along the right-hand side and while I certainly wasn't in an ideal
01:16 environment with around 40 people all playing and chatting in the same room,
01:20 I did find myself wishing that there was more volume than the maximum allowed for.
01:25 We'll have to do some more testing in a fairer environment when we receive a full review unit
01:30 before we can really have a verdict on the new speakers and audio though. When it comes to specs,
01:34 HTC has gone all out with impressive crisp 4k visuals at 90Hz and a 110 degree field of view.
01:42 I also got the chance to play Hubris, a game that up until now has only been available on PC VR,
01:47 but the XR Elite has the power to run it natively inside the headset.
01:52 Kayaking really showed off the XR Elite's graphical fidelity well with incredible detail and lighting and
01:58 my trip to the Louvre was equally impressive, allowing me to see real detail on the paintings and architecture.
02:04 I also had some brief time in the Viverse,
02:06 HTC's foray into the metaverse.
02:09 I saw some examples of what avatars in this world will look like and an example of a metaverse
02:14 workstation with several monitors and apps on display at a virtual desk.
02:18 Quality is impressive with text being clear and easy to read. The XR Elite features full-color
02:24 RGB pass-through cameras and hand tracking, making the MR experiences some of the most impressive that I tried.
02:31 That pass-through is so good that you can even read text on your phone or watch TV through it.
02:36 Those four wide FOV cameras also allow for very impressive hand tracking,
02:41 allowing you to ditch the controllers and ear guitar to your heart's content.
02:45 The XR Elite is available to pre-order right now and at
02:50 $1,099, which includes two controllers, the battery cradle and the headset itself,
02:55 it really doesn't seem like bad value for money at all.
02:59 We'll have to have some more testing time with the device before we can say for sure
03:02 that the HTV XR Elite looks to be giving the MetaQuest Pro a real run for its money.
03:08 Let me know what you think of it down in the comments below and subscribe to Tom's Guide here on YouTube
03:13 so you don't miss any of our other CES 2023 coverage.
03:17 [Music]