An all-in-one device for both gamers and non-gamers.
HTC officially revealed its next flagship VR headset that can be used by both gamers and non-gamers for VR and AR approaches. HTC Vive XR Elite is an all-in-one device that will you give you access to a wide variety of features, games, and activities you can do in both Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality environments.
While you can use XR Elite as a standalone device wirelessly, it also connects to a PC in case you want to use it for PCVR gaming or run some VR games via your Steam launcher on PC. The device is priced at $1099, arriving earlier in March 2023, with pre-orders already live.
XR Elite features 3840×1920 combined resolution with up to 110 degrees field of view and 90Hz refresh rate, which is already incredible for VR gaming. With the portable battery on, the device weighs only 625g. However, you can detach the battery and use much lighter headbands which allows you to use the headset almost like glasses.
You can connect XR Elite to a PC either with a cable or Wi-Fi 6E. That being said, the headset only delivers two hours of battery life, which might not be suitable enough for wireless PCVR gaming. So, you might actually need to connect a cable for longer hours of gaming.
The new headset features hand-tracking controllers as well as a full-color RGB passthrough camera. Other than that, you can expect up to 100 Mixed Realty and Virtual reality apps and games to be available for XR Elite around its launch window.
Along with Meta Quest Pro and PlayStation VR 2, HTC Vive XR Elite is going to mark the beginning of a new era in VR gaming in the industry. While Meta Quest Pro still remains the most expensive VR headset of the new generation, it remains unknown who will be the winner of this new rivalry. Of course, PlayStation does have a strict focus on gaming, which might make it the top choice for gamers next to the other expensive options. That being said, PSVR 2 requires a PlayStation 5 as well, which makes the whole price close to that of Meta Quest Pro or Vive XR Elite.
