HTC Vive Review: The Cost of True VR Freedom
Our Verdict
The HTC Vive delivers an unrivaled virtual-reality experience with crisp graphics, accurate room tracking and intuitive affect-enabled controllers.
For
- Room-tracking technology is eerily accurate
- Shine graphics with piffling latency
- Touch controllers are easy to utilise and highly adjustable
- Large library of games
Against
- Requires a lot of infinite and electrical outlets to employ
- No built-in audio
- SteamVR Interface can exist difficult to navigate
Tom'due south Guide Verdict
The HTC Vive delivers an unrivaled virtual-reality experience with crisp graphics, accurate room tracking and intuitive affect-enabled controllers.
Pros
- +
Room-tracking applied science is eerily authentic
- +
Smooth graphics with little latency
- +
Touch controllers are piece of cake to use and highly adaptable
- +
Large library of games
Cons
- -
Requires a lot of space and electric outlets to employ
- -
No built-in audio
- -
SteamVR Interface tin can exist difficult to navigate
Editor's Annotation Updated 02/01/21: We even so consider the HTC Vive ane of the best VR headsets available, but if you want higher resolution or a standalone organisation, we recommend checking out the Vive Pro .
The side by side phase of virtual reality is here: The Valve-backed HTC Vive headset ($799) is the total packet — delivering a multifariousness of thrills and chills via its room-tracking technology and its touch-enabled controllers.
Now when VR explorers take a spacewalk, they'll literally be walking around in a space with a pair of surrogate hands to interact with the world at large. But consumers looking to accept a walk on the VR side better make sure they accept the necessary room to suit the Vive and its large menagerie of moving parts — or else the fun will be over before information technology starts.
HTC Vive review: Pattern
Where the Oculus Rift seemed to purposefully go for an understated wait, Vive designers yelled screw it, and permit their geek flags wing high and proud. Crafted nearly entirely from a matte black plastic, the Vive headset looks similar the one Major Motoko Kusanagi wears in the Ghost in the Shell series. Instead of a shine faceplate surface, the Vive has 32 strategically placed photo-sensors surrounded past wells of varying depth (more on that subsequently).
You'll observe a dial to adjust lens altitude along the lower right side of the headset and a button to toggle betwixt interfaces on the left. A large photographic camera sits lesser center of the midline that leads to the prominent HTC logo stamped on the forepart of the device.
HTC Vive review
Directly behind the keepsake is the space where the front end headband and cables needed to connect the head-mounted display to the PC are located. 1 of those cables has an adapter where you lot plug in either the earbuds that ship with the headset or your own personal pair. The side bands are held in place on either side past a pivoting articulation marked with Vive. The adjustable, Velcro-lined bands are much wider than the ones on the Rift, but are also much shorter, leaving less leeway to get a comfortable fit going.
HTC Vive review: Comfort
The Vive is rather comfortable once y'all get it on correctly. I wore the headset for near 2 hours straight, with no sick consequences. However, I and my headset-averse locks did have a struggle getting the headset to fit properly. Afterwards giving the straps a lot more slack, and after a lot of tugging and pulling at my hair, I was able to slide the HMD over my head without incident.
From there, the biggest comfort event was the cord constantly winding itself effectually my legs. I wish Valve and HTC had added a foot or two more to the cable length; there were a number of times when I felt the cables tighten as I tried to walk from one side of the room to another.
HTC Vive review: Lighthouse and chaperone
Room tracking is ane of the biggest differences between the Vive and Oculus Rift. Instead of being bars to your chair, Vive owners can literally walk around their play space and become up close and personal with their virtual environment. It'south a joint effort to attain this feat, starting with the base of operations stations, which alluvion your room with invisible infrared light using LED and laser emitters — just like a lighthouse. The resulting lite is picked upwards past those thoughtfully placed photo-sensors on the headset and controllers.
Once light from the base station hits the headset and controllers, each device determines which photo-sensors were hit and from which direction. From there, they use that data to pinpoint where you're standing in a 3D space and what direction you lot're facing.
In society to go along you from accidently tripping over a piece of piece of furniture or faceplanting into a wall, the Vive also has Valve'due south Chaperone software. Once you've traced the outline of your room and Vive setup software has mapped your play area, Chaperone comes into play.
Someday you get close to stepping exterior the demarcated boundary, a thin light-green grid appears. This early- warning system is your visual cue that y'all're almost to walk into something and have an almost- guaranteed-to-go-viral VR moment.
In practice, Chaperone was on the ball, quickly throwing up the grid as I made my fashion through a infinite station in Universe Sandbox. I reached out my hands to detect that I was mere inches abroad from the wall.
Depending on how close a wandering pet or person is to yous when yous're navigating through VR space, Chaperone will send up a warning grid to finish a potentially painful standoff. However, I did manage to hitting our photographer in the process of shooting down an enemy fighter. I wasn't aware of his presence until I heard a loud oomph and felt a thud. (Sorry, Jeremy.)
HTC Vive review: Setup
A lot of things have to exist just right in order to take advantage of the Vive'due south room-tracking capabilities. Not simply does your high-powered PC have to possess the correct specs and ports, the room you're attempting to transform into a virtual wonderland has to be Vive-compliant, besides. The big affiche included with the headset states that you need at to the lowest degree 6 feet x 5 feet past 6 inches of free space to have a virtual walk — and that's merely for the headset.
You also take to accommodate the 2 base stations, which rails your movements and help keep you from taking an unfortunate tumble. To get the best effect, you'll need to make certain the stations are positioned at opposite sides of the room with a minimum 16 anxiety of space between them. The base stations come up with a mounting kit, and so you can either install the two rather conspicuous sleeky blackness boxes on your walls via a drill (?!) or try to place them on a couple of bookcases or shelves in the room.
Fortunately, HTC was prudent plenty add together a tripod-friendly screw mount to the bottom of the devices, which allowed me to infringe a pair of lighting fixtures from our lensman to spare our meeting room from getting an impromptu renovation.
My tiny space was found to be wanting, forcing me to drag a rather big couch out of the room in lodge to gratify the Vive gods.
Just before I could breathe that well-deserved sigh of relief, I had to check that everything was nearly a power source. In addition to my PC and monitor, I also had to make sure that the base stations and the Link Station — which serves as the connection between the HMD and PC — were plugged in. You too have to find some other pair of outlets in order to charge the controllers. Thankfully, our Tardis meeting room is lousy with outlets and Ethernet stations, only some older houses and apartments might run into bug. When all was said and done, I needed seven outlets to accommodate everything.
While I was doing the physical setup, the Vive setup software was running on my PC, installing and providing step-past-step instructions to help me achieve the virtual promised state. When the install is complete, it's time to measure the space for Room Tracking. Using the controllers and the headset, the base stations take a scan of the room. From there, I was prompted to place the controllers on the flooring so it could be calibrated. Next, I had to trace an outline of my proposed space and let the software determine whether or not information technology was sufficient.
On my start go-round, my tiny space was constitute to be wanting, forcing me to drag a rather big couch out of the room in order to appease the Vive gods. You can, of course, configure the headset to a continuing-only configuration, but where'due south the fun in that?
HTC Vive review: Walking in virtual wonderland
It is i thing to be seated while exploring an immersive 360-degree world, but it'due south quite some other to actually walk through one. I was thrown for a loop when I was prompted to attain down, catch the flooring and enhance information technology to waist level, so I could better navigate the dungeon-crawler A Legend of Luca. Every bit I explored the sprawling floors of this randomly generating dungeon, tossing and dodging fireballs similar mad, I couldn't stop myself from yelping at a surprise set on from a squadron of skeletons. And when I broke free of my stony prison house in Irrational Exuberance: Prologue to behold a sprawling creation, complete with comets and a radiant dominicus, I was stunned past the sheer dazzler.
One of my favorite games, Concluding Approach, turned me into an unlikely air-traffic controller. After spotting a aeroplane in the sky, I literally had to tap on the vehicle and draw it a safe flight path. In addition to managing everything in the heaven, I had to shrink downwards to put out ground fires and scare off birds that were blocking the airstrip, only to return to my giant stature to direct planes to take off — all without sending some dauntless pilot and coiffure to their fiery doom.
The funniest experience by far was Unseen Affairs, which turned my meeting room into a booby-trap-laden lair that I had to overcome by any ways necessary. That meant I had to connect with my inner Catherine Zeta-Jones when I encountered a laser-filled hallway. Thankfully, there were no cameras around to catch me itch on all fours or ungracefully rolling out of the view of enemy agents.
Unseen Diplomacy turned my room into a booby-trap-laden lair and forced me to channel my inner Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The biggest departure I noticed betwixt the Rift and the Vive lies directly in the movement. Fast-moving games such as Elite Dangerous aren't every bit nausea-inducing because you're not stationary. The movements you're performing in real life don't match up to the barrel rolls and quick darting maneuvers in the game; the fact that yous're moving at all kills that queasy feeling that stems from a disconnect betwixt what you're seeing versus what you're really doing.
HTC Vive review: Controllers
Grabbing a gun and squeezing an bodily trigger? Now this is the mode virtual reality was meant to exist done. Valve and HTC made the wise decision to ship the Vive with its pair of controllers and it makes a marked difference to any VR I've done thus far.
Thank you to the myriad of emitters embedded throughout the controllers and the base of operations stations' eagled-eyed sensors, I enjoyed agile, seamless tracking and input as I sawed open a human being'due south sternum and proceeded to remove his lungs in Surgeon Simulator VR: Meet the Medic.
Design-wise, the controllers are definitely out there. They await like someone tried to give a couple of those brawl-in-a-cup toys a hard-cadre sci-fi makeover, and failed miserably. The superlative of the devices are framed past a clunky hollow ring dotted with photograph-sensors. Aside from the clunky aesthetics, the nighttime grayness plastic controllers offering a wealth of interaction via buttons, triggers and trackpads located over their unique anatomy.
Along the center front of the controllers, you'll notice the trackpad, which is one of the most distinguishing features on the devices and acts as a scroll bike. My thumbs nimbly slid across the smooth pads as I worked toward my goal. The pads also function as buttons, producing firm, snappy feedback.
The touchpad is orbited past two smaller buttons at its north and south poles, designated the Menu and System Dashboard button, respectively. The initial printing of the Dashboard button powers on the controllers, while a subsequent double press will summon/dismiss the interface. The Menu push button will summon options within the game.
The sides of the controllers hold a pair of oblong, textured buttons, which like the touchpad delivered audible feedback. But where the touchpad has a good amount of bounce, I felt the side buttons were a footling potent. Notwithstanding, the rear triggers were prissy and springy and felt natural confronting my index fingers curled around them.
Weighing 7.2 ounces, the controllers are substantially heavier than the 1.iv-ounce Oculus remote but lighter than the Xbox One controller (9.9 ounces). I'm glad that Valve had the sense to put lanyards on the ends of these bulky devices, as they could practice a lot of damage if one inadvertently went flight.
Speaking of the Xbox One controller, at that place are a few games like Gamble Time: Magic Man's Head Games that require a traditional controller, so y'all'll want to accept ane on mitt.
HTC Vive review: Apps
Valve provided admission to 28 games, ane VR pic and one VR experience for me to peruse during my review. The majority of those games were Vive-exclusive, but some, like Adventure Time: Magic Human's Head Games, The Rose and I and TheBlu, are featured on both the Rift and the Gear VR.
In that location are some Vive apps that assistance demonstrate that VR is well-nigh more than blasting things.
When I went searching for more virtual-reality content in the Steam store, I ran across six pages of games, apps, videos and demos (totaling 130 pieces of content) that will go on you lot decorated in the days and weeks to come. You'll accept access to intense space shooters like Elite Dangerous, atmospheric mysteries such equally The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and light-headed fun like #SelfieTennis.
Although the majority of the Vive'south content is game-centric, there are some apps that help demonstrate that VR is well-nigh more than blasting things. For example, ScultrVR allows you to create your own earth to explore, while Google'south TiltBrush lets y'all create sculptures and drawings in 3D. The education-focused LectureVR enables teachers or students to hold classes in a VR setting, complete with simulated objects and interactive tools.
HTC Vive review: Interface
All correct, now that everything's gear up up, it's time to get to know your VR headset. The Vive has several interfaces yous tin use: Vive, Steam and Desktop. You'll find yourself using the SteamVR interface for the bulk of your time in VR. Valve decided not to reinvent the wheel, borrowing heavily from Steam's TV-friendly Big Picture interface for the SteamVR Organisation Dashboard.
The virtual-reality version of the interface is in that distinctive shade of blueish and is comprised of large, easy-to-read tiles, including Web, Shop, Library, Customs and Chat. Directly beneath the larger tiles, you'll observe three smaller boards labeled Friends Are Playing, Resume Playing and Don't Forget to Play. My Steam avatar, username and status appeared in the top left corner, while icons for notifications, mail and settings reside right next to a digital clock. The buttons to switch between Steam, Vive and Desktop sit down along the bottom above a black bar with a clock, volume and buttons for Room View, Settings and Power.
The Vive interface consists of three chief tiles for Vive Home, Apps and Notifications, and phone settings. The Apps tile is the repository for all your games and apps, while Vive Home transports you to some sort of space base, where you tin can utilize the correct controller's touchpad to teleport around and the trigger to return you to Steam. Desktop allows you to view and collaborate with your computer monitor in virtual space using the right controller to navigate.
Overall, I prefer the Rift'south interface over the Vive'south due to its cleaner presentation. Although I'grand familiar with Large Pic Style in Steam, this interface yet felt clunky and chaotic, especially when it comes to searching for VR content. Launching Steam in Vive Home makes for a prettier presentation, but it doesn't eliminate the overall disorganization. While I definitely capeesh the power to admission my desktop through the headset, outside of launching applications or clicking checkboxes, there isn't much I can do in desktop mode.
HTC Vive review: Photographic camera
In case you lot demand to search for something in the real globe, or merely really don't want to take off the Vive, yous can take a peek outside using the headset's Room View feature, which utilizes the born camera. The feature can also be used in conjunction with Chaperone so yous can see what y'all're about to run into.
Nonetheless, before you access the camera, it has to be enabled in the Steam Settings menu on the desktop. From in that location, y'all can enable Room and Chaperone view. Unlike the Passthrough Photographic camera part on the Gear VR, the Vive's camera doesn't deliver a clear image. Instead, the outside world is blanketed in a bright teal outline with black shadows. It sort of looks like heat vision in the Predator movies, but without the rut signatures. If you want a clearer image, y'all can plough on the photographic camera in Dashboard mode. That maps a regular motion-picture show of the world at big to the touchpad push on the principal controller.
The camera is a useful feature when trying to get from betoken A to point B without sustaining an injury, only its practicality ends there. With Room View enabled, I had no problem walking to my desk-bound and picking upwardly my phone. I easily entered my security pattern and could read the large digital clock. However, I couldn't make out whatsoever of my apps' icons, and in guild to read the text beneath the images, I had to hold my Samsung Galaxy S6 very shut to the camera.
As I engaged my Chaperone boundaries, I discovered the camera's depth perception was a footling off. When I reached out for i of the black stools in the room, my hand hit the piece of furniture sooner than expected, signaling that objects viewed with the Vive's photographic camera are closer than they appear.
The camera'south default setting is set at a 60 hertz refresh charge per unit, which could potentially interfere with the base stations' tracking power. If that happens, you can suit the refresh rate from the desktop in increments all the way down to xxx hertz. In the Settings carte du jour in the virtual interface, you tin change the photographic camera colour.
HTC Vive review: Phone syncing
Now that yous take the Vive on your head, Valve is hell-bent on making sure it stays on your head for every bit long as humanly possible. To achieve that goal, the Vive tin sync with your telephone via Bluetooth and then you tin can have calls, texts and messages while you're wandering around in virtual reality. Unfortunately, the feature wasn't bachelor during my testing period, but I'll update the review once the feature launches.
HTC Vive review: Store
Y'all'll be making the majority of your Vive VR purchases through the Steam Store, which displays its large library in categories such equally VR Showcase, Featured, Popular New Releases, Top Sellers Specials and Recently Updated in the headset. To admission genre-based categories, yous'll want to tap the For You lot tab, which offers listings for Indie, Action, Adventure, Casual, Strategy and Simulation. On the desktop iteration of the shop, y'all can access VR games by scrolling down to the Virtual Reality tab. From at that place, you can search titles by genre by checking off a checkbox or ii.
Later on selecting the game yous want to purchase, clicking on its corresponding tile will take you lot to an info folio where yous can access a summary, user reviews and VR Support. You can run into which languages are supported, watch a game trailer or livestreaming broadcasts, and of course, purchase the title.
However, purchasing the game is only one-half the battle — you still take to download and install your newly acquired goodies. Similar to the Oculus Shop, Steam but allows you to download one game at a time. But whereas Oculus pauses downloads when you launch a previously installed title, Steam lets you get down to the concern of playing while your new championship loads in the groundwork. Despite splitting network resources, I didn't notice whatever graphical degradation as I played through Carpe Lucem: Seize the Light, or Descent Underground.
Since developers set the prices in the Steam Store, costs tin vary wildly. Games like The Company are as cheap every bit 99 cents, while other more premium titles like Elite Unsafe command a hefty $29.99, or $59.99 if you upgrade to the Deluxe Edition.
HTC Vive review: Verdict
I took a walk through the future, and I want more. Instead of rooting you to a fixed indicate in your room and wrapping a 360-view around you, the $799 HTC Vive lets you lot stand up upwardly and explore it. Valve'south Lightroom technology allows you to map out a space that yous will walk, crawl or tiptoe through, depending on the game, while Chaperone ensures you lot don't walk into a wall or trip over a beloved pet. The virtual feel is still monumental, but the power to literally reach out and affect something is a game-changer.
As fun and mind-blowing equally the Vive is, a lack of built-in audio and a sometimes confusing interface are disappointing. The amount of setup is frustrating, too, especially for those of us who live in tiny apartments or houses that don't have the room or a cluster of outlets to spare. For those people, I recommend the Rift, which ways yous'll lose the room-tracking ability (for now), but will exist getting its own gear up of Touch controllers sometime this year.
Overall, the HTC Vive offers the most comprehensive and immersive virtual-reality experience yet in terms of sight, sound and move.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/htc-vive,review-3513.html
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