A cheaper Meta Quest Pro rival

HTC’s Vive division is one of the few bright spots for HTC these days, offering a wide variety of VR headsets and associated software. Now, the company has revealed the Vive XR Elite headset at CES 2023.

The new headset is designed with both virtual reality and mixed reality in mind, offering inside-out tracking, pass-through support via an RGB camera, and hand tracking.

HTC also says the device is equipped with a battery strap enabling up to two hours of mixed reality usage. The headset supports 30W USB-PD charging, but you can also connect to a different power source such as mains or even a power bank if you plan to use the device for a longer period of time.

What else should you know about the Vive XR Elite?

As for more conventional VR headset specs, you’re getting 4K resolution at 90Hz (2K per eye), 110-degree field-of-view, adjustable lenses, a depth sensor, a 625 gram weight, and Wi-Fi 6E support.

Of course, specs mean nothing without content. Fortunately, the Vive XR Elite supports standalone content via the Viveport service, but you can also enjoy Vive PC or Steam content via a PC using USB-C or Wi-Fi. Furthermore, the Taiwanese giant says you can also wirelessly stream content from your Android phone, such as Netflix or games.

The Vive XR Elite is available to pre-order globally from today with shipments estimated to begin in February. The device will retail for $1,099 / £1,299 / €1,399 and also includes two controllers and a headset battery cradle. This makes HTC’s headset significantly cheaper than Facebook’s $1,500 Meta Quest Pro headset.