HTC VIVE PRO 2 System VR Headset and Controller Review
First Glance:
HTC VIVE PRO 2 VR system is a class apart from the other VR controllers like Oculus. First up, let’s talk about the build of the headset. The headset is built sturdy and quality of plastic and other materials used on the product is great. Although bulkier than the Oculus, it has much more to offer in terms of features and the experience.
HTC VIVE VR System is a complete Virtual Reality controller built for the STEAMVR and VIVE’s own metaverse portal VIVERSE.
LOOK & FEEL OF HTC VIVE PRO 2 VR Full Kit
As mentioned above, the VR Headset uses some of the best quality materials available and an ergonomic design overall across the headset and the controller.
The Controllers look futuristic with all the aesthetic cues and details done right. Otherwise, it would’ve looked plain boring.
While wearing the headset, you would feel the weight of it. (Hope they reduce the size in the next version) Due to this, you’d feel a constant pulling down. However, the premium cushioning at all the right places, makes it comfortable to wear over longer period of time. You can get immersed in the gameplay and not be bothered by the weight of the headset.
Setting up Experience
HTC VIVE Pro 2 VR requires quite a bit of setting up to be done before you get started. There’s instruction available along with the product which you can use to connect the hardware to the PC and also by following the instructions on which wire goes where, it’s a little tedious but everything is pretty much explained.
Especially with configuring the hardware and connecting them to room tracking & positioning.
Next, you configure the base station with your account and setting up the locale, etc. Most of these setup have to be done through your windows system. Once you’re done with that, you’ll have to calibrate the headset and controller by manually rotating it for better accuracy.
Onto the next important guided setup, the Chaperone system which ensures that you don’t crash into the wall. 🙂
Full Scale Room VR with the CHAPERONE System
VIVE PRO 2 VR comes packaged with two room boundary marking sensors called the Chaperone System. You can add these two sensors at the extremes of the room to measure room size and detect any objects in your path while playing. The Chaperone will create a virtual boundary and sound an alarm whenever you’re getting out of the boundary or when you’re about to collide with an object.
Platform & Game Availability
The headset was initially designed and developed for windows based SteamVR and with the announcement of the Meta’s Metaverse, HTC didn’t want to get behind. It is building a completely different Virtual World of it’s own called the VIVERSE.
The product has an inbuilt ability to connect to HTC’s own VR content store called the Viveport. Viveport has a range of games, apps and experiences built exclusively for it’s range of VIVE VR products.
Over 1000+ Games and VR experiences are available for the headset. STEAM is already a gaming platform that has titles which has VR and Non-VR games. Using the headset, you can play both type of games. Games like
Chronos & EVE: Valkyrie bring out the best game experience the VR headset has to offer. For the uninitiated, if you’re getting into VR for the first time, Google has a set of VR experiences such as Tilted Brush and a few other titles for you to experience. They’re fun.
Camera & Sensors
G-sensor, gyroscope, proximity, IPD sensor, SteamVR Tracking V2.0 are some of the sensors that the VR Headset uses these sensors to offer precision tracking.
The VR headset also has a camera in-front of the Headset. When switched on, you can see your surroundings in monochrome. We figured it’s only utility is that you can quickly switch between the view to interact with someone without having to remove the headset.
Interface
Right off the bat, the product comes packaged with STEAMVR’s network. The graphical interface of the product is excellent and in High Definition. STEAMVR is a platform built for gamers by Valve and it brings in years of experience to build a gaming platform for everyone. HTC and Valve have left no stone unturned to create the best possible experience for their customers. Everything on the STEAMVR platform works seamlessly as it’s been polished and perfected over several years through customer feedback and their own innovation.
HTC VIVE VR Controller Sound Quality
Immersive VR game experience begins with high quality surround sound the Vive VR headset offers. The Full kit has built-in High Fidelity sound. It supports three types of Hi-Res audio outputs. Headset Hi-Res certified headset (via USB-C analog signal), Hi-Res certified headphones (removable), High impedance headphones support (via USB-C analog signal) are all supported.
Spatial Audio however has to be encoded in the VR game/ experience that is being played for a true Binaural Audio experience.
Final Verdict: HTC VIVE Vs Oculus Quest VR Review
Oculus Rift has been the forerunner in the VR headset space. But the fact remains that HTC is no stranger to building hardware aimed at consumers and businesses. For the software and associated experience, it has partnered with the company Valve that brings years of experience creating platform for gaming and Virtual Worlds much before even OCULUS existed. The VIVE Pro 2 VR Full Kit, VIVERSE, VIVEPORT and the entire ecosystem is a result of this partnership. You can only expect the best out of this communion.
What we like in HTC Vive VR PRO:
– Customizable Interface
– STEAMVR’s support for a variety of VR game and experiences.
– Audio Quality
– Build quality
On the other hand:
Oculus Quest VR has certain advantages like games available, the hardware is much lighter and interface is quite refined. Also one of the most important deciding factor, the pricing of Oculus Quest VR is much lower and is available at $299 with a range of hardware for expanding your experience.
Reference: VR Headset for Metaverse reviews.