HTC VIVE PRO
Next-gen VR brings perfectly clear vision and a more comfortable headset, so now you can truly lose yourself in another world
Next-gen VR has landed, but is it worth the mega price tag HTC wants to charge us? And… is it actually wireless? We strap on the Vive Pro and venture into VR lands unknown
£1,048 (complete set) vive.com
The HTC Vive has always been the leading virtual reality experience when it comes to room-scale immersion. Although rival headsets such as the Oculus Rift have since expanded to help you physically move around to navigate in a VR, and the PlayStation VR does it to a point, no other headset has quite been able to replicate what the Vive offers.
Tech me on
While still in the lead, HTC is now surpassing even itself by launching the Vive Pro, an upgraded headset with higher-resolution displays and a more ergonomic design.
On the tech side there are two big changes. First is an increase in pixels, climbing to 2880x1600 (1440x1600 per eye) and representing a 78 per cent increase from the original Vive. Second is high-res audio headphones built into the headset.
It’s clear from the way HTC has positioned the Vive Pro that it’s intended for those who are already very familiar with virtual reality headsets. But after you’ve forked out the staggering £799 price you might be surprised as to what you actually get in the box: just the headset, the link box, a DisplayPort and USB cables for connecting the Vive Pro to
your PC, a power adapter and the mounting pad for strapping down that link box. And that’s it.
To actually use the Vive Pro, HTC is expecting you to already own the pair of controllers and the two base stations required for tracking all of your movements. There’s currently no simple bundle that gets you all of the necessary kit in one box, though HTC is doing a deal when you buy the Vive Pro that offers two Vive 1.0 controllers and two 1.0 base stations for £249. The total amount (£1,048) is a rather large investment. Hell, even shelling out £799 for the headset is a lot to ask, especially if you have previously spent a bundle of cash on accessories.
Room with a view
The good news is that the Vive Pro will work perfectly with your existing Vive kit, so it’s a matter of swapping out the headsets and link boxes to use in your VR space. On that note, we had no problems getting it running.
If you’re new to the VR game you need to prepare for what a faff it is getting everything set up properly. You have to download the drivers from the HTC Vive website, run the setup software and get everything plugged in. Then you must position the sensor units up high enough by balancing them on bookcases, tripods or screwing them into your walls; map the space that you want to use to play Vive Pro games; then finally run through the tutorial. That’s before you factor in whether you’ll need to clear extra space in your room to properly play. There’s a standing-only option if you have a small space, but for the true Vive experience – one that makes it worth the big outlay – you’ll need a space at least 2x1.5m/6.5x5 feet.
For a lot of UK homes, keeping that much room clear on a regular basis isn’t easy. And it doesn’t help that, despite running the room setup several times over the course of testing, the software kept shifting our play space to the right, putting us in constant proximity to breakable things and a brimming fish tank.
The tracking isn’t always perfect, occasionally losing sight of one or both controllers mid-game. In fact, it’s a little immersion-breaking when you’re trying to take on a swarm of aliens in Doom VFR. Regardless of the complexity of the setup, there’s nothing more rewarding in games than the virtual experience the Vive Pro has to offer when it’s in full swing. The difference between the first Vive and the Pro is staggering.
Eye candy
The biggest upgrade is the improved sharpness. The twin OLED screens don’t just deliver a higher-resolution experience overall (the original Vive’s resolution was 2160x1200 total), it also means that pixel density is increased by 37 per cent.
The upshot is that having many more pixels in the same space means you can’t see the individual dots any more. The ‘screen door effect’, as it’s known, was prevalent on the first Vive, the Oculus Rift and especially the PlayStation VR, which is lower resolution than the other two. Seeing the pixels that make up the screen heavily detracts from the immersion you get from the games you’re playing
or the experiences you’re having in VR. But that’s all gone with the Vive Pro and it seriously changes the overall VR experience for the better, making it easier for you to forget that, in reality, you’re still standing in your living room looking like an utter plonker, rather than, you know, actually being out there, surviving the wastelands in Fallout 4 VR.
That improvement in resolution and pixel density also makes text a lot easier to read and understand quickly. There’s a distinct sharpness increase, which adds to the sense of immersion you get with in-game interfaces and any other times when you need to understand something on-screen.
The display refresh rate is 90Hz, the same as the original Vive. It’s high enough to trick the eyes and avoid feeling artificial, though the 120Hz PlayStation VR is still the king.
Lightening the load
Aside from the resolution boost, HTC has spent a lot of time refining the ergonomics. Technically, the Vive Pro is heavier than the original headset, and compared to the PSVR or Oculus Rift it feels like a deadweight. But, when you get it on your head, you quickly realise that the weight is better balanced and distributed, applying less pressure to your face. Thanks to a new rear headrest and a tightening mechanism on the back that’s not dissimilar to the PSVR, the Vive Pro sits far more comfortably than the original Vive did.
The area that comes into direct contact with your nose has also been tweaked, reducing the amount of light that gets in; before this tweak, that pesky light would have reminded you that you’re still in the world you tried to leave behind. The original Vive headset didn’t come with
headphones either, instead requiring you to plug in any you had to hand. The new integrated headphones reduces the wires hanging around your body as you play, and makes the most of the spacial audio provided by the Vive Pro. Everything sounds beefy and detailed, and with a good 3D effect, contributing to a higher sense of immersion.
What’s interesting, though, is that despite the fact that the HTC Vive Pro website shows a man leaping about all over the place, this is still a tethered experience. HTC is releasing a Vive Wireless Adapter later this year, but it’ll be an additional cost for Vive Pro owners. Even if you hold off buying the Vive Pro until the Wireless Adapter is released, it’s unlikely to be thrown in for free.
It’s a seriously exciting and potentially game-changing solution if it works as well as HTC promises, but it’s yet another costly upgrade.
Powering up
When it comes to a PC, you’ll need to power a full Pro experience. HTC recommends using a rig packing at least 4GB of RAM, an Intel Core i5-4590/AMD FX 8350 processor or better, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 480 or better. You can buy a suitable setup from about £650, though we’d recommend looking at around the £900 mark for something that will last a while.
That said, we tried the Vive Pro running off a Nvidia GeForce 980 Ti graphics card and it was fine, so you don’t necessarily need to go with the latest-generation graphics if you’ve already got a solid PC.
With all of this in mind, the Vive Pro is an odd one for us to recommend at this stage. It’s clear that it’s the best immersive virtual experience you can buy; the clarity and detail is such a contrast to the original headset that it feels less like a Vive 1.5 upgrade rather than a visual overhaul, particularly for the big-budget VR release. But the timing and pricing feels off. If HTC sold all of the accessories and the Wireless Adapter in one box it could justify the premium price.
Pre-orders in the UK sold out rapidly, so there’s clearly a demand for better-quality VR. For us, though, such a premium price should also include the Vive Wireless Adapter.
The HTC Vive Pro might offer the best VR experience on the market, but having to buy all the extras to be able to use it properly makes it a very expensive proposition if you are coming to VR from scratch. Throw in the space and setup requirements and it’s best to consider this an investment in the best VR experience. If you’re happy to make that investment, we can recommend the Vive Pro. For an easier setup and lower cost, the PlayStation VR is still the best option. For a room-scale experience at a lower cost, the original Vive bundle is a good buy at half the price (£499).