HTC VIVE Pro vs Valve Steam Frame
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| HTCVIVE Pro | ValveSteam Frame | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | April 2018 | September 2026 |
| Display | ||
| Resolution per eye | 1440 × 1600 | 2160 × 2160 (better) |
| Panel | OLED | LCD |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 144 Hz (better) |
| Field of view | – | 110° horizontal |
| Display details | Dual 3.5-inch AMOLED displays; 1440 × 1600 per eye at 90 Hz. HTC's stated 110° field of view has no specified axis. | Two 2160 × 2160 LCD panels, one per eye; 72, 80, 90, 120 and 144 Hz (144 Hz experimental) |
| Lenses | Fresnel lenses retained from original VIVE (Ars Technica); eye relief adjusts separately | Custom pancake lenses with glass and non-glass elements; field of view up to 110° (Valve gives 110° horizontal and vertical to UploadVR); eyeglasses up to 140 mm wide |
| Lens spacing (IPD) | Physical lens-spacing knob with on-screen distance indication; manufacturer range omitted because not established | 60–70 mm target range, adjusted with a wheel on top of the headset |
| Tracking and input | ||
| Eye tracking | No | Yes |
| Hand tracking | Yes | No |
| Controllers in the box | No | Yes |
| Colour passthrough | Yes | No |
| Sensors | SteamVR Tracking 1.0 and 2.0 compatible; external base stations required. VIVE Hand Tracking SDK supports controller-free tracking in compatible apps. Original Pro has no built-in eye tracking; Pro Eye is a separate model. | Inside-out; 4 outward-facing monochrome cameras for headset and controller tracking with IR illuminators for low light; 2 interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming; no controller-free hand tracking (UploadVR) |
| Controllers | Original headset-only package excludes controllers and base stations; existing VIVE controllers and base stations can be reused. Later Full Kit includes Controller (2018) and SteamVR Base Stations 2.0. | Steam Frame Controllers with 6-DoF tracking, ABXY buttons (right), D-pad (left), full-size magnetic TMR thumbsticks with capacitive touch, analogue triggers, bumpers, dual-stage grip buttons, capacitive finger tracking and a haptic motor; one AA battery each, about 40 hours; 130 g each with battery |
| Passthrough | Two front-facing RGB cameras; HTC's SRWorks SDK provides a stereoscopic see-through view and depth sensing. Camera software support was expanded after launch; use requires compatible software and enabling cameras in SteamVR. | Monochrome passthrough from the outward-facing cameras; front expansion port (dual MIPI camera interface or PCIe Gen 4 x1) takes accessories such as the Arcturus Vision colour camera |
| Performance | ||
| Works | Needs a PC or console | Standalone or with a PC |
| Chip | – | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Storage | – | 256 GB, 1 TB |
| Chip details | – | 4 nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, ARM64; runs SteamOS 3 (Arch-based) with KDE Plasma desktop |
| Memory | – | 16 GB unified LPDDR5X; 256 GB or 1 TB UFS storage; microSD card slot |
| Connections | Powered link box connects to PC over DisplayPort 1.2 or newer and USB 3.0; supplied DisplayPort and USB cables. Proprietary headset tether; optional VIVE Wireless Adapter sold separately. | Streams from a PC, Steam Deck or Steam Machine over Wi-Fi; headset has Wi-Fi 7 2 × 2 with dual radios (5 GHz Wi-Fi and 6 GHz VR streaming at once); Wi-Fi 6E (6 GHz) USB wireless adapter included; Bluetooth 5.4; no DisplayPort cable connection |
| Design | ||
| Battery | None (powered by a PC or console) | Built in |
| Weight (headset) | 769 g | 440 g (better) |
| Battery details | – | 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery at the back of the headstrap; charges over USB-C 2.0 at up to 45 W (15 V, 3 A); Valve doesn't give a battery life |
| Audio | Removable on-ear headphones with built-in amplifier; integrated microphones. HTC also supplies Audio SDK support for alert and conversation modes. | Dual speaker drivers per ear built into the headstrap; dual microphone array |
| Strap | Rigid adjustable headband, rear sizing dial and top strap; 769 g without cable measured by Tom's Hardware. Its complete headset and cable measured 1017 g. | Modular headstrap (245 g) holding the speakers and battery; the 185 g core module detaches for other straps; core module and facial interface 175 × 95 × 110 mm |
| In the box | Launch headset-only package has headset and cable, face cushion, cleaning cloth, earphone hole caps, link box, power adaptor, DisplayPort cable, USB 3.0 cable and mounting pad; PC, controllers and base stations separate | Headset, two Steam Frame Controllers, Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter, standard light blocker, face gasket and head cushion; Half-Life: Alyx licence. No power supply; Valve sells a 45 W one separately |
More comparisons
- Meta VR Glasses vs Valve Steam Frame
- HTC VIVE vs Valve Steam Frame
- Meta Oculus Rift vs Valve Steam Frame
- Meta Oculus Rift S vs Valve Steam Frame
- Meta Quest 3 vs Valve Steam Frame
- Samsung Galaxy XR vs Valve Steam Frame
- Valve Index vs Valve Steam Frame
- Meta Quest 2 vs Valve Steam Frame
- Meta Quest 3S vs Valve Steam Frame
- Meta Oculus Quest vs Valve Steam Frame
- Sony PlayStation VR vs Valve Steam Frame
- HTC VIVE Pro vs Meta Quest 3
- HTC VIVE Pro vs HTC VIVE XR Elite
- HTC VIVE Pro vs Valve Index
- HTC VIVE Pro vs Meta Oculus Rift S
- HTC VIVE vs HTC VIVE Pro

