HTC · VIVE

VIVE XR Elite

Released February 2023

HTC's convertible standalone mixed reality headset with a removable rear battery that turns it into lighter glasses, which can also stream PC VR, for people who want a compact alternative to Quest.

Works: Standalone or with a PC
Per eye: 1920 × 1920
Refresh: 90 Hz
Weight: 625 g

Standalone

What reviewers say

Reviewers agree it is light and comfortable, with a flexible design, and Digital Trends found it works well for PC VR. Both find its app library smaller than Meta's; TechRadar also criticises the high price and poor controllers, and Digital Trends notes a lower display resolution than the Quest 3.

From techradar.com and digitaltrends.com

Specifications

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Display

Resolution per eye: 1920 × 1920
Panel: LCD
Refresh rate: 90 Hz
Display details: LCD (TechRadar), 1920 × 1920 per eye (3840 × 1920 combined); 90 Hz
Lenses: Pancake lenses (Road to VR); field of view up to 110° (HTC doesn't say horizontal); diopter dials
Lens spacing (IPD): 54–73 mm, adjustable with a dial

Tracking and input

Eye tracking: No
Hand tracking: Yes
Controllers in the box: Yes
Colour passthrough: Yes
Sensors: 6DoF inside-out tracking with four tracking cameras and a depth sensor; up to 10 × 10 m play space; AI-driven controller-free hand tracking
Controllers: Two controllers with Hall-sensor trigger and grip, capacitive sensing on trigger, joystick and thumb rest; built-in rechargeable batteries, up to 15 hours
Passthrough: Full-colour passthrough from a 16 MP RGB camera; depth sensor

Performance

Works: Standalone or with a PC
Chip: Snapdragon XR2
Storage: 128 GB
Chip details: Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2
Memory: 12 GB RAM; 128 GB storage
Connections: PC VR through VIVE Streaming (wireless or cable); Wi-Fi 6 and 6E (country dependent); Bluetooth 5.2; two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C ports

Design

Battery: Built in
Battery life (maker's claim): Up to 2 hours
Weight (headset): 625 g
Battery details: 24.32 Wh removable, hot-swappable battery cradle at the back; up to 2 hours
Audio: Embedded speakers; dual microphones with echo cancellation
Strap: Battery cradle doubles as the rear strap, with a top strap; 625 g with battery, 273 g in glasses mode (TechRadar)
In the box: Headset, battery cradle, two controllers with lanyards, microfibre pouch, top strap, USB-C to USB-C cable, two USB-A to USB-C cables, lens protection card

Pros and cons

Pros

Removable, hot-swappable 24.32 Wh battery cradle; 273 g without it (TechRadar)
Pancake lenses with IPD (54–73 mm) and diopter dials
Colour passthrough from a 16 MP RGB camera, plus a depth sensor

Cons

No eye tracking without the separate Full Face Tracker
Up to 2 hours of battery life
90 Hz only

Closest rivals

Model	Works	Per eye	Refresh	Weight	Released
MetaQuest 3	Standalone or with a PC	2064 × 2208	120 Hz	515 g	Oct 2023
MetaQuest 3S	Standalone or with a PC	1832 × 1920	120 Hz	514 g	Oct 2024
MetaQuest Pro	Standalone or with a PC	1800 × 1920	90 Hz	722 g	Oct 2022

Sources

Photo: blog.vive.com

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