HTC Vive XR Elite with Deluxe Pack — Mixed Reality and PC VR Headset + Controllers

I recently got my hands on this HTC VR headset. While there are some impressive aspects, there are also a few drawbacks worth mentioning. As a first-time VR user, I found the setup and usability to be straightforward, and the performance of this headset is indeed top-notch. The visuals are smooth, which enhances the immersive experience. One of the standout features is the Mixed Reality experience. It seamlessly blends the real world with the virtual, creating a captivating environment. Whether gaming or exploring virtual worlds, the transition feels natural and fluid. Comfort is another major plus. I was concerned about feeling weighed down or uncomfortable during extended use, but the ergonomic and well-balanced design allows for hours of wear without discomfort, which is great for long gaming sessions. However, the price is a bit higher than other AIO VR headsets available on the market. While the comfort and performance are excellent, this headset is a costly investment. My recommendation is for those who are willing to pay more for added comfort and an impressive Mixed Reality experience. Overall, this HTC VR headset offers solid performance and comfort, but the high price tag might not be justifiable for everyone.

I bought this with the intended propose of content creation as well as an upgrade from my old clunky HTC Vive Cosmos. While the fit is much more comfortable and lightweight I would still rather use my old headset. Assembly and setup was very straightforward but my number one biggest issue with this thing is the horrible battery life when using the full face tracking (sold separately!) which is super disappointing as the face tracking was the main reason for buying this. I initially thought the issue was with the battery so I bought another one off of the HTC website and it wasn't much better. The battery life lasts about 30 minutes and the one it came with stopped working completely! I used the recommended voltage to charge it so that is not the issue. The standalone performance is also quite sub-par, and was honestly better on my og quest. For full body tracking features you need to purchase a dongle (which I did, also sold separately!) which is only compatible with the ultra expensive Vive Ultimate Trackers that I don't own! Unless there is a way to jump through some hoops to use the 3.0 Vive trackers, this also defeats the propose of me buying this thing in the first place. Overall I wish I had spent all this money on something else

This new bundle with the "Deluxe Pack" seems to have fixed all of the comfort problems that previous reviews complained about - the new soft cushion/gasket has zero light bleed, and was comfortable to wear, even after an hour. The new wide "deluxe" head-strap also provides comfort and balance for extended use. I tried several apps/demos from the Vive Store, probably the Mona Lisa virtual tour was the most impressive. There was 1 app that required hand-tracking only (instead of controllers), and while it was good at tracking my hands & fingers location, it was almost impossible to "click" so I gave up on it. The Browser lets you watch YouTube 3D videos (and I assume other websites). I tried PC tethering (Half-Life:Alyx) both with Wifi 6E and USB3 - the USB was way smoother/consistent. I tried to use Windows 11 "mobile hotspot" but that didn't work with 6GHz band (even though the Wifi adapter supports it) - not HTC's fault, just pointing out to anyone reading this that USB is better and less frustrating - just have to get a long cable that has a 90-degree USB-C connector on 1 end (the wide headstrap has a hole in it for the USB port on top of the battery pack, but I can almost guarantee you'll break the connector and/or port if you try running USB cable through there while playing). The lenses are good - I like that it lets you use without glasses - though my prescription is 4/4.5 and I had to rotate to 5.5/6 (the max), so if your glasses Rx is worse than ~5, it might not provide enough correction. IPD adjustment is great. The resolution is also high enough to read text in-game and via passthrough video (I could reply to message on phone without taking headset off). I couldn't test phone mirroring as that's an Android-only feature (I have iPhone). LCD color quality is not as good as OLED, but weren't any "god rays" with these lenses. FOV is similar to other headsets (way less than the claimed 110, at least for my head/eyes). The setup/calibration process was easy enough, but I have experience with a few other VR headsets. The controllers (inside-out tracking) were quite accurate, never had a problem with losing them or "jumping". Fan noise is definitely a thing - the built-in speakers are decent, but I wish it had a 3.5mm headphone jack to plug in my own headphones (most bluetooth headphones are too laggy for gaming). Should you get it? at the $899 sale price, it's $100 cheaper (and does more) than the Valve Index bundle, but still costs more than Meta Quest 3 (with battery+strap).

I bought this and it was cool at the time but looking at it now vs my quest 3 and looking at product specs of a quest pro I would rather buy a quest pro than this, vive headsets are cool but not worth imo especially this one, I bought supposedly also with the "deluxe pack" and got the headset and controllers but no deluxe pack and the lens onside at the top was cracked, its not visible now cause I have also bought the face tracking module which is cool but the extra attachment and face plate make it one uncomfortable and makes things less visible to me because it keeps me away from the lenses themselves. which is a bad design, even this product at 599 I wouldnt buy it I would rather save my money for a quest pro or continue saving to see what Pimax has or the BigScreen Beyond 2.

Good headset just a little more difficult to setup than I’d like it to be. Graphics are great. I mostly play with it directly plugged in but the battery life is a good amount when unplugged. Good stand alone and pc vr headset. It’s also small and lightweight so not a whole lot of weight on your head.

What can I say. Overpriced crappy quality. It’s the HTC way it seams. Retuned it.

Bad standalone variety with only a few unheard of VR titles, tethering performance is bad and has comparability issues with some VR games, putting it together is alright, and it looks nice... but for what this is?.. it's a huge disappointment

First week of owning it and setting up was super easy I had no issues. Second week I go to use it and it will not connect to pc wirelessly all of a sudden. The pc won’t show up in the connections on headset yet I have changed nothing- I then uninstalled everything required for vive and reinstalled. It didn’t change anything. I reset the headset. Still won’t show connection. You can’t use a splitter on it. So I can either be plugged into the pc to use pcvr and get like an hour or less of gameplay because the battery is SO BAD. Or I don’t get to use pcvr but I can add a power bank. All of this defeats the purpose of what I bought it for which is specifically content creation.. thinking about returning it due to the no pc connection as I can not find a fix for it.