HTC VIVE XR Elite

Overview

VIVE XR Elite is HTC's compact all-in-one headset for consumers. HTC announced it on January 5, 2023, opened pre-orders at $1,099 and began shipping in late February 2023. HTC later cut the US price to $899, and vive.com still sells it, now with a free Deluxe Pack of four comfort accessories. It runs standalone apps, streams PC VR games and can convert into glasses-style goggles.

Display and optics

Each eye has a 1920 × 1920 LCD panel running at 90 Hz, and HTC quotes a field of view of up to 110 degrees. Pancake lenses keep the front of the headset thin. An IPD slider covers 54 to 73 mm, and a diopter dial on each lens lets many near-sighted users, up to about -6, play without glasses.

Comfort and design

With the battery cradle attached, the headset weighs 625 g. The 24.32 Wh battery sits at the back as a counterweight, lasts up to two hours, is hot-swappable and charges at 30 W over USB-C. Take the cradle off and the front unit becomes glasses-style goggles that run from a USB-C power bank or another power source. Inside is a Snapdragon XR2 with 12 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, plus Wi-Fi 6E in countries that allow it.

Tracking and controllers

Four wide-angle cameras handle inside-out tracking, and HTC recommends play areas up to 10 × 10 m. A 16 MP RGB camera provides full-color passthrough, and a depth sensor helps with mixed reality. Hand tracking is built in. Eye and face tracking need the optional VIVE Full Face Tracker. The included controllers charge over USB-C and last up to 15 hours, and VIVE Ultimate Trackers add full-body tracking.

Software and apps

Standalone apps come from HTC's Viveport store, and HTC's VIVERSE social space is built in. For PC VR, VIVE Streaming connects the headset to a computer over Wi-Fi or a USB-C cable, so it can play SteamVR games without base stations.

Who it is for

XR Elite suits people who want a small, light headset that works standalone and streams PC VR, and who value the diopter dials and the glasses mode for travel. It costs more than the Meta Quest 3, which has a bigger game library. HTC's own VIVE Focus Vision is the better choice for built-in eye tracking and wired DisplayPort play.