I am not a rich woman. I don’t have the funds to invest in a virtual reality headset, nor the free time to make the investment pay off. But if I did, the VIVE XR Elite would be a decent contender for my home VR headset.
As our reality steadily loses its appeal, the bright promise of a virtual one gains ever-increasing appeal. Companies like Facebook are looking to the metaverse as the next evolution of the internet, while the COVID-19 pandemic has made us all too aware of the need to actually escape when we physically can’t.
However, I never seriously considered buying a virtual reality headset. The exorbitant cost of virtual reality headsets combined with a relative lack of software has made virtual reality very much a common domain, deterring dedicated hobbyists and more well-earned individuals. Although virtual reality is creeping more into domestic spaces, shelling out several hundred dollars for entertainment equipment that I will rarely use on the occasional free weekend isn’t a responsible financial decision for me at this point.
As such, the $1,099 VIVE XR Elite is a fancy, flashy, unnecessary luxury. It’s like the equivalent of buying a device Gorgeous, but impractical dress Just to put it on and look at yourself in the mirror from time to time. It all means I kind of want to anyway.
VIVE XR is very easy to set up. (finally.)
From a just getting started standpoint, the VIVE XR Elite is quite an achievement. The extremely easy setup of the headset has nothing to do with it. You don’t need a specific computer to run it, you don’t need to mount VIVE Base Station sensors around your room, and you don’t need to deal with a thick cord that runs from the headset like a joystick. All you need is a smartphone and a good Wi-Fi connection, and you’re good to go.
It took me just a few minutes to set up the XR Elite, which basically involved mapping out my playing area so I didn’t walk across a table while gaming. This felt like magic to me, after spending so much time standing on chairs setting up the sensors of other VR headsets around the room. With the XR Elite, I can just put on the headset, use a controller to define my limits, and then dive right into VIVE’s virtual living room and explore their library of content.
The XR Elite doesn’t even require you to fiddle with separate headphones, or attach audio equipment to put on your ears. Instead, it features built-in speakers and microphones, which do an amazingly good job of delivering clear audio to the user without leaking out too much noise. This does not mean there is no sound leakage at all, but what it does do is whisper quiet.
The VIVE XR Elite headset is surprisingly small and lightweight, and it uses its battery pack on the back to balance out the goggles on the front so you don’t feel unbalanced. You can also detach the battery, replace it with levers similar to those on the glasses, and hook yourself up directly to a PC and power source, but that wasn’t my preference. The arms of the glasses felt a bit too flimsy for my tastes, and the headset felt front-heavy without the battery to balance it out.
The two controllers included with the XR Elite—the same ones used with the Focus 3—are also extremely lightweight. In fact, the controllers are light enough that I initially wondered if their batteries were missing.
It wasn’t, but what the XR Elite leaves out is built-in eye tracking. It’s not a hugely felt absence, and the feature is due to arrive in a later addon, but for now at least, the $550 PSVR2 has one on VIVE in this department.
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At a resolution of 1920 x 1920 pixels per eye, the Headset XR Elite doesn’t have much in the way of peripheral vision. The 110° field of view coupled with the magnetically detachable face gasket creates the effect as if you were wearing a diving mask. I also found that tightening the headset securely made the gasket dig into my forehead more than it was comfortable, prompting a lot of fiddling and re-adjusting to try to fix it.
Unlike other VIVE headphones, the XR Elite does not have a head strap that runs from the forehead to the back of the head. This allows more room for different hairstyles or headgear, but it also means that the only factor keeping the headset in place is how tightly you adjust it. It’s kind of like a vice president.
These shortcomings are largely forgotten once I immerse myself in a game, and I’m more preoccupied with shooting AR enemies than making sure my headset is properly seated. However, I didn’t want to wear the XR Elite for a long time.
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One of the cool features was the front-mounted XR Elite camera, which allows you to see the real world around you. All you have to do to return to non-virtual reality is stick your head outside the pre-determined playing area, or double-click one of the headset’s buttons.
I’ve found this scrolling feature to be very useful whenever I need to interrupt game time to interact with people around me, or simply want to grab a snack. The image quality wasn’t great — while I could technically see my smartphone screen, it was incredibly difficult to read anything on it. But it was good enough that I didn’t feel trapped in my headset or forced to take everything off just to find a bag of chips.
Specs by spec: VIVE XR is also eyewear friendly.
Another feature that impressed me the most is the ability to adjust the focus of the headset to suit different visual prescriptions. In older VR goggles, people with goggles had to choose between an uncomfortable arrangement of the goggles on the goggles, or taking off their goggles for a blurry VR experience. Like the VIVE Flow before it, the XR Elite addresses this by providing dials that allow you to adjust pupillary distance and diopter, essentially correcting your vision in the headset itself.
Unfortunately, you can’t simply grab a prescription for glasses, plug the numbers into a headset, and call them on a daily basis. The XR Elite is not a medical device and Not all optical prescriptions are supported(Opens in a new tab), so some eyeglasses users will still be out of luck. I also found that the numbers in the headset’s focus adjustment features didn’t exactly match the format on my prescription, so instead I had to manually fiddle with the numbers until the image was sharp. But once the setup was done, I was happy to be able to use the headset without having to fiddle with my glasses.
Of course, the ability to adjust the focus of the XR Elite means that switching between different players on the fly isn’t very practical. But it’s a game changer for single glasses users who are tired of VR goggles smashing their glasses in their faces like a high school bully with a cafeteria tray. Fingers crossed that VIVE finally implements different profiles with custom presets that the headset can automatically adapt to when selected.
Apps and apps are everywhere, but not a game to play.
Unfortunately, while I’m generally impressed with the VIVE XR Elite’s ease of use, I’ve struggled to find games that do it justice. Lack of content is an ongoing problem throughout VR, as software development continues to be difficult and expensive. Creating VR games in general isn’t an attractive financial decision either, as the small number of headsets in circulation means there is a significantly smaller pool of potential gamers than PC or console gaming.
The VIVEPORT Store is home to “thousands” of games, apps, and experiences, starting with 3D tilt the brush To the hell of mixed reality Yuki VR(Opens in a new tab). Individual books can be purchased, or a large library can be accessed via a paid VIVEPORT subscription. But like dating, you don’t need thousands of options if there are just a few excellent ones. In my case, I struggled to find The One.
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One of the best games I’ve ever played down the rabbit holeAnd Alice in Wonderland– An inspiring adventure that has me guide characters through puzzles in a fantasy diorama-like setting. I spent most of the time in this place, peeking through the hollow trees and around the dreamlike teacup ride like a curious giant. However, skipping the other titles left me cold.
You’d be better off knowing exactly what games to use it for, than hoping to find a VIVEPORT gem.
visual novel Tokyo Chronos It doesn’t quite work in VR, leaving players to stand and read floating text boxes while moving between character models. Many of the apps in VIVEPORT’s library were more of a virtual scene than a game, and its simple gameplay lost its novelty after a few minutes. some It was specifically aimed at meditation, like a cave diving game deepbut I found swimming in an underwater cave less relaxing than was likely intended.
Of course, you can also connect the VIVE XR Elite to your PC, which will open up a world of other VR games for you to try out. But if you’re thinking about getting a headset, it’s better to already know exactly what games you’ll be using it for, rather than hoping to find a VIVEPORT gem.
VIVE XR is a hidden win for Kpop fans.
As such, although I liked the VIVE XR Elite headset itself, the available software left me a little confused by the experience. That is, until I remembered an old YouTube video from 2018.
I am a fan of kpop. Specifically, I’m a fan of Stray Kids, the eight-member boy group behind Pop Like “MIROH”(Opens in a new tab) “the back door,”(Opens in a new tab) And “thunderous.”(Opens in a new tab) I’ve followed them practically since their debut, and I watch their content daily.
As such, I originally saw Stray Kids’ STATV 360 video debut(Opens in a new tab) When it was first released in 2018, which featured the group dancing to their song “I am you”(Opens in a new tab) While surrounding a 360-degree camera. However, in the absence of access to a VR headset, I would click and drag a YouTube video to frame it and watch the full episode of the debutant idols.
Now thanks to the VIVE XR Elite, I’m finally able to experience my favorite K-pop boys as God and STATV intended: in glorious virtual reality.
To my surprise, the experience was incredibly realistic. It felt as though I had a group of charming Korean boys singing and dancing in a circle around me, accompanied by animated hearts and wonders. It was enough to make an undignified noise out of me that sounded akin to revving up a child’s chainsaw. If Stray Kids could shoot more VR content, I would greatly appreciate it.
I checked out some other VR videos too, both on YouTube and VIVEPORT. Unfortunately, many of these had moving cameras and/or cuts, which spoiled the immersion. The Stray Kids 360 performed by far the best I’ve seen, even without taking into account my status as an avid fan.
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I don’t recommend paying $1,099 for the XR Elite just so you can get your nearly favorite K-pop group you love for three and a half minutes. As exciting as it may be, I’ll admit that buying a VR headset just for this purpose wouldn’t be a sound financial investment.
But if you’re looking for a PC-compatible VR headset, know what software to run it on, and have some cash to burn, the lightweight, easy-to-use XR Elite makes fair case for itself. While I’m not quite ready to splurge on a VR headset for myself just yet, it got me this slightly closer to imagining my future with one in it.