HTC Vive XR Elite Review: Quest Pro Gets A High End VR Headset Rival

HTC is the latest company to launch a standalone VR headset. The Vive XR Elite is billed as the company's "most versatile headset ever." It's light, stylish, and comes with a range of high-end features. It's also technically HTC's second wireless standalone headset and has a lot in common with the Vive Flow in terms of appearance, weight, and hardware design.

At launch, the HTC Vive XR Elite is going head-to-head with the Meta Quest Pro — and they have a lot more in common than just their price tags. Both devices can be used as standalone headsets, both have cut weight when compared to previous models, and both have features like color passthrough. In terms of wearability, both headsets come with a "halo strap" and have moved their battery to the back of the headset.

As you may expect, comparisons between the XR Elite and Quest Pro are going to crop up pretty often in this review. The hype surrounding both, their price tags, and the potential applications, means it makes sense. You'll also be familiar with a lot of the Quest Pro's features if you've ever used a Quest 2, so hopefully, the comparisons will help give you a better picture of what the XR Elite is actually like.

Under the hood, the Vive XR Elite isn't pushing any boundaries. The Vive XR elite uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip, which is the same one you'll find in the Quest 2 and Pico Neo 3 Pro headsets. The Quest Pro has a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ chip, which dissipates heat a little better and can take roughly 50% more power as a result.

The XR2 chip in the Vive XR Elite doesn't have that much of an impact on PC VR gaming, but it is at the core of the headset's standalone mode. In terms of raw power, it should be about level with the Meta Quest 2. I can understand HTC's choice of chip as the industry is still heavily focused on producing content for the Quest 2, which is the leading VR headset by a long way. Paying extra for an XR2+ chip would increase the price of the headset for the sake of giving customers some extra oomph that they may not ever need.

However, it is worth noting that Qualcomm will be releasing a new generation of chips soon. We could see a next-gen XR2 in the upcoming Meta Quest 3 headset, and if that headset takes off as much as the Quest 2 did the XR Elite may seem underpowered in a couple of years' time. Given the price tag, this is a device you would expect a lot of long-term use out of. So maybe the XR2+ would have been a better option after all. At the very least, HTC could have claimed they put the best chip readily available at the time into the Vive XR Elite.

The 4K display this headset contains is pretty solid. Once you're immersed in a game, the "screen door effect" all but disappears. You won't notice it if you aren't specifically looking for the tiny imperfections between the LCD's pixels. Colors seem vibrant, and the refresh rate should help with things like VR sickness if you're a newer user — though ideally, companies should be trying to push towards 120hz as standard — especially where PCVR is involved.

One of the best things about this headset is the adjustable diopter. I took this to a family gathering during the testing period and encountered a few people with less-than-perfect eyesight. After asking them to "rank their eyesight out of six" I managed to get the setting close enough to allow them to use the headset fairly quickly. This is a far better system than just making the headset bigger so glasses will fit in there. It is worth noting that there is a downside to diopters. Using this headset on the wrong setting can be like wearing someone else's glasses, so there is a chance you can damage your eyes with this. If someone else has been using the headset, make sure you double-check the settings before popping it on.

IPD adjustments are also fairly straightforward and don't require a mirror and a ruler. It has a little slider on the bottom right, similar to the one the original Quest came with. Adjust the slider until the lines on the screen are sharp and you're good to go. The pancake lenses have a large "sweet spot" so you should get a clear picture, even if your IPD isn't spot on.

Vive XR Elite is charged via a USB-C Cable, and its controllers are charged in the same way. That's three wires. It also means there will be times your headset and controllers aren't charged, and your play sessions will be delayed as a result. This was compounded by the controllers, which mysteriously lost charge while not in active use. The issue isn't clear at this time, but maybe depressing one of the grip buttons accidentally will "wake" the controller and kill the battery off.

Meanwhile, the Meta Quest Pro comes with a charging stand where you can set the headset and controllers while they're not in use. While this is probably terrible for the devices' batteries, it is incredibly convenient. The headset and controllers are always ready to go when needed.

While I'm not saying HTC should copy Meta's homework here, a more user-friendly charging system would be a huge quality-of-life improvement for this headset. Even releasing a controller that takes regular AA batteries would be a huge improvement over this system. At least then you could be good to go after a quick changeover.

Even basic standalone functionality is great on any headset, especially when traveling or trying to demonstrate how good VR is to other people. A headset that can just be turned on and placed on someone's head is better than having to deal with an additional laptop, router, or wire, and all of the things that can potentially go wrong with PCVR.

HTC hasn't done a terrible job. The interface is nice and functional. It's also nice to wander around your virtual home and launch apps by activating objects in it. For example, selecting the Mona Lisa hanging on your wall will take you to a VR rendition of France's Louvre art gallery. There's also a set of easy-to-navigate menus if you prefer that.

The issue lies with the apps available. The "VIVEPORT Store" has next to nothing of note in it. This will improve, but for now, you're stuck playing "Warplanes," some strange VR air guitar game, or a set of "VR Experiences" that were best left back in the days of Google Cardboard. This headset needs a few big titles, and hopefully isn't going to be held back by Meta's aggressive acquisitions of smaller VR developers over the last few years.

The full-color passthrough on the Vive XR Elite seems a bit sharper than the Quest Pro. On the downside, the perspective seems a little off sometimes. You can't tell your hand is close to your face if you're just going off the visuals. Instead, it just seems absurdly huge. But you will probably get over that when you see the weird level of skin detail the XR Elite's cameras pick up on. 

This passthrough camera is going to get even more useful when the headset's depth sensor is enabled. A depth sensor basically lets your headset work out where objects in the room are, and pick up the details of the room itself. Theoretically, this will make setting up a headset's safety boundary a lot simpler — but the benefits go beyond that.

Depth sensors are key to the whole mixed reality side of things. Instead of awkwardly trying to set things up with a controller, a virtual game board will instead automatically be placed perfectly on a desk. Virtual art can be slapped on your walls, and a big, fake, TV can be mounted on the other side of the room. New mixed-reality games also become possible. Think "whack-a-mole," or a VR version of "Portal."