HTC introduces its new consumer-oriented mixed reality headset, the Vive XR Elite. This standalone headset should compete against the Meta’s Quest Pro, among others. HTC Headset costs 1449 euros including two controllers.

the Vive XR Elite Introduced by HTC as a lightweight and customizable headset. The product weighs 625 grams, which is more than the Quest 2, but 722 grams less than the Quest Pro. The Vive XR Elite is aimed at consumers who want to play games, play sports, consume other media, or perform productivity tasks.

A defining feature is the removable back of the headband which also houses the battery. Removing them, which makes the headset look more like large glasses, can come in handy on the road or for sinking into a chair on the couch. Power must come from another source in this scenario, for example by plugging the headset into the mains via USB or via a separate power bank. There is a small battery built into the headphone section that provides power for ten minutes, giving the user time to plug in an external power source.

The headset has a resolution of 1920 x 1920 pixels per eye or 3840 x 1920 combined, a 90Hz refresh rate, 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and the base consists of the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 that’s also in the Quest 2. It’s unclear which kind of these screens. There are four wide-angle cameras that track the user’s hands or the inline controllers. There’s also a diopter option and the distance between the two lenses can be adjusted, allowing users to take their glasses off, according to HTC.

As a mixed reality headset, it is possible to switch between playing virtual reality games and augmented reality applications. so color passes Possible, where a single RGB camera is used. This includes the option of external cameras that record the environment and send that image to the screens of the virtual reality glasses. The Vive XR Elite can be connected to a PC via USB-C, but also via WiFi, with support up to WiFi 6E. There’s no eye tracking support, but optional modules for tracking a user’s eyes or face will be added later this year.