The HTC Vive XR Elite is cheaper than expected, but it’s still too expensive
With features and prices between the Meta Quest 2 and the Quest Pro, the HTC Vive XR Elite is still too expensive for the average consumer.
He htc Live XR Elite It was announced at CES 2023 as a virtual/mixed reality headset with an impressively small form factor, but a disappointingly high price. CES is home to some of the biggest tech announcements of the year, and a new headset from htc he was teased before the event. It was priced at around $1,400 USD in rumors, which would put the device slightly below the recent Meta Quest Pro’s $1,500 price tag. Now that the XR Elite has been officially announced, its price falls below the rumored price tag, but it’s still way above where it should be.
VR has been in a drought for the past two years, with minor hardware innovations leaving the giant Meta with little to no competition. In the standalone VR space, Quest 2 remained untouched until Pico 4 launched in October 2022 as a true alternative thanks to a comparable price of roughly $425 USD. With the HTC Vive XR Elite, the company is looking to capture more of that independent market share. However, even with the XR Elite’s advanced features and impressive form factor, its $1,099 price tag makes it a hard sell for most consumers.
HTC XR Elite features and price explained
HTC has been making VR headsets since 2016, when it released the original Vive in collaboration with Valve. With the XR Elite, HTC improves on its previous hardware in many ways. At approximately 625 grams, the XR Elite has technical specifications slightly above the goal mission 2 but weighs almost 25 percent less. This is achieved in part through the use of thinner pancake lenses and HTC’s decision to move the battery to the back of the head strap, acting as a counterweight to help with weight distribution.
The HTC XR Elite sits somewhere between the Quest 2 and professional search in terms of its specifications, features and functionality. It includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor, 1920 x 1920 resolution per eye (3840 x 1920 pixels combined), 90Hz refresh rate, FOV up to 110 degrees, 12GB of memory, 128GB of storage, and Wi-Fi 6+ 6E. The XR Elite also has a depth sensor to enhance mixed reality experiences and allows users to connect to a PC wirelessly or via USB-C cable for PCVR gaming.
Standout convenience features include a folding design and magnetic faceplate, along with diopter and IPD dials that provide easy adjustment for different eye positions and prescriptions. The diopter allows those who wear glasses the ability to experience clear images without them, although the range of this adjustment does not go beyond -6. There’s also a USB-C port at the bottom of the headphones for external plug-ins, like an accessory that adds face and eye tracking for the metaverse.
Despite all of the clever design choices and impressive features of the XR Elite, the device suffers from the fact that the HTC XR Elite costs almost three times more than a Quest 2. At $1,099, one might think the device would compete with the Quest Pro, but since the XR Elite is aimed at consumers and the Quest Pro is aimed at businesses, the price is simply too high. The Quest 2’s $399 starting price puts it more in line with a game console, which is digestible for a general audience.
The XR Elite’s small size is certainly its main selling point, along with HTC’s stance on data privacy, reiterating in its announcement that it’s not interested in selling anyone’s personal data. This is a clear blow to Meta, as the company continues to come under scrutiny regarding selling personal data to advertisers for monetary gain. This is becoming more and more important to many users, so even at its high price, it might be reason enough for some to choose HTC on Meta.
He HTC Vive XR Elite It is expected to launch in February 2023.