06 Apr Virtual Reality Check: Rating the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift
JUST a week after Facebook released the Oculus Rift, the first high-powered virtual reality device for consumers, a less publicized contender has arrived: the HTC Vive.
Similar to the Rift, the Vive — a joint development by the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC and the video game distribution company Valve — is a virtual reality headset that connects to a powerful computer.
The Vive is even more expensive than the Rift — it costs $799 for the headset and $1,000 to $2,000 for a compatible computer. Facebook’s Oculus sells the Rift headset for $599, or $1,500 when the system is bundled with a computer.
There are plenty of other differences, too. Here’s how the Vive compares with the Rift.
What’s Included?
The Vive system includes a pair of motion controllers for interacting with objects in virtual reality and a camera embedded in the front of the headset that lets you peek into the real world. It also includes earbuds for sound and two base stations for detecting motion. The computer must be bought separately.