There are a multitude of different companies vying for dominance in the VR hardware space. But two have always gone head-to-head over the years; Meta and HTC Vive. Whilst Meta has firmly cornered the consumer market with Quest 2, HTC Vive tended to head down the enterprise route. The next battle is now going to take place in the higher end of the market, with HTC unveiling its VIVE XR Elite, the main competitor to Meta’s new Quest Pro.
Both are $1000+ USD mixed reality (MR) headsets, able to offer VR gaming as well as augmented reality (AR) functionality. Even though they are capable gaming devices, with Quest Pro backwards compatible with Quest 2 games and VIVE XR Elite offering a pre-order gaming bundle, these are business-class headsets first and foremost.
The initial specifications highlight plenty of similarities between the two, Snapdragon XR2 processors, 12GB RAM, 2 hours battery life and more. Yet there is the odd significant difference between the pair.
For instance, the VIVE XR Elite’s battery head strap is removable to offer a more comfortable experience whilst resting your head back – you still need to plug in a battery pack. On the other hand, the Quest Pro’s controllers have three cameras and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor built-in, so the headset doesn’t need to track them. Great for occlusion purposes.
Headset Specifications
| VIVE XR Elite | Quest Pro | |
| Storage | 128GB | 256GB |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ |
| Resolution (per eye) | 1920×1920 | 1800×1920 |
| Tracking | 6 DoF Inside-Out Tracking | 6 DoF, Eye, Face & Hand |
| Field of View (FoV) | 110° – diagonal | 106° – Horizontal (95.57° diagonal) |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 90Hz/72Hz |
| Connectivity | 2 x USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 1), Bluetooth 5.2 + BLE, WiFi 6 | 1 x USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 1), Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6, Air Link |
| PC Connectivity | Yes | Yes |
| Audio | Integrated speakers | Integrated speakers, 2 x 3.5mm audio jacks |
| Sensors | 4x Tracking Cameras, 16 MP RGB camera, Depth sensor, G-sensor, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor | 10 x Tracking Cameras for 6DoF, MR, eye & face |
| IPD | 54-73mm | 55-75mm |
| Battery | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Accessories | 2 x Controller (15hr batt life), battery cradle | 2 x Meta Quest Touch Pro controllers (8hr batt life), Charging dock |
| Weight | 625g with head strap | 722g |
| Price | £1,299 GBP/$1,099 USD | £1,499.99 GBP/$1,499 USD |
The Meta Quest Pro is available now whilst the VIVE XR Elite is available to pre-order. Pre-orders are open until 15th February with 5 free games bundled in if you do.
Will you be ordering either of these expensive headsets? Let us know.