New HTC headsets coming in June

[melmac]

Surprised nobody posted this news already. HTC are releasing two new headsets in June. The HTC Vive Pro 2 and the Focus 3.

HTC Announces Vive Pro 2 & Vive Pro 3 Headsets (uploadvr.com)

They seem expensive, especially the Focus 3, but it's for business.

Will anyone here be buying one?

 

[melmac]

VP2 looks tempting for me, I have the OG vive with the index knuckles and the wifi adapter. Currently though it's only 90hz just the wifi adapter, I wonder if that will change with firmware updates?

Is yours the TP cast one or the actual official Vive Wireless adapter?

At the moment the Official Vive adapter will only get 90Hz on the Vive Pro 2 and at a lower resolution. They are saying that there will be a firmware update to up the resolution but I am not sure about the higher refresh rate.

 

[melmac]

I’d spend £1000 on another headset if it ticked all the boxes.

Does the Vive PRo 2 tick all the boxes for you? (you would need £300 more if you don't have the base stations or controllers already )

 

[melmac]

Alas no.
Basically I want a higher res. CV1 as others have mentioned.
Miss the OLED blacks, great sound quality and comfort. Wider FOV, finer IPD adjustment would be good too.

Erm, have you read the specs of the Vive Pro 2? Apart from OLED, which area does it fall down?

 

[melmac]

Some people are claiming that he had the headset setup wrong and that's why it was so blurry and the FOV so small.

Here is another review.

HTC Vive Pro 2 im Test - Der 5K-Herausforderer mit großem FoV (vr-legion.de)

Not great either, as the guy is cancelling his pre-order.

 

[melmac]

I'd wait for the Tested review, they tend to be spot-on.

The Voodoo guys is normally pretty good though. Hard to listen to, but, is usually right.

As an aside, his Vive Pro 2 has stopped working!! So, his headset might have been faulty from the start.

OH MY GOD! My Vive Pro 2 is already BROKEN! - YouTube

 

[melmac]

The mumbling marine gastropod intro has gone!

Seems like a mixed bag of reviews so far.

 

[melmac]

Yep, we need the FOV, edge-to-edge clarity, comfort, and audio of the Index, resolution of the G2, controllers and tracking of the Index or Quest 2, and PC wireless of the Quest 2 with the option of a wired displayport PC connection like the Index/G2.

I'd buy that!

You forgot the £199 price tag

 

[melmac]

It looks so bulky and antiquated compared to newer headsets. For the price they are asking I would expect a complete redesign.

Anyway this guy increased the FOV with a thinner cover:

Well, all the headsets in that video have a larger FOV when using a thinner cover. So, he should have really tested all of them with the stock over and all of them with a thinner cover.

 

[melmac]

I think the VoodooDE is based on a flawed headset or simply a compatibility issue with the reviewer because MRTV quite clearly shows some different results.

MRTV is a terrible reviewer. I wouldn't trust his opinion on any headset. The headsets he likes are never as good as he makes them out to be and he tends to gloss over any faults they have.

MRTV was the one who kept saying the quest 2 was awful, and the G2 was amazingly better, glossing over the tracking etc all the time. Not sure I'd trust him any more/less than the voodoo reviewer.

Others seem to think it's decent though, think the small sweet spot complaint (and not really 120 degrees) seems fairly constant though? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Basically this. He hypes up headsets he likes to the max.

Your summary is pretty accurate from the information we have at the moment. Decent headset with terrible lenses and not really 120 degrees.

Here is another review

HTC Vive Pro 2 Review – "Pro" Price with Not Quite Pro Performance (roadtovr.com)

They say the same thing and their FOV measurements are more in line with the two German reviews where the horizontal FOV isn't even as good as the Valve Index.

Still waiting on reviews from better reviewers like Tested, Cas and Chary, and Tyriel Wood.

 

[melmac]

Mine arrived this morning, its my 1st VR headset so I am both excited and nervous.

If its a pile of spanners its going back though if you're charging a premium price its got to be a decent product no excuses.

Must have close to the 120 HFoV, good edge to edge clarity, good colour/black reproduction and enough VFoV...

The sweet spot sensitivity, mic performance and some lens glare in certain scenarios is something I could live with along with minor mods and adjustments to achieve the above.

Tracking and hand controllers is a non-issue as I've gone for the Index and Base Station 2.0 which if you were a G2 owner would set you back an additional £500 to the headset in order to rectify those weaknesses in the G2

good luck Bigbang. Hope it's a great headset.

What are you upgrading/changing from?

 

[melmac]

thanks, its a 1st time headset for me I have tried a Vive OG and an Oculus S but never owned any VR equipment until now.

Ah, you will think it's amazing. Don't worry.

 

[melmac]

HTC Vive Pro 2 VR Headset Review! - YouTube

Tested review for those who were waiting for it.

 

[melmac]

this person has done a good write up from there initial impressions, I would agree/concur with their findings:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ValveIndex/comments/nuib1s/vive_pro_2_first_impressions_upgrade_from_valve/

For every user positive review, there seems to a couple of negative ones, with some posters saying they are returning theirs. It seems to be a mixed bag and lines up with the professional reviewers of the headsets. Some found it good, some found it not so good and others found it terrible.

From all the reviews and user opinions I have read, I think a persons experience with the Vive Pro 2 will depend on how well the headset fits them. And, yes, it has always been this way, different headsets suit different people. But, I think the Vive Pro 2 seems to be extra finicky about fitting just right. I am guessing it's because the sweet spot is tiny. If you are lucky enough that the headset fits you perfectly, then you will find the headset amazing.

And, that's the big issue. It's too expensive a product to have so many "meh" reviews. At that price it should be the best headset without a doubt, like the Valve Index was when it released.

 

[melmac]

So after a few more days experimenting....

I've seemingly fixed my graphical issues which is good, the latest challenge has been the perfecting the sweet spot.

finding the sweet spot/eye box as a new VR user has been a bloody ball ache im not gonna lie, but when you've got it set up correctly omg what a difference to the scene and clarity of image. The trick I've found is letting the facepad sit above your brow (so quite high on your face), then adjust the headstrap, then adjust the HMD head band, tighten up and finally bring in the screens close to your eyes

That's the vibe I am getting from all the reviews. Get the screens as close to the eyes as possible.

Good to hear you are happy with the headset. Don't know do you know this, but, there is a software tool out there called Revive, it lets you play Oculus titles on your headset. Games like Asgard's Wrath, Lone echo etc.

Oh, There was firmware update yesterday, make sure you install it, seems to improve performance. I think it improves how DCS works.

 

[melmac]

I've not used it yet but was thinking about it for Vader Immortal....

Tried the EA Hind module in DCS the other day just sitting in the cockpit, wow VR is such a game changer for flightsims the difference cant be understated.

Pity about the news on Frontier doing the dirty sanchez on Elite Dangerous development with VR, I hope they reconsider that not what I expected from them at all tbh

It's free, so you lose nothing by trying it out. If it works well, you have a lot of Oculus Exclusives that you can play like Asgard's Wrath and Lone Echo.

Totally agree, VR is a game changer for flight sims, car sims, space sims. Been there, instead of watching it on a screen, is just an amazing experience.

Yeah, damn you Frontier!! I was going to finally start putting serious playtime into Elite Dangerous when the new DLC dropped. But, they have abandoned VR, so I won't bother.

 

[melmac]

Having had my vive pro 2 for 2 days I decided to send it back. Apart from the improved resolution it’s not even on par with my vive pro 1 and Samsung gear vr lens mod. The sweet spots tiny. The headphones are worse and the softwares buggy as hell. Had lots of bsod’s and a constant usb disconnect/ connect sound when using the headset. I can’t be arsed to be a beta tester again. What is wrong with company’s these days everything’s in beta when it’s released.

Are you sure the USB disconnects and BSOD's aren't a problem on your PC? Haven't seen these issues reported anywhere else in regard to the Vive Pro 2. Have you sent it back, it might be worth trying the Beta branch of the software before you do.

As for the rest of your post, yeah, I have friends who have "upgraded" to the Vive Pro 2 from either the Vive Pro or the Valve Index and they have all returned the headset for nearly the exact same reasons as you. The Vive Pro 2 is clearly an after thought, their priority is the Vive Focus 3 for business. They just put the lenses from the Focus 3 into the Vive Pro casing and some how managed to mess up the head phones and mic along the way.

 

[melmac]

It looks like it's going to be HTC's sleeker looking version of the Oculus Go.

Mainly used for media and some light gaming.

Event is today at 4pm, so not long to wait.

 

[melmac]

Apparently based on hand-tracking.

But I loved my Go as a media device. I'd definitely like a modern version with a high-resolution display just for watching movies in bed. The Quest 2 is great, but the battery strap makes it awkward to lean back in bed and rest your head. The only caveat is it'd have to be relatively cheap.

And that's the problem, it's $499 which will probably be £499 here. Or maybe that's a good sign and it's going to be a good enough device to warrant that price.