HTC Vive debuted its Live XR Elite virtual reality and mixed reality headset at CES 2023. It shows that HTC Vive is willing to compete with rival Meta, Pico and Sony in the next generation of virtual reality.

The Vive XR Elite includes both VR and MR capabilities, with full-color RGB camera for pass-through viewing. Lightweight at only 1.4 pounds, including the battery weight.

You can pre-order it from today. Based on the specs, it’s a close competitor to the Meta Quest 2, but at $1,100 it sits right in between the $400 Meta Quest 2 and the $1,500 Meta Quest Pro.

HTC said the headset is perfect for gaming, fitness, productivity and more.

“The VIVE XR Elite all-in-one represents the next milestone in the evolution towards the fully immersive web, going beyond current VR with precise pass-through video to open up a new realm of realism in learning and play” Cher Wang, chairman of HTC Corp., said in a statement. “This advanced yet compact device offers the best of all worlds for consumers and provides the ideal physical gateway to the universe of experiences offered by Viverse, our version of the metaverse, with the widest variety of content inputs, even down to the very latest standards such as wifi 6E.”

Vive XR Elite includes hand tracking, enabling a whole new dimension of MR scenarios. This could include playing games where the characters run over your furniture, real-time overlays on musical instruments like a piano so you can learn, and having a workstation with multiple virtual screens while still being able to use your real-world keyboard and mouse .

Lots of immersive content

Vive XR Elite will see HTC Vive’s biggest lineup of launch titles ever, with 100 new pieces of MR and VR content arriving in the launch window – from new games to classics – with more to come.

That includes Demeo, Hubris, Yuki, Maestro, Les Mills Body Combat, FigminXR, Unplugged, Finger Gun and more. There will be even more post-launch content like Everslaught: Invasion, and full MR games like Eggscape later in the year.

Vive XR Elite easily connects to a PC via USB-C to access PCVR content from Viveport and Steam and supports wireless PC streaming over WiFi or the latest generation – WiFi 6E with low latency and great graphics.

You can stream content wirelessly from a compatible Android phone to the Vive XR Elite, opening up a wider range of entertainment. In the headset, your cinema screen appears to be 300 inches wide. You can watch content from services like Netflix and Disney+ or games like Fortnite, and you can connect a Bluetooth controller to your phone for a full gaming experience.

All-in-one XR

The Vive XR Elite has a modular design that can be easily converted into a goggle form factor. You remove the battery and place the Vive XR Elite temple pads. You can change the physical configuration to work best for whatever situation you find yourself in, whether that’s at home, in the office, or on a plane.

The redesigned hinge means the Vive XR Elite’s extended arms hug your head, just like the front and back of a traditional all-in-one. On the right side is a USB-C connection cable, which you can connect to a power source such as a battery bank or airplane seat.

Intuitive operation with accurate tracking

With four cameras with a wide field of view, exceptional 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) spatial accuracy, a depth sensor, hand tracking and capacitive sensing for your finger movements on the controllers, developers have options to use VR and MR content for precise movement.

Vive XR Elite has both physical controllers and hand tracking for accuracy when gaming, using productivity apps or learning. Vive Wrist Tracker is also compatible to provide enhanced hand tracking, or it can be attached to objects you want to track in XR.

Compact design, superior performance

Visual impact is sharp with a wide 110-degree field of view and 4K resolution (at 2K per eye) with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Vive XR Elite has adjustable lenses, so you can take off your glasses and still see a clear image with more comfort. You can find your perfect sweet spot without having to remove the headset, with a built-in fine-tuning IPD slider on the outside of the headset.

The battery is positioned at the back for balance and curved for optimal comfort, delivering up to two hours of full XR use. The battery is removable and hot-swappable, so you can keep going whether you switch to a different power source or to a different battery. It has 30-watt fast charging and charges via USB-C power delivery.

It also has a removable cloth gasket, connected by magnets for easy cleaning or exchange for a new one. The soundstage is improved by adding larger speakers that allow for layers of immersion with enhanced bass, balance and directional audio that contribute to better clarity in every XR experience, without relying on external solutions.

Vive XR Elite uses eco-friendly packaging that is 99.9% paper, 99% recycled materials, and 100% recyclable.

Step into the Viversum

Vive XR Elite lets you dive into the Viverse, which is HTC’s take on the metaverse. You start off in a two-story customizable social room that acts as the launching point of your adventures – just look at the shelf in your room to launch your favorite XR games and experiences or look at the paintings on the wall and use them as portals to new worlds.

A dedicated living area means you can invite friends over to hang out and to help maintain that work-life balance you can head up to the second floor and check your agenda for the day.

HTC is working with a variety of technology and content partners to bring to life its vision of an open, interoperable and imaginative Viverse, the company said.

Viverse growth and optimization

Viverse continues to demonstrate leadership in supporting OpenXR and WebXR standards and is accessible from a wide variety of connected devices that support a web browser. HTC has teamed up with VRoid Studios, a character creation company, making it easy to bring avatars into Viverse using the open VRM standard.

3D modeling platform Sketchfab is another technology partner, allowing users to import a wide variety of free 3D objects into their home base in Viverse.

HTC is also partnering with Lamina1 to accelerate the open metaverse ecosystem for society. HTC’s Viverse platform will use Lamina’s layer one tools to enable more efficient cross-world cross-platform asset distribution and management, allowing users to seamlessly manage their digital assets (avatars, clothing, artwork, etc.) Being able to keep them with them as they traverse the metaverse.

Lamina1 was co-founded by Snow Crash author Neal Stephenson, who coined the term metaverse in the early 1990s, and Crypto pioneer Peter Vessenes.

Prices and availability

Vive XR Elite is available for pre-order worldwide starting January 5 through vive.com and participating authorized retailers. Pre-order shipments are estimated to begin at the end of February. Vive XR Elite comes with the headset itself, 2x controllers and the headset battery case, and costs $1,100.

HTC Vive’s latest headset launch with a promotional offer of an XR games/content bundle, in select regions. Vive XR Elite will also be available for business users, with more details later this year and HTC Vive will also launch a Face and Eye Tracker unit in 2023.