Our quick take

Alternatives to consider

HTC Vive - 4.0 / 5

  • HTC Vive Pro review: The best VR experience, bar none… if you can afford one Best HTC Vive and Vive Pro games: Incredible experiences to play right now The best VR headsets to buy 2018

Headset and hardware

  • Single front-facing camera, adjustable velcro straps Dual AMOLED 3.6-inch screen capable of 1080 x 1200 per eye (2160 x 1200 overall resolution) 110-degree field of view, 90Hz refresh rate Two base stations for VR tracking - with SteamVR tracking, G-sensor, gyroscope and proximity sensing

Motion-tracked VR controllers

  • Wireless controllers with multi-function trackpad, side grip buttons, dual-stage triggers, system button and menu buttons Haptic feedback Around six hours playtime MicroUSB recharging

A walk-around virtual world

  • Chaperone play area boundaries

Headphones and audio inputs

  • 3.5mm headphone input Concealed USB input on the headset Built-in microphone for multiplayer gaming

Installation quibbles

  • How to setup HTC Vive and solve any issues

PC requirements

  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970, AMD Radeon R9 290 equivalent or better CPU: Intel i5-4590, AMD FX 8350 equivalent or better RAM: 4GB or more Video Output: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 or newer USB Port: 1x USB 2.0 or better port Operating System: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 or later, Windows 10

VR Games & content

  • Best HTC Vive games you can play right now

Current challenges

Optional accessories and VR upgrades

  • HTC Vive wireless: How to upgrade your VR headset and ditch those cables

To recap

HTC Vive needs to be set free from constraints to make best use of its raison d’être. And that limits its audience somewhat. For us it means we either opt for a cheaper, less capable VR headset or move house. Although we have to admit that after some of the games we’ve played using Vive, the latter option is appealing.