It’s a tough time to be a VR headset not made by Meta, Apple, or Sony. It’s even harder if you’re a device that came out back in 2021 and you’re still trying to keep up with the modern competition.
For context, the HTC Vive Pro 2 is one of the best VR headsets on the market if you’re buying something to play PC games with. It has a crystal clear 5K display, 120-degree FOV, and 120Hz refresh rate. Before the likes of PSVR 2 and Meta Quest 3 came along, it was easily the VR device most enthusiasts wanted to invest in. And invest, you must, because like a lot of visors of that era, it’s currently discounted to its lowest-ever price and it’s still $1,007 at Amazon.
I’ve seen the Vive Pro 2 drop to this price point a few times now, and it’s darn good value for money against the likes of the Valve Index, which never shifts in price and has similar specs. For sure, you can get the headset alone cheaper than this, but by the time you’ve bought the Vive Pro 2’s sensors and controllers separately, you’ll have burned another hole in your pocket.
For spec purists and hardcore VR nerds like me, the HTC Vive Pro 2 still takes some beating. It’s still one of the clearest resolutions you’ll find in a headset, and its foveated rendering was ahead of its time. For playing something like Half-Life Alyx, you’ll struggle to find a better PC VR headset.
And yet, this iconic device which will no doubt go down in the history books as one of the best VR headsets made, this former king of the market, is fighting for its life in 2024. It’s no secret that Meta Quest 3 and PSVR 2 are both nearly half its cost as we stare down the barrel of Prime Day Meta Quest deals. To make matters worse, those two young rivals aren’t far off the Vive Pro 2s spec list.
Should you buy the HTC Vive Pro 2 in 2024?
Even if the specs of the HTC Vive Pro 2 live up to modern rivals, it is beginning to show its age. For instance, Meta Quest 3 and PSVR 2 both provide integrated room tracking thanks to their passthrough cameras, but HTC’s headset requires you to set up various sensors around the room to ensure you’re not about to punch a hole in your wall.
The Meta Quest 3, even if it lacks power compared to what a gaming PC can conjure up, is a standalone device first and foremost. That means it can be used untethered to any other device and has access to thousands of games and apps. Quest 3 already has the PC linking capabilities to make HTC weep, and PSVR 2 is getting that this August.
On the PSVR 2 side, you don’t just have 4K per-eye OLED displays that will arguably outshine HTV’s pure LCD resolution, you also have innovative gaming features if you play on PS5. Haptic feedback in the headband and the Sense controllers give you an extra immersion kick, and eye tracking and foveated rendering shows how great its value for money is against more expensive PC-dedicated devices.
Speaking of which, both the Quest 3 an PSVR 2 cost under $600. PSVR 2’s PC adapter will only set you back an additional $50/£50, so paying over a grand for HTC’s aging headset is not going to appeal as much as it did a few years ago.
It’s undeniable that The Vive Pro 2 is still a top dog in the VR market, but it’s a hefty investment against competitors that have caught up and undercut it. It’s also not going to be as practical to use as modern headsets with integrated tracking. I, for one, hope we get a new VR headset from the brand at some point soon - the Vive XR Elite clearly hasn’t been the mainstay HTC was hoping for, and a new Vive product could be the unexpected shake-up the market needs.
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