Australian T3 - May 2018

headphones either, instead requiring
you to plug in any you had to hand.
he new integrated headphones
reduces the wires hanging around
your body as you play, and makes the
most of the spacial audio provided by
the Vive Pro. Everything sounds
beefy and detailed, and with a good
3D effect, contributing to a higher
sense of immersion.
What’s interesting, though, is that
despite the fact that the HTC Vive Pro
website shows a man leaping about all
over the place, this is still a tethered
experience. HTC is releasing a Vive
Wireless Adapter later this year, but
it’ll be an additional cost for Vive Pro
owners. Even if you hold off buying
the Vive Pro until the Wireless
Adapter is released, it’s unlikely to be
thrown in for free.
It’s a seriously exciting and
potentially game-changing solution
if it works as well as HTC promises,
but it’s yet another costly upgrade.

Powering up
When it comes to a PC, you’ll need to
power a full Pro experience. HTC
recommends using a rig packing at
least 4GB of RAM, an Intel Core
i5-4590/AMD FX 8350 processor or
better, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX

1060/AMD Radeon RX 480 or better.

You can buy a suitable setup from

about $1,100, though you may want to

spend a bit more for something that

will last a while.

hat said, we tried the Vive Pro

running off a Nvidia GeForce 980 Ti

graphics card and it was fine, so you

don’t necessarily need to go with the

latest-generation graphics if you’ve

already got a solid PC.

With all of this in mind, the Vive

Pro is an odd one for us to recommend

at this stage. It’s clear that it’s the best

immersive virtual experience you can

buy; the clarity and detail is such a

contrast to the original headset that it

feels less like a Vive 1.5 upgrade rather

than a visual overhaul, particularly

for the big-budget VR release. But the

timing and pricing feels off. If HTC

sold all of the accessories and the

Wireless Adapter in one box it could

justify the premium price.

Pre-orders in Australia sold out

rapidly, so there’s clearly a demand

for better-quality VR. For us, though,

such a premium price should also

include the Vive Wireless Adapter.

he HTC Vive Pro might offer the

best VR experience on the market,

but having to buy all the extras to be

able to use it properly makes it a very

expensive proposition if you are

coming to VR from scratch. hrow in

the space and setup requirements and

it’s best to consider this an investment

in the best VR experience. If you’re

happytomakethatinvestment,we

can recommend the Vive Pro. For an

easier setup and lower cost, the

PlayStation VR is still the best option.

For a room-scale experience at a

lower cost, the original Vive bundle is

a good buy at half the price ($879).

WE’RE IMPRESSED The most immersive VR

to date thanks to the amazing screen; excellent

array of games; comfortable ergonomic headset.

WE’D IMPROVE Really expensive; PC needs

are still pretty high; no tidy one-box solution.

THE LAST WORD The Vive Pro is undoubtedly

the best quality VR you can experience, but it’s

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VERDICT

How do the other VR headsets stack up?

Find out at bit.ly/t3vrheadsets

Discover more at techradar.com/au WINTER 2018 T3 77

HTC Vive Pro

HTC Vive Pro

The dots around

the headset are

LEDs, tracked by

sensors and

providing you with

accurate in-game

movement

PRO SOUND

TheVivePro’sheadphonesarehigh-

res audio compatible for high clarity

sound, in luscious 3D, to avoid the

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