Australian T3 - May 2018

Discover more at techradar.com/au WINTER 2018 T3 75

HTC Vive Pro

your PC, a power adapter and the
mounting pad for strapping down
that link box. And that’s it.
To actually use the Vive Pro, HTC is
expecting you to already own the pair
of controllers and the two base
stations required for tracking all of
your movements. here’s currently no
simple bundle that gets you all of the
necessary kit in one box, though HTC
is doing a deal when you buy the Vive
Pro that offers two Vive 1.0 controllers
and two 1.0 base stations for $430. he
total amount ($1,629) is a rather large
investment. Hell, even shelling out
$1,199 for the headset is a lot to ask,
especially if you have previously
spent a bundle of cash on accessories.

Room with a view
he good news is that the Vive Pro
will work perfectly with your existing
Vive kit, so it’s a matter of swapping
out the headsets and link boxes to use
in your VR space. On that note, we
had no problems getting it running.
If you’re new to the VR game you
need to prepare for what a debacle it is
getting everything set up properly.

You have to download the drivers

from the HTC Vive website, run the

setup software and get everything

plugged in. hen you must position

the sensor units up high enough by

balancing them on bookcases, tripods

or screwing them into your walls;

map the space that you want to use to

play Vive Pro games; then finally run

through the tutorial. hat’s before you

factor in whether you’ll need to clear

extra space in your room to properly

play. here’s a standing-only option if

you have a small space, but for the

true Vive experience – one that makes

it worth the big outlay – you’ll need a

space at least 2x1.5m/6.5x5 feet.

For a lot of homes, keeping that

much room clear on a regular basis

isn’t easy. And it doesn’t help that,

despite running the room setup

several times over the course of

testing, the software kept shifting our

play space to the right, putting us in

constant proximity to breakable

things and a brimming fish tank.

he tracking isn’t always perfect,

occasionally losing sight of one or

both controllers mid-game. In fact,

it’s a little immersion-breaking when

you’re trying to take on a swarm of

aliens in Doom VFR. Regardless of the

complexity of the setup, there’s

nothing more rewarding in games

than the virtual experience the Vive

Pro has to offer when it’s in full

swing. he difference between the

first Vive and the Pro is staggering.

Eye candy

he biggest upgrade is the improved

sharpness. he twin OLED screens

don’t just deliver a higher-resolution

experience overall (the original Vive’s

resolution was 2160x1200 total), it

also means that pixel density is

increased by 37 per cent.

he upshot is that having many

more pixels in the same space means

you can’t see the individual dots any

more. he ‘screen door effect’, as it’s

known, was prevalent on the first

Vive, the Oculus Rift and especially

the PlayStation VR, which is lower

resolution than the other two. Seeing

the pixels that make up the screen

heavily detracts from the immersion

you get from the games you’re playing

The Vive Pro design

is improved when it

comes to comfort,

but it’s still not the

most beautiful bit

of tech you’ll

HYHUbRZQ

STRAP IN

The HTC Vive Pro

distributes its weight

more evenly across your

head, feeling lighter

than other VR headsets

thanks to a lack of

pressure points