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HTC Vive Reviews Thread

Shadowmask72
Honored Visionary

Here's a thread for HTC Vive reviews (please post any you find) as the official launch is hours away.

Note: If you're not interested in the Vive on the Oculus forums then don't click the topic or read it.

Cramgaming.com

https://youtu.be/wB2qXp2SSNI



Destructoid

"VR is here, and I have been sold as a believer. While the Oculus is a very strong VR headset, the Vive feels like it's in a league of its own comparatively. The big sticking issue is how the market reacts to the price long term, and if development of new games maintains a consistent pace."

Kotaku

While the Vive’s best moments are some of the coolest I’ve experienced in video games, I can’t recommend purchasing it right now. You’d be spending $800 on something that’s going to be much better after months’ worth of software (and maybe even hardware) revisions, and there currently aren’t enough great games to justify the investment.

The Vive really is something you should see for yourself, but if you want to try it, go to a store that’s demoing it, or make friends with somebody who already ordered one. I’m excited about what the future holds for the Vive, but the future’s not here yet. 


The Verge 8/10


    GOOD STUFF

  • Lots of innovative motion control-based games and experiences
  • Emphasizes motion control and body movement
  • Rich, customizable user interface
  • Solid construction
  • BAD STUFF

  • Heavy and ungainly
  • User experience can be glitchy and confusing
  • Many games still feel unfinished
  • Highest total cost for a VR headset


POLYGON 8/10

So yes, the Vive asks a lot from anyone buying the platform, but it gives just as much back, if not more so. Everyone has the same reaction after a demo, in our experience: They remark on how complicated it seems and how little they’d want to set one up in their own home, and then they get wide-eyed and want to tell you all about how amazed they are by the experience. Valve’s challenge is to get the second part of that reaction to overrule the first, and the company will have an uphill battle on its hands, but it’s off to a very promising start.

GAMESPOT

Before you take the plunge with Vive, you have to prepare yourself accordingly. Unlike Rift, Vive comes with strict spatial requirements if you plan to utilize its hardware's full potential. It's not the easiest suite of hardware to set up, nor is it as refined as Rift, but Vive delivers the most advanced VR experience to date, a luxury that comes at a cost and with compromises. Where Rift feel's like a VR headset built for mainstream consumption, Vive caters to the hardcore crowd that will stop at nothing to get the best VR experience. Over time, Oculus can presumably catch up when it releases its Touch controllers and sells individual sensors to expand Rift's interactivity and motion-tracking capabilities. But for people who can't wait, who are willing to go the extra mile right now, Vive is the only way to experience today's most advanced VR technology from the comfort of home.

ENGADGET 

The Vive is no doubt the geekiest thing I have in my home right now -- and that's saying something. It's an impressive effort by HTC, which has had a rough few years in mobile, and Valve. It's oh-so-close to being the Holy Grail of VR experiences. It's just too bad that ergonomics get in the way of truly enjoying it.

At the same time, I'm sure there's a market for the Vive, even in its current incarnation. Hardware geeks are known for sacrificing their bodies for the glory of technology, and I'm sure they won't have a problem with a few aches and pains for glorious, immersive VR.

Tested - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiDBp6OnsKY



IGN Review - 9.3/10 


AMAZING

The Vive's room-scale VR and motion-tracked controllers make it an incredibly powerful system.


Pros:
  • Amazing VR
  • Room scale
  • Motion controllers
  • Comfortable
Cons:
  • Tracking issues



System Specs: MSI NVIDIA RTX 4090 , i5 13700K CPU, 32GB DDR 4 RAM, Win 11 64 Bit OS.
381 REPLIES 381

Chewie71
Adventurer



I simply do not see the potential in the pass through camera, because I know that for most functions one would use it, it can be done better with external camera's. (for the other person, external camera's don't automatically have to mean they are more expensive).
I guess I don't understand what you mean by external camera VS.
passthrough. Are you saying it's easier to navigate a room from a static
third person perspective? Because no, it's absolutely not. Or are you
saying something attached to the headset, like Leap Motion, which adds
not only weight and throws off the distribution, but also requires an
added USB cable to be stretched to yet another USB port on the PC. And
it costs additional money and setup to get it to work. And Leap Motion
doesn't do room scale edge detection. It's a far simpler design to just include the camera in the HMD and be done with it.

Maybe I should back up here. Did you know that the Vive camera is capable of doing more than passthrough video?

ThreeDeeVision
Superstar
@Shadowmask72 That is exactly what I use the passthrough camera for.  After exiting the game, the camera comes on in the Vive menu and is tied to the right controller.  I spot the place where I set my controllers and put them down, then remove the HMD.  It works really slick and I never have to try and glance out of the nose gap (which the Vive doesn't even have).
i7 5960X @ 3.8 GHz | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 PC2800 | GTX Titan X Pascal | Win 10 64 bit | Asus ROG PG348Q | EVGA X99 Classified

DrOculus
Adventurer
@Zoomie It was just a wild guess at the minute so no ref Valve or sdk`s just the Imagination




Syrellaris
Rising Star

Chewie71 said:




I simply do not see the potential in the pass through camera, because I know that for most functions one would use it, it can be done better with external camera's. (for the other person, external camera's don't automatically have to mean they are more expensive).
I guess I don't understand what you mean by external camera VS.
passthrough. Are you saying it's easier to navigate a room from a static
third person perspective? Because no, it's absolutely not. Or are you
saying something attached to the headset, like Leap Motion, which adds
not only weight and throws off the distribution, but also requires an
added USB cable to be stretched to yet another USB port on the PC. And
it costs additional money and setup to get it to work. And Leap Motion
doesn't do room scale edge detection. It's a far simpler design to just include the camera in the HMD and be done with it.

Maybe I should back up here. Did you know that the Vive camera is capable of doing more than passthrough video?


Yes I am aware the Camera can do more then just pass through.. It is still a weak Camera though.

I'm talking more about room mapping and everything.

VizionVR
Rising Star
 



Chewie71 said:




I simply do not see the potential in the pass through camera, because I know that for most functions one would use it, it can be done better with external camera's. (for the other person, external camera's don't automatically have to mean they are more expensive).
I guess I don't understand what you mean by external camera VS.
passthrough. Are you saying it's easier to navigate a room from a static
third person perspective? Because no, it's absolutely not. Or are you
saying something attached to the headset, like Leap Motion, which adds
not only weight and throws off the distribution, but also requires an
added USB cable to be stretched to yet another USB port on the PC. And
it costs additional money and setup to get it to work. And Leap Motion
doesn't do room scale edge detection. It's a far simpler design to just include the camera in the HMD and be done with it.

Maybe I should back up here. Did you know that the Vive camera is capable of doing more than passthrough video?


Yes I am aware the Camera can do more then just pass through.. It is still a weak Camera though.

I'm talking more about room mapping and everything.


On what information are you basing your opinion? You can't just toss out an unrealistic, ethereal statement unless you're trolling to disrupt a Vive thread. Details, man, details. What do you mean by "weak"? What is this mystical external camera that you speak of?
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.

Syrellaris
Rising Star
@VizionVR what exactly is unrealistic? That the specifications of the Vive's front facing camera are nothing to write home about? for the rest I've never stated that the Vive was a bad device, in fact I've oftenly stated it is equal to the Rift. So please, stop your standard response to someone having an opinion on a part of the Vive as trolling.

There is also no 'mystical' camera, I merely stated it can be done better by external camera's. I take it you understand what 'external' means?



rat8cheese
Protege

VizionVR said:

I received Vive tracking number last night. I see some vacation time in my very near future. :smiley: 


Hey Vizion, congrats.  What was your shipping window?  I ordered my Vive back in mid-March and got a May window.  Was HTC on point with that estimate for you?  I can't wait for this thing to arrive already.  Enjoy!

VizionVR
Rising Star
@rat8cheese
I initially thought I was in first wave April, but when I went back and noticed my shipping confirmation was 26 minutes after I placed my order, I didn't expect my Vive till end of April. So a mid-April delivery is a pleasant surprise. HTC has exceeded my expectations regarding shipping.
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.

VizionVR
Rising Star


@VizionVR what exactly is unrealistic? That the specifications of the Vive's front facing camera are nothing to write home about? for the rest I've never stated that the Vive was a bad device, in fact I've oftenly stated it is equal to the Rift. So please, stop your standard response to someone having an opinion on a part of the Vive as trolling.

There is also no 'mystical' camera, I merely stated it can be done better by external camera's. I take it you understand what 'external' means?

"What exactly is unrealistic?"
Your vague assertions based on zero information is unrealistic. Other
than mentioning pass-through video, you literally have displayed
zero knowledge about the Vive camera and its capabilities.

"That the specifications of the Vive's front facing camera are nothing to write home about."

What are the specifications of Vive's front facing camera? What all can it do? A lot of us are dying to find out. Educate us.

"I merely stated it can be done better by external camera's."
Again, WHAT can be done better by WHAT external cameras? Stop being so vague.

"Stop your standard response to someone having an opinion on a part of the Vive as trolling."
If it smells like a troll and grumbles like a troll...
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.

Anonymous
Not applicable



VizionVR said:

I received Vive tracking number last night. I see some vacation time in my very near future. :smiley: 


Hey Vizion, congrats.  What was your shipping window?  I ordered my Vive back in mid-March and got a May window.  Was HTC on point with that estimate for you?  I can't wait for this thing to arrive already.  Enjoy!


I ordered mine in mid-March too, and also have a May window (UK). Hopefully HTC continue to ship in advance of expectations. I have 8 days holiday to take before the end of May!