HTC Vive Cosmos Elite Virtual Reality System
The HTC Vive Cosmos is the world’s first VR system with a suite of modular options. It allows you to go beyond what you thought possible with a variety of accessories to enhance your VR experience like never before.
- Lighthouse tracking – base station 1.0 provides up to 160 sq. Feet of play space for those that demand the best in Vive VR gaming.
- Crystal-clear graphics – see the virtual world through a 2880 x 1700 combined Pixel resolution. All-new LCD panels reduce the distance between Pixels, minimizing the screen-door effect.
- Flip-up design – go easily between reality and virtual reality with the flip-up design, without disrupting your VR journey.
- Vive port – Get the most out of VR with Infinity. Enjoy unlimited access to hundreds of VR games, apps, and videos.
- Vive reality system – Vive reality system lets you navigate seamlessly between virtual experiences. Discover new content, launch titles from your library, play a video, or browse the web.
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Wil Schroter –
I own both the HTC Vive original model and the Vive Pro. You’re reading this because you’re trying to figure out which one to buy – the Vive original that’s just over $400 or the Pro which is .. a lot more.Short version – if you’re new to VR and you’re worried the Vive Original isn’t good enough – it is. At $400+ it’s a steal. You get so much value for what’s an introduction price to typical consoles that you really can’t go wrong. If you’re waffling on your decision, go with the Original and you’ll be a happy camper.For those of you, like me, who are constantly asking “But what if this ‘Pro’ model is so much better?”. It’s nice – it’s just not “Holy cow I’m so happy I blew my paycheck” nice.Undoubtedly you’ve read the professional reviews so here’s the non-professional review – the kind of advice you wished your best friend would just give you. They did everything right with this headset. It’s more comfortable, the resolution chops down on the “screen door effect” that the pixelated original feels like, and it just feels like a more polished experience overall. Even the remote camera sensors are a bit sleeker.The problem with this generation of VR is just that they can’t deliver a “retina like” experience anywhere close to the price point consumers are willing to pay. So while the Vive Pro is better, we’re still 2-3 years away from getting an experience that doesn’t feel compromised.You’re still dealing with the issue of having to look dead straight to get the picture to resolve correctly. You can still see pixels, albeit fewer. The headset is still a bit wonky and heavy. It’s still Gen 1 VR. Think of this as the Iphone S model upgrade where it’s a bit better, but you’re still a generation behind.So I’d leave the decision tree like this -1. Just testing VR and want to see if it’s legit? Buy the Original2. Totally enamored with VR and can appreciate a subtle improvement. Buy the Pro.VR is amazing – and I say that as a total cynic. Even though there are only a handful of games out they are so immersive that it doesn’t matter. Don’t think of it like playing console or PC games. In this cases while the graphics are always getting better, the experience is the same. In the case of VR, even games I’ve played an unreasonable amount of hours on (like Fallout 4) on my PC feel like entirely new experiences.One last caution – VR lasts maybe an hour at a time. After that, it gives you a bit of a headache. It sucks because you want the experience to keep going, but putting blinding screens an inch+ from your eyes for any period of time is gonna add up. Think of it more like a ride at a theme park than an all-night couch dwelling console session.
ITtom81 –
I had previously given this 5 stars and raved about how the upgraded resolution looks. I’m sad to say I have to do a 180 on that review. After less than a month of using my vive Pro it started having various issues across the board. I was getting red, green, blue static dots and both the video and audio would separately go out, or go out together.I contacted vive support and after going through troubleshooting steps with them that I had already tried on my own they finally agreed to send me a replacement cable to see if that was the issue (this was the link cable that goes from the hmd to the link box). The replacement cable did not fix the issue yet support forced me to do the same troubleshooting steps yet again! Finally they agreed to set it up for repair. So I sent it out AT MY OWN COST and after 3 weeks to a month I got it back, in worse condition than I sent it out in! Now all I get is flashing light and never see or hear ANYTHING!So let me ask you what kind of company charges $800 for something that NEVER works right, has you go through painstaking steps before agreeing to let YOU pay to send it to them and then sends it back to you even more broken than it was before?! I currently have an email out to HTC about this and am waiting to hear back. I will update this review if HTC turns this situation around for me and gets me a working vive pro but as of now it has been one of if not the worst experience I’ve ever had with a consumer electronic!
Andrei C –
I own the original VIVE headset since it debuted a couple of years ago. I decided to buy the PRO version for business, because of all the positive reviews about its reliability and increased resolution.Set-up: overall, it was pretty bad. I’ve read the stories about the long setup process that the PRO headset requires. I chose not to believe them, because I thought of myself as a pretty experienced person with VR. After all, I have the original VIVE and know how to deal with software updates and troubleshoot issues.Well, friends, I was wrong. At first everything was fine, as the little program that I downloaded from the HTC website was guiding me through the process. Then I was asked to sign in with the HTC account, so that I can “enjoy” my several months of free membership of their VR store. I googled around, and there was no way of continuing the installation of the headset without the HTC account. DEAR HTC, please don’t drag me into your store if I am not interested. As a customer, I don’t appreciate the strong-arming. I don’t need another store subscription. I know what you are thinking: “he bought the headset, he has the installation running = he is invested deep enough now that he will register for the store account, even if he doesn’t really want it.” Nice calculus, but I am no longer a happy customer of yours after this kind of treatment.Long story short, I did register for the HTC account; I singed in with my Steam account. Moving on, the HTC install program did not recognize my USB 3 port as USB 3, no matter how I tried. USB 3 is required for optimum performance of the two cameras on the headset. That’s fine, I thought, let’s just skip this step. Then the installation program proceeded to download a whole bunch of stuff, including their store program which I did not really need, all in excess of 1 gig. At this point, I felt the process was becoming too involving. I was asked then to update all the software in the headset itself and the controllers. When all was done, at the end of the installation, I began receiving error messages from HTC software trying to sort things out with the Steam store and Steam VR. It was confusing and annoying, like watching two stores – HTC and STEAM – fight it out on my desktop. I also downloaded the latest NVIDIA drivers (I run a 1080 card), and updated windows as well.Actual Use:I installed the lighthouses in the same spots where I had the original VIVE lighthouses installed. These things were supposed to be better, so I was pretty excited. Set up Room Scale VR as usual, set AUDIO in Steam VR to HMD, put on the headset and… the word to describe how I felt is “underwhelming.” Many reviews say the screen door effect is “almost gone”, “barely visible”, or even “totally solved.” I don’t know how much these websites depend on advertising revenue from Steam or HTC, but the screen door effect is – clearly, 100%, in-your-face – there. I wasn’t trying to look for it, I just wanted to focus on the image, but the screen door effect was photo-bombing everything just like it does in the original VIVE that was made 2 years ago.Yes, the headset is more comfortable than the original! And like most reviewers claim, it is a big deal. This is the only positive thing that I can say about the headset.Performance: With my 1080 card, I did not notice any jitter or frame drops. However, I had a lot of tracking issues where the floor would start flying from underneath me, or I would be pushed into the wall in the VR. I did room set up many many many times, and I adjusted the lighthouses many many many many times, trying all possible angles. I troubleshoot the headset for defective hardware, all was good. Did the setups again, and again received tracking madness. I switched back My original VIVE, and everything worked rock-solid. Then I did some googling, and it is a known issue. It seems, this new VIVE PRO is super-susceptible to issues if there are reflective surfaces nearby. I have several windows in my VR area that I suspect were causing the problem. However, my original VIVE has zero issues with those windows. I thought the VIVE PRO is supposed to be BETTER, right? I mean, more reliable? What’s up with this, HTC? How come my original VIVE performs better than your newest PRO version? I bought this for business, I don’t have time tinkering with it all the time. My original VIVE seems to be more PRO reliable than this newest, super-expensive, “PRO” version.In the end, I decided to return VIVE PRO, because it feels like a step backward to me. Even the plastic looks cheap compared to the original version. Same with presentation – the box is horrible. Seems like HTC just doesn’t care as much as they cared when they released the original headset. It feels like they were trying to cut costs with this (and charge an arm and a leg at the same time, to make it a winning business strategy).Here’s my recommendation:- if you have the original VIVE, buy a strap with built-in headphones, and your VIVE will be as comfortable as the new one. The resolution bump sounds impressive on paper, but in real life, you will -barely- notice it. Barely. Wait until HTC gets it game together and produces a truly next generation VR headset. This VIVE PRO is a scam.- if you don’t have any VR headset and want one now; buy the original VIVE if you want superior tracking, plus the wireless add-on, plus the strap with built-in headphones. You will have a superior VR experience, AND save a ton of money that you can put towards the next generation VR when it comes out, spend on a Hawaiian vacation, invest in the stock market, or whatever you want to do with it. VIVE PRO is just too glitchy.Still feel like you want VIVE PRO? Then read all the horror stories on redit about people spending weeks and months trying to make the tracking work. Google “VIVE Pro tracking issues”. Still want to buy it? I totally understand, why believe someone else’s experience, when you can witness these problems first-hand? Go ahead and buy it. Amazon has a great return policy.To those of you who happen to have zero reflective surfaces in or near your VR area, and your PRO is working for you – good for you. I still don’t understand how my original VIVE works so flawlessly in same area where this “PRO” version is a total puke-inciting mess. What’s going on with you, HTC?
Sasquatchish –
All these reviews are for the Vive Pro. NOT Cosmos Elite. I am just looking for someone that ordered the Elite.
robby –
Definitley the runner up to the index. With the prices so close I would definitely go with an index over this but one thing HTC has over valve(besides wireless at time of posting) is availability. If you dont want to wait you would be happy with the vive cosmos elite I believe.
Dyer Fontanyi –
As an Oculus and Windows Mixed Reality user, I was definitely expecting a difference with this system. And I was right. Been using this for about a week consistently with a Ryzen 7 2700 and RTX 2070 Super, and here’s what I found:First, the pros:- Modularity (can swap to original cosmos and other models).- Upgrade to Index or its parts down the line, if you so wish.- Beautiful and almost crystal clear display.- Looks fantastic and very good build quality.- Tried and true SteamVR tracking and higher refresh rate (90Hz), making for a buttery smooth and precisely tracked VR experience.- Very comfortable headset. Almost on par with the Rift S.Now for the cons:- Very VERY small sweet spot. Took me about half an hour of adjusting to get that crystal clear image.- The included Vive controllers. Didn’t use them before, but I’m not a big fan. The button placement and trackpads made some in-game features an annoyance. Reminds me too much of the WMR controllers.- Headset bobbing (if that makes sense). May just be a software bug and only ran into it one day, but when I fired up Pistol Whip and Beat Saber the game itself moved with the headset when looking around the room despite tracking smoothly. This issue was not only a nuisance for me but was also very nauseating. I did have high settings when recording with OBS so the issue may have just been a bottleneck.Overall, while it is very hard to justify the $900 price point, I’m actually pretty impressed by the Vive Cosmos Elite, especially given the mixed reviews of the original Cosmos. It may not fully compete with the Valve Index, but it’s not far behind either. If you can get past the controllers and sweet spot issue, you’re looking at a very decent experience. Plus, if you still want to upgrade to the Index down the line, you have the freedom to do so.
Bob Marks –
The cable connected to the headset did not seat correctly. First we got error code that the yhe headset was not communicating with the video card. Found out it was the cable connection. Next the video was upside down. Reconnected headset and it was ok for awhile. Then stopped working. After reconnecting over and over never got it working. Returned unit after 5 days of effort.It seem that when you turn your head the cable is stretched to the headset. Was fun when it worked. Going to try an Oculus
Tina Peratino –
So the htc vive cosmos elite. You are probably like me when I was buying this headset and wondering why would I buy this head if I can get a valve index for only $100 more? Well for one the whole point with the cosmos is customization. The way how the head set was built was for multiple attachments to be on it and face plates that can feel like your on a whole new head set. What I mean and what I think vibe is trying to do is make something you will never need to change out but instead just spend like $200 for a new face plate and boom it’s like you just bought a new head set. Plus let’s not forget this headset has a better refresh rate , better shipping , and it can be wireless all unlike the valve index.So in short words I would recommend getting this headset because it could save you money farther down the future.If you are switching from an oculus headset or a mixed reality head set I guarantee you will have a whole new experience. Now also this depends on your pc but that’s for every head set now.So there you have it that’s my honest opinion on theHTC VIVE COSMOS ELITE
Dakota adams –
Works great. Love playing VR games.
Joshua Smith –
I had this for 10 days and ran into a lot of problems.However, I’ll start with the pros:Screens were good and clearHeadset was mostly comfortableKit came with everything you need to get started, you don’t have to buy anything else except a decent PCLighthouse trackers work very wellAudio and microphone quality was goodStayed pretty cool even after gaming for hoursAnd that’s it for pros, I actually had an enjoyable experience for a bit, but I ran into a lot of issues.The cable came kinked. When I pulled it out of the box it was kinked and it felt extremely cheap, felt like a cable I would have found in the 90s, almost tacky and not really secure. I paid almost a thousand bucks after tax I’d hope the cable was at least acceptable, but that’s not a huge deal.Came with lighthouse 1.0 bases and controllers from 2016. I got to try the 2.0s and Steam Index controllers, but they take 8 weeks to arrive and I really tried to like what I got with these, but I couldn’t, they are massive clunky and not as accurate or comfortable as the index controllers, or even Rift S controllers.Takes time and practice to get the headset comfortable and the screens lined up nicely. It doesn’t fit on my head like I feel like it should. The Index and Rift I can just put on and immediately the screens line up and it feels right, this one I had to spend several minutes the first time to get a clear image. After putting it on 40 or so times I got it figured out, but trying my friend’s Index it was immediately perfect, without him giving me any instructions.The price. If this was $600-$700 it might be worth it. I’d understand the lighthouse 1.0 and awkward wands, and a few more compromises, but $900 bucks with very few advantages. The only time it felt right is when I was returning it.The nail in the coffin was a loose IPD (interpupillary distance). Whenever I moved too much in game or jumped or sometimes no reason at all the IPD would shift and bring up the IPD menu in my game. I contacted HTC about it hoping I was just missing something or they would do something to resolve it thanks to their “Quality Assurance” that came with the device. They said all they could do was take a look and replace the device if necessary and minimum lead time was three weeks. Three weeks on my brand new device, that delivered in two days and I got to use for nine.I ended up returning it. I didn’t want to deal with the problems in the future, it was more than I ever paid for a device and I feel like it should have had some more quality. If these are issues you feel like you can deal with, I’d say go for it. It was very fun while it worked and I hope to get a new VR headset, but I won’t be getting anything from HTC unless they seriously upgrade the quality.
Andres Cepeda –
Product was exactly what I was looking for. Works excellent.