Which headset is better for virtual reality (VR) gaming — the $599 Oculus Rift or the $799 HTC Vive? People who don't exactly have deep pockets would probably take a long look at the cheaper Oculus Rift, but which one will give users a more immersive experience?
HTC is about to take a huge step forward in the battle for the best VR headset when it comes out with a wireless upgrade kit for the Vive next year. Tired of those annoying wires required to connect the headset to a PC? Well, HTC is telling consumers to get rid of them.
In an interview with UploadVR, HTC has revealed that the first batch of the upgrade kit sold out in 18 minutes. The upgrade kit was made available on Vive's Chinese website for 1,499 RMB (approximately $220). Clearly, a lot of people are curious and they want to grab the device as soon as they can. Of course, buyers will not get their item right away since it is supposed to come out in the first quarter of next year.
According to Alvin W. Graylin, China regional president of VR at HTC, there's no drop off in performance and there's no noticeable difference in the wired vs. wireless performance. Here's a look at someone giving the wireless device a test.
Oculus might have gained some momentum when it launched its Touch controller system last month, but HTC has made its move. But despite the improvements on the Vive, Oculus still attracts a lot of casual gamers. The company has now lowered the minimum system requirements needed to operate the Rift headset, so that means people whose rigs aren't that powerful can now enjoy the VR experience.
A computer with an Intel Core i3 processor and the NVIDIA GTX 960 or equivalent graphics card can now run the Rift. A minimum 8 GB of random access memory (RAM) is still needed, though.
