HTC Vive or Oculus?

There's already a new version of the Vive called the Vive Pro, but it costs a pretty penny, $1,400.

The Vive Pro is the way to go if you have the money right now.

I have a Vive launch and its amazing. But if I didn't already have it I would go for the Pro for sure.

I tried a vive in the store today first time ive used a vr headset and resolution seemed very poor was dissapointed. If this is how all vr headsets are id never buy one.

Vive Pro is the best VR headset but its over kill. That headset is really catered to the vr arcade more than home use. I'll suggest a norma Vive + audio duluxe headstrap

The Oculus Rift is a wonderful kit with the best controllers ever. I would not say either the Vive or Rift is significantly better than the other but they have big differences.
If you want to play VR standing and take advantage of roomscale,walking throurgh your room etc, go for Vive (Pro if you have the money).
If you want to play VR sitted at your desk with tight controllers and a simple set-up, go for the Rift.

Also Oculus also has a few exclusives for it such as the Echo series.

Oculus is far better for the controller and storefront as well as performance with the SDK.

Vive has easier/better tracking.

Vive Pro or Rift depending on how much you want to spend

DiK4 said:

Yeah, she's willing to buy it but I'm worried it'll be outdated soon. Anyone know if that's feasible or are it's specs good enough that it can hold it's own for a couple years?

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I can't imagine it not holding well, since even the regular Vive can give trouble with some games if your specs aren't high enough.

Damn, your buddy's girlfriend sounds super generous. Vive Pro is very expensive, but will be compatible with the wireless kit and the knuckles controllers, both of which are unreleased hardware that won't be too expensive if your friend wants to make sure he has the best VR setup for probably a couple of years, yes.

Get the Samsung Odyssey HMD - it's also high-spec and does the same thing at the Vive Pro but the Odyssey goes on sale regularly for 400 USD.

Anything but Occulus IMO, don't put a single cent in Facebook's pocket if you can avoid it.

Honestly having both, or having had both (now just Vive) I would absolutely argue the case for the complete package of Oculus. With a three sensor setup. You get the deluxe audio strap (effectively) included. And the controllers are so much better than the Vive.

However that being said, the Vive is a much better platform with a lot of great upcoming features and components. Like the Vive wireless solution, Knuckle Controllers and new HMD's that work with the Lighthouses like the Pimax.

So if the decision is just base package, go Oculus. If you're looking to grow into VR go Vive.

Oculus rift is a nicer package imho, mostly because of the controllers, the integrated headphones. I also have an impression it is lighter, but I may not be right. On top of this, I actuall like the Oculus store. Having said that, I compare it only to the regular VIVE, did not have the occasion to try Vive Pro.

To be honest it might be best to wait a bit longer for potentially newer and better headsets to arrive... Unless if you're willing to shell out £800 for a Vive Pro, which relative to the base Vive package is a poor value proposition. Not really a big enough jump in quality or features to justify the premium.

The Oculus with Touch controllers (and additional sensors) seems like the best choice overall, value-wise; tracking is very consistent and the controllers themselves feel much more intuitive to use. Headset is a lot lighter and comfier too (though this will be subjective)... The Vive will always have the edge as far as tracking quality and accuracy goes, though that edge isn't as pronounced as it used to be, before Oculus Touch was released. Also the Vive controllers are kind of bulky and ugly.

Both have more or less the same software library (bar some Oculus exclusives, which can be made to work on Vive with some tinkering), both have the same resolution (Vive has clearer lenses but still suffers from that screen-door effect), both can more or less do room scale (again, Vive's superior tracking gives it the edge here, if only slightly), but ultimately, both will probably be a pain to set up at room-scale. Obviously you'll need plenty of space dedicated to it in order to get the best experience, and you'll need to strategically place either the cameras or lighthouse sensors where either a power outlet or a USB cable can reach... Obviously both can be used just with a single sensor at a non-room-scale level, but this limits what games are available to you.

Personally I'd go for the Oculus, it's way cheaper, way more comfortable and delivers a really competitive VR experience for the price. The only real drawback for me is the type of lenses it uses- they can suffer from a bit of a 'god-ray' effect when you're viewing bright objects against a black background... But this will also be subjective, and I don't think it'll be enough to turn off most users.

Sorry for the wall of text, hope some of it helps. :P

HTC Vive, the camera to see what's happening in real life is a nice feature.

I wish the Vive was better than the Oculus, but it just isn't. Build quality, reliability, comfort, adjustability, access to both Steam and Oculus stores and the controllers (imo) being more reliable and less prone to fault make it far and away the superior choice.

DiK4 said:

They don't have a lot of space in their apartment so he'd primarily be playing it at his desk, which seems like a waste for the Vive too.

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Yeah, I'd get the Rift then.

Rift does room scale too now btw, you just need to buy an additional $50 sensor for the experience to be optimal as the two it comes with by default aren't enough but for many countries (maybe not the USA I dunno) that still makes it much cheaper than the complete basic Vive package. I don't have any set yet but leaning towards the Rift due to the controllers, the lower price is a welcome bonus rather than the cause. But maybe by the time I get to it there will be a new standard with the Valve knuckles or whatever and I'll get a headset from one manufacturer, the controllers from another, etc, who knows how things will work out in the end for VR...

So I was in this boat a few weeks ago...

Everything told me to go Vive, everything except the controllers. I've tried both, I've actually developed for both, but when it came to buying one I was just so torn. In the end I found a mint in box Oculus with touch controllers and two sensors for £230, so I took the plunge. Definitely the right call. After extensive use, the only real down side of the Oculus over the Vive (the tracking) just isn't a huge issue. I've done room scale with two, and sure it isn't perfect, but the ease of it all is just wonderful. And the controllers are so, so much better than vives current offering.

Go rift.

Having owned both the rift and vive, I would go for the rift, it's just more of a complete package, not to mention cheaper too.

But if possible hold on 2 months and look for news coming out of the oculus connect conference.