HTC Vive XR Elite VR headset
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2
Storage
128GB
RAM
12GB
Display resolution
1920 x 1920 per-eye
Battery Life
Up to 2 hours, comes with a hot-swappable 26.6Wh Battery
Weight
1.37lbs/0.62kg
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CHECK PRICEHTC Vive XR Elite vs Meta Quest Pro. Which is the best next-gen VR headset?
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Today, we’re going to be comparing the HTC Vive XR Elite vs Meta Quest Pro. This comes at a most opportune moment too, as until CES 2023, the Meta Quest Pro didn’t have any direct competitors.
This finally changed when HTC unveiled the Vive XR Elite, which was thankfully not called the Flowcus as we feared it would be. Additionally, now that the Meta Quest Pro price has been dropped, the Vive XR Elite vs Meta Quest Pro battle has become a lot closer than it was.
So, as we approach the release date of the Vive XR Elite, we thought we’d freshen up this page so you guys can have a good idea of whether to buy the Meta Quest Pro, or pre order the Vive XR Elite.
So, which next-gen VR headset is worth your purchase? Vive XR Elite vs Meta Quest Pro: FIGHT.
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2
Storage
128GB
RAM
12GB
Display resolution
1920 x 1920 per-eye
Battery Life
Up to 2 hours, comes with a hot-swappable 26.6Wh Battery
Weight
1.37lbs/0.62kg
Shop on Amazon
CHECK PRICEChipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+
Storage
256GB
RAM
12GB
Display resolution
1832 x 1920 per-eye
Battery Life
1-2 hours
Weight
1.59lbs/0.72kg
Shop on Amazon
CHECK PRICEAs you can see, the specs of these two headsets are almost identical, with only marginal differences, at least on the surface. When both were announced, the huge price discrepancy was a big deal.
This is no longer the case, as we mentioned earlier, Meta has now lowered the price of the Meta Quest Pro from $1499.99 to $999.99. This means it’s now $99 cheaper than the Vive XR Elite.
This has totally changed the comparison, now that the prices are close enough to identical, the value proposition of both devices has become very close. Let’s take a look to see if the specs are as similar as the prices are.
OK, let’s make a direct comparison of the HTC Vive XR Elite vs Meta Quest Pro concerning specs, and specs alone.
We’ll start with the chipset/processor, the Meta Quest Pro made a big song and dance about its Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+, and yes, the Viv XR elite only has the previous Snapdragon XR2, but how different are they?
Well, according to roadtovr.com, the XR2+ variant is around 30% more effective at dissipating heat and can output 50% more sustained power than the non ‘+’ version.
‘50% more sustained power’ is a pretty vague statement, but from what we’ve seen, it’s pretty significant, but does that alone justify the extra $400?
Well, the Meta Quest Pro also has twice the storage, being able to hold 256GB of games, double that of the 128GB Vive XR Elite. Both headsets have the same amount of RAM at 12GB, however.
The resolution per eye is very close too, with both having a 1920-pixel vertical resolution, though, the Meta Quest Pro has a larger horizontal resolution with 1832 pixels. This provides additional peripheral vision, which is no bad thing.
Interestingly, the reported weight of the Vive XR Elite is exactly 100g less than the Quest Pro and that’s a pretty big difference, however, we can’t be sure until we actually get our hands on both of them for testing purposes.
It’s not an easy question to answer here, as everyone is different with varying priorities and preferences. Additionally, now that the prices are all-but identical, there’s isn’t a large enough budgetary difference for us to strongly recommend one for the frugal folks out there.
There is one thing to mention here that might tip the scales, though. The Vive XR Elite has a function that can physically simulate your glasses prescription. As long as each eye’s prescription falls between 0 and -6.
Given that you can adjust each eye individually, the glasses wearers among might strongly prefer this, as wearing glasses with a VR headset has always been an uncomfortable experience.
The Meta Quest Pro offers no such adjustment, so if you can, try each one on before you buy, then come back and buy it through our links yeah?
Seeing as the Vive XR Elite hasn’t quite released yet, authoritative judgment is impossible to pass right now. However, previous opinion landed heavily on the side of the Vive XR Elite as it was far cheaper. Now that this is no longer the case, we are tempted to err on the side of the Meta Quest Pro, as, at time of writing, we know that the Meta Quest Pro is great, but can’t yet say the same for the Vive XR Elite.
The Vive XR Elite can be pre-ordered for $1,099/£1,299/€1,449.
The Meta Quest Pro is now priced at $999.99/£1268.99/€1799.