Is the Vive XR Elite compatible with PC? Yes, sort of

Yes, but it's not needed

Ben Atkins Chafer

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So, is the Vive XR Elite compatible with PC? Yes, yes it is. However, that’s not the full story, as you don’t need to use it with a PC whatsoever.

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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So, just like we did for the PSVR 2, we’re hard at work answering all the different queries around the upcoming Vive XR Elite.

This means that if you decide to pre order the Vive XR Elite, you’ll know everything you need to know by the time the release date rolls around.

The question of today, however, is ‘is the Vive XR Elite compatible with PC?’ We’ve already mentioned that the answer is ‘yes’. but, as we not-so-subtly alluded to, that’s not the main point of it.

Is the Vive XR Elite compatible with PC? yes, but you don’t need to use a PC with it

Essentially, the Vive XR Elite is a standalone VR headset, but you can optionally connect it to a PC with a cable or Via WiFi to unlock better performance using the hardware of the PC in question.

While we don’t yet know how much the performance will improve, it’s likely to be a significant step up, as standalone headsets still can’t fit anywhere near the horsepower of a gaming PC in their tiny chassis’.

Vive XR Elite PC connection: USB C vs WiFi

We mentioned earlier that you’ll be able to connect the Vive XR Elite to a PC to bolster the performance. However, it doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily have to lose the freedom standalone VR headsets are designed to achieve.

You can either opt for a wired connection via a USB Type-C cable, or a wireless connection over WiFi. Each decision will predictably have some benefits and drawbacks.

Of course, HTC is yet to reveal any specific metrics for either of these connection methods, but it’s safe to say that the WiFi method won’t be able to provide nearly as much additional power as the wired variant.

Additionally, both of these methods will be at the mercy of the PC in question anyway, as the capabilities of that will affect the experience more than anything.