While previous HTC Vive anniversaries have been grand affairs with lots of discounts and offers, 2020 is a far more muted occasion. The only real deal available is a Vive Cosmos Wireless Bundle which is being sold for a limited time in the US.
The Vive Cosmos Wireless Bundle is being sold for $799 USD until Wednesday, 8th April 2020, which includes the standard Vive Cosmos headset and the modular faceplate with four lenses, a pair of wireless controllers and the Wireless Adaptor for Vive Cosmos so you don’t need to worry about cables. It’s quite a good deal considering you get the adaptor for an extra $100, rather than buying the accessory on its own for $348.99.
By the looks of it, the bundle is only for US customers as there’s no mention of it on other country portals including the UK, Canada and Australia. In fact, the US website seems to be the only one even acknowledging the Vive Anniversary date.
HTC Vive has been trying to make a resurgence of late with Vive Cosmos after Oculus Rift S and Valve Index pretty much stole 2019, they are now continually out of stock due to supply issues caused by the current pandemic. The standard Vive Cosmos is in stock via the official website plus the new Vive Cosmos Elite Kit is now available with SteamVR tracking. This week will also see pre-orders go live for the Vive Cosmos Elite (headset-only) with a launch planned for the end of the month.
The company has more hardware planned for 2020 thanks to that removable front panel. The Vive Cosmos XR which is developer-oriented and designed for mixed reality (MR) is slated for release in Q2 2020. The baby of the bunch is the Vive Cosmos Play, a stripped-back model with only four inside-out tracking cameras and no external headphones. This already appears on the website but doesn’t have a price or release window at the moment.
Whichever Vive Cosmos you by they all feature the same core specifications, a combined resolution of 2880×1770 (1440×1700 per-eye) using an LCD display, a hinged front to easily drop in and out of VR and 6DoF motion controllers. As further Vive Cosmos deals are announced, VRFocus will let you know.
That’s a saving of $248 over buying the Cosmos and wireless adapter separately, which would cost $1047. The offer lasts until the end of April 8 and is only available in the US.
A significantly more affordable way to achieve wireless PC VR is using the Virtual Desktop software for the $399 Oculus Quest. However, this heavily compresses the data and results in much higher latency than HTC’s purpose built 60 GHz adapter. This can make people feel sick and, because the data is sent over your regular WiFi network, hitches can occur when the network is congested or the router is too far away, which can also induce sickness.
The Cosmos offers a wider range for controller tracking than the Quest thanks to side cameras, as well as high resolution LCD panels and integrated headphones. It’s also more comfortable for the majority of people, as the Quest is a front heavy headset and can therefore cause discomfort.
But of course, Quest has the benefit of also being a standalone headset. HTC and Qualcomm have teased the idea of connecting a smartphone to the Cosmos, but this hasn’t panned out yet- and perhaps never will.
As of writing, Cosmos is the only consumer-oriented headset with a wireless adapter. This allows the user to rid themselves of a tethered cable, one of the core “friction points” of PC VR – managing it is a conscious effort that takes the user out of the virtual world they’re supposed to be in.
For many PC gamers, wireless capability may be the push they need to buy a headset and jump into SteamVR, and the Cosmos is a decent option. So if you’re one of those people, and $800 sounds like a fair price, you may want to take a look at this offer.
Here’s what we think of the new-and-sort-of-improved HTC Vive Cosmos Elite and/or Cosmos External Tracking Faceplate.
Last year HTC released yet another entry in its line of VR headsets named the HTC Vive Cosmos. Now, the company revamped it with a new model that includes an external tracking option and debuted an add-on to the original to enable the same new feature.
I’ve written reviews of lots of VR headsets over the last four years, but I can definitely say I’ve never reviewed a situation quite like this. Never mind the fact that HTC already offers a confusing number of different VR headsets (such as the HTC Vive, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Vive Pro Eye, HTC Vive Focus, HTC Vive Cosmos, and even more), the Cosmos is also the first modular VR headset I’ve seen, adding yet more variations. This should be a key feature of the Cosmos, but right now it just adds to the confusion.
Since we already had an external tracking faceplate sent to us for the original Cosmos, and already had the original Cosmos from our review last year, HTC just told us to review them together as the Vive Cosmos Elite because it’s essentially the same thing.
So, after reading this review you might still have a lot of questions, such as: How is the comfort? How are the lenses? What are the specs? How is Vive Origin? What about Viveport? All of those questions and more I already answered in my original Vive Cosmos review. You should read that review as well to get the full picture here. The only thing that doesn’t apply is all of the commentary from that review on its inside-out tracking and new Cosmos controllers — the rest is identical.
The Vive Cosmos Elite is, literally, identical to the HTC Vive Cosmos other than the fact that it uses external tracking via lighthouse base stations (like the original Vive headsets, the Index, and Pimax headsets) rather than the camera-based inside-out tracking that is built onto the front of the original Cosmos, Windows MR headsets, Oculus Rift S, and Oculus Quest. When you buy a Cosmos Elite, you’re buying a Cosmos, but they’ve switched the front faceplate to the external tracking instead of the inside out tracking on the original. And changed the color to black. That’s it.
The specifications are exactly the same as the Vive Cosmos otherwise. The Cosmos features a 1440 x 1700 pixel per eye display (compared to 1080 x 1200 pixels per eye in the original Vive and 1440 x 1600 pixels per eye in both the Vive Pro and Valve Index) which gives it a sharp image. However, the sweet spot of the lenses feels incredibly small in the Cosmos unit we received for review, meaning if you move your eyes very much inside the headset things can look blurry. The Index on the other hand has a large sweet spot and wide field of view.
The refresh rate is 90 Hz for the Cosmos with a claimed 110 degree field of view, meaning that on paper it’s got a solid foundation. Compared to the original HTC Vive especially, it’s a good upgrade.
For $899 you get the Vive Cosmos Elite headset, two base stations for opposite corners of your room to enable roomscale tracking, and two Vive wand controllers just like the original Vive controllers that released over four years ago. Or, HTC recently announced, you can get just the headset itself without base stations and controllers for $549 — an option created for those looking to upgrade from the original Vive or switch from the Vive Pro.
What Is The Vive Cosmos External Tracking Faceplate?
Simply put, the External Tracking Faceplate is an add-on you will be able purchase (for $199 startin April 30th, 2020) for an existing HTC Vive Cosmos that allows it to be tracked by SteamVR lighthouse base stations. The idea is that you should have the flexibility of switching face plates to have either inside-out tracking, plus new Cosmos controllers, or external tracking with Vive wands or Index “knuckles” controllers. It’s the only VR headset on the market with that sort of adaptability.
It’s a bit of a bummer that the new Cosmos controllers don’t include some sort of add-on to enable external tracking as well. Instead, if you decide to use the external tracking face plate, your new Cosmos controllers are useless. You’d need to switch to Vive wands or Index controllers (we recommend Index controllers if possible.)
Comparing To The Original Vive Cosmos
Using a Cosmos with external tracking (aka a Cosmos Elite) is a vastly superior experience to the original Cosmos inside-out system.
Compared to the Oculus platform, where Insight tracking via Rift S and Quest is extremely comparable in quality to the Rift camera external tracking format, the Cosmos camera-based tracking was a disappointment. It performed poorly in low-light conditions and can lose track of controllers quickly if they’re out of view from your headset. Make no mistake: SteamVR powered by lighthouse base stations is, without a doubt, still the best VR tracking platform on the market from a pure quality and accuracy perspective. They’ve patched the inside-out system to be a bit better now, but it’s still not as good as SteamVR tracking.
But purchasing a VR headset is about much more than just the tracking quality. In virtually all other aspects such as the platform, the comfort, the lens quality, the controllers, and the price, the Cosmos + external tracking and/or Cosmos Elite are hard to justify.
Previously, I found it difficult to recommend a Vive Cosmos to anyone. At $699 it was just too hard of a sell given the way it stacked up against the significantly lower price of $399 for the Oculus Rift S. Coming in at $899, the Cosmos Elite is once again an extremely hard sell compared to the superior Valve Index full package that’s just $100 more at $999. There is a cheaper version of the Cosmos slated to release in the future, called the HTC Vive Cosmos Play, but there’s no word on when exactly.
However, as of the time of this writing, no Valve Index products are expected to arrive to new buyers sooner than 8 weeks from April 1st, 2020, at the earliest. That means June, 2020 as a best-case scenario if you bought something this week.
As a result, if you currently have an original HTC Vive, I could certainly see how the Vive Cosmos Elite headset by itself is an attractive prospect. It costs $50 more than just a Valve Index headset, but you get a slightly higher resolution display plus the potential to eventually purchase an inside-out tracking face plate and new Cosmos controllers if you decide to swap into an inside-out ecosystem instead of using base stations.
Note: Currently HTC does not offer an inside-out tracking add-on to purchase for the Cosmos Elite, they only have plans to offer an external tracking add-on starting April 30th to purchase for the original Cosmos. But, it stands to reason, the inside-out face plate may become available for purchase individually in the future to allow for the inverse upgrade path.
Vive Cosmos Elite/External Tracking Faceplate Review Final Verdict
I said all of this in my original HTC Vive Cosmos review and it all still applies today for the Cosmos Elite: “Technically speaking the Cosmos is far from a bad device. The resolution is very near the top of the market, it features a comfortable halo strap design…and comes with a great value in its Viveport Infinity subscription. But it’s just too little too late.”
The one major caveat here now is that, if you currently have a first generation HTC Vive and are looking to upgrade the headset and don’t mind using Vive wands (or have Index controllers / plan on getting Index controllers), and also don’t want to wait on an Index, then the Vive Cosmos Elite headset by itself for $549 isn’t a bad purchase. Especially considering the possibility of being able to switch to inside-out in the future if you’d prefer. Plus, wireless is already possible on Cosmos — it’s not yet on Index. All that said, if you’re in that specific original Vive owner group and don’t need wireless yet and have the patience to wait an extra month for shipment, we’d certainly recommend paying $50 less for the Index headset on its own.
The HTC Vive Cosmos Elite is available for $899 as a full package including two Vive wand controllers and two lighthouse base stations for tracking, or as a headset only for $549. Check out the official website for more details.
HTC is now selling a headset-only package of Cosmos Elite priced at $550. Released in March, Cosmos Elite was initially only sold in a package that included controllers and base stations for $900. To boot, you can now also buy the Elite Tracking Faceplate separately too.
Update (May 2nd, 2020): HTC is now selling its Vive Cosmos Elite headset-only package for $550, targeted at users who already own base stations and controllers. This includes a pre-installed External Tracking Faceplate on the Cosmos headset.
The company is also now selling its External Tracking Faceplate for $200, the module that allows all versions of Cosmos to be tracked by SteamVR base station versions 1.0 or 2.0, original Vive or Vive Pro controllers, and Valve Knuckles controllers.
Original Article (April 1st, 2020): In an op-ed last month I outlined the confusing positioning of HTC’s various VR headsets and noted how the modularity of Cosmos wasn’t practical when considering the pricing structure. Among those issues is the fact that HTC left no clear path for its existing Vive owners (who already own SteamVR Tracking controllers and base stations) to buy into the Cosmos headset without re-buying controllers and base stations:
This modularity would make a bit more sense if HTC would sell the Cosmos headsets separately. After all, that way people who bought into their VR hardware with the original Vive (which means they already have SteamVR Tracking base stations and controllers) would benefit from that investment by simply buying the Cosmos Elite headset by itself to use it with their existing hardware. Instead, HTC has left no clear path for loyal, existing VR customers to choose Cosmos.
By only selling the headsets bundled with controllers and other hardware, HTC has created a roundabout path where—if you already have SteamVR Tracking base stations and controllers—your best option is to buy Cosmos Play for $500 and then add the Cosmos Elite faceplate for $200, effectively getting you the Cosmos Elite headset for $700 (instead of $900), but still leaving you with two Cosmos controllers you don’t want but had to pay for anyway.
HTC is launching the headset-only Cosmos Elite package on a rolling basis in different regions:
Country
Pre-Order
On Sale
CN
N/A
16-Apr
TW
1-Apr
16-Apr
EU
7-Apr
27-Apr
UK
7-Apr
27-Apr
CA
1-Apr
1-May
US
1-Apr
1-May
AU
N/A
May
KR
N/A
May
NZ
N/A
May
JP
To be announced
To be announced
KSA
1-May
18-May
UAE
1 May
18-May
HTC has also announced the regional release dates for the Cosmos External Tracking Faceplate, the $200 add-on faceplate which brings SteamVR Tracking to the base Cosmos headset.
Country
On Sale
KR
Late April
CA
1-May
US
1-May
EU
15-May
UK
15-May
AU
May
ME
10-Jun
TW
Late April
JP
To be announced
HTC is also including a digital code for Half-Life: Alyx with the purchase of any package of Cosmos Elite or the External Tracking Faceplate.
Though this change makes it far more practical for owners of existing SteamVR Tracking hardware and peripherals to consider Cosmos Elite as their next headset, at $550 it’s still got a price disadvantage compared to Valve’s Index headset which is sold by itself for $500.
Two weeks ago, HTC launched its Vive Cosmos Elite headset at $899. This week, its revealing some cheaper alternatives.
The full Cosmos Elite kit comes with the headset, the SteamVR tracking faceplate, two SteamVR 1.0 base stations and Vive wands controllers. Starting in April, however, HTC will be shipping just the headset and the faceplate for $549. That’s a huge reduction in price but, obviously, you’ll need some existing base stations and controllers to use it. It might be a feasible upgrade for existing-Vive owners, though we haven’t got final impressions for ourselves just yet.
As for existing Cosmos owners, the company will also be shipping the standalone faceplate for $199. We originally got a glimpse of this option late last year. Of course, you’ll already need a Cosmos for this option.
Both options will be shipping to the US on May 1. You’ll be able to pre-order the headset on April 1. Delivery in other regions will vary, as outlined in the official Vive blog. “Given demand, we are releasing these to markets as quickly as we can given supply chain challenges associated with the ongoing health crisis,” the company wrote.
Whether you’re buying the base headset, just the faceplate or getting the entire kit, Cosmos Elite still comes with a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx (which is very good). There’s also six months of free access to the company’s VR subscription service, Viveport Infinity. This lets you access a wide library of games and experiences at no extra cost.
We’re still waiting on news about Cosmos’ cheaper option, the Cosmos Play, which comes with a faceplate for four-camera inside-out tracking. HTC had suggested a $499 price point for the kit, though that’s not set in stone right now.
A couple of weeks ago HTC Vive launched the first kit in the lineup of Vive Cosmos mods being release in 2020, the Vive Cosmos Elite. That full kit including SteamVR trackers and controllers retails for £899 GBP ($899 USD). Now the company has announced when it plans to begin rolling out the headset only version for those with SteamVR setups.
HTC Vive Cosmos Elite
If you already own one of the original HTC Vive’s and haven’t dropped cash on the HTC Vive Pro (£599/$599 headset-only), and still want to use those wall-mounted base stations then you might be interested in the Vive Cosmos Elite. Set to retail for $549, that saves you a little bit of cash whilst gaining a slight uptick in resolution with the Vive Cosmos offering a 2880 x 1700 combined pixel resolution while the Vive Pro comes in at 2880 x 1600 pixels combined.
For your $549 you’ll get a pre-installed External Tracking Faceplate and the Vive Cosmos headset, six months of Viveport Infinity for free and just like the main kit a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx. That’s quite a tempting offer considering rivals Oculus Rift S and Valve Index are still listed as out of stock or on 8-week back orders respectively.
Cosmos Elite Headset Sale Dates
Country
Pre-order
On sale
CN
N/A
16-Apr
TW
1-Apr
16-Apr
EU
14-Apr
27-Apr
UK
14-Apr
27-Apr
CA
1-Apr
1-May
US
1-Apr
1-May
AU
N/A
May
KR
N/A
May
NZ
N/A
May
JP
1-May
Mid-May
ME
20-May
10-Jun
Vive Cosmos with External Tracking Faceplate
As for the External Tracking Faceplate itself, that’s still slated for a global launch later in Q2, retailing for $199. The upgrade accessory for current Vive Cosmos owners, the External Tracking Faceplate works with SteamVR base station v1.0 and v2.0, as well as the original Vive or Vive Pro controllers. Plus, the External Tracking Faceplate will also include a redemption code for Half-Life: Alyx and six months of Viveport Infinity for free.
HTC’s Vive Cosmos Elite ships out today, and if all you were expecting in the box was the hardware itself and maybe a few free months of Viveport, you’d be wrong. Everyone who buys a Cosmos Elite is getting Half-Life: Alyx for free.
Vive Cosmos owners will still need to wait to get Cosmos Elite in their hands, as the digital code is included in the box itself, which is a bit of a downer if you’re just now thinking of making an upgrade from an older headset but still want the game right away.
It’s a limited time offer, with terms and conditions stating that it will be available while supplies until June 30th 2020.
Image courtesy HTC
HTC wasn’t the first to tempt would-be headset owners to pull out their credit cards with the promise of head crap-ganking action. Valve famously included Half-Life: Alyx with Index, however shipping times are currently quoted around eight weeks. Priced $100 lower than the full Valve Index kit, Vive Cosmos includes the Vive Cosmos headset, a detachable SteamVR tracking faceplate (more modular faceplates coming soon), two Vive wand controllers, and two SteamVR 1.0 base stations for $900.
Whether that $100 savings over Index accurately accounts for the 2016-era motion controllers and tracking base stations, well, it doesn’t really feel like. However you slice it though, a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx certainly sweetens the pot if you were already on the fence.
There’s only five days to go until Valve launches Half-Life: Alyx on the world and if you’ve not already got a compatible virtual reality (VR) headset a new choice has now arrived, the Vive Cosmos Elite. Released today, the HTC Vive is offering a bundle which includes Half-Life: Alyx for free.
The launch comes at a unique time where it’s almost impossible to buy the Valve Index and supplies of Oculus Rift S are thin on the ground. Vive Cosmos Elite was revealed last month in conjunction with a couple of other faceplates for the Vive Cosmos, the Elite version supporting SteamVR’s lighthouse basestation tracking solution.
Today sees the launch of the full Vive Cosmos Elite kit which retails for £899 GBP. That price includes the headset and a pre-installed External Tracking Faceplate, twoSteamVR basestations, and two Vive controllers. Customers will also receive a redemption code in-box that will unlock Half-Life: Alyx when it launches on 23rd March. Those who already have a Vive Cosmos will be able to purchase the External Tracking Faceplate in Q2 for $199. It can be used with basestation’s v1.0 or v2.0 as well as the original Vive or Vive Pro controllers.
No matter which faceplate is on the Vive Cosmos, all the headsets will still feature a combined resolution of 2880×1770 (1440×1700 per-eye) using an LCD display and a hinged front to easily drop in and out of VR.
“Since we introduced Vive, the industry has clamoured for a seminal VR title,” said Yves Maître, CEO, HTC in a statement. “With Half-Life: Alyx, we believe Valve is delivering the experience and expertise to move VR gameplay forward. Congratulations to the Valve team on the upcoming launch.”
Half-Life: Alyx is set to be the biggest VR launch of 2020, with plenty of gamers excitedly awaiting its arrival next week. With its story set between the original Half-Life and Half-Life 2, you’ll be able to play as Alyx who leads the resistance against the hostile alien race known as the Combine. For more details on the videogame take a look at VRFocus‘ ‘Half-Life: Alyx – All The Gameplay Info Revealed So Far‘ feature.
As the Vive Cosmos range continues to expand, VRFocus will keep you updated.
HTC’s new SteamVR headset, the Vive Cosmos Elite, now comes with a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx.
Half-Life: Alyx Free With Vive Cosmos Elite
HTC announced the partnership with Alyx developer Valve today. The Cosmos Elite is a premium version of the company’s Cosmos headset. Whereas the original Cosmos features six camera inside-out tracking with a pair of new controllers, the Cosmos Elite swaps out the headset’s front faceplate for one that supports SteamVR tracking. The kit comes with two SteamVR 1.0 base stations and two of the original Vive controllers, not the new ones designed for the original Cosmos.
A redemption code for Half-Life: Alyx will be included inside every Cosmos Elite box (unless you order to China, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Singapore or Ukraine). The headset is shipping from today and Alyx launches on March 23. It doesn’t sound like this offer extends to the original Cosmos, but we’ve asked HTC.
HTC and Valve go a ways back with VR, of course, teaming up to launch the original Vive, the first SteamVR headset, in 2016.
Crucially, Valve is offering a free copy of Alyx to anyone that buys its own premium VR headset, the Valve Index. But shipping on Index is heavily backordered, with new orders not expected to ship until after eight weeks from now. The Cosmos Elite is readily in stock, so it’s one of the faster ways to ensure playing Alyx.
That said, Cosmos Elite costs $899, whereas Index costs $999. For the $100 difference, you’ll get improved SteamVR 2.0 base stations and the more advanced Valve Index controllers. You might want to consider that factor before rushing out to buy an Elite.
HTC is also set to release a cheaper version of the Cosmos called the Cosmos Play in the future. This version has four cameras for inside-out tracking and will come in at a lower price point. The company originally suggested it will cost $499, but noted that price could change by release. There’s no release date just yet.
Will you be picking up a Vive Cosmos Elite to play Half-Life: Alyx? Let us know in the comments below!
The supply chain slowdown due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected a few notable VR companies, including Valve and Facebook with their respective flagship headsets. Now it seems HTC is experiencing similar issues with its upcoming SteamVR External Tracking Faceplate for its recently released PC VR headset, Vive Cosmos.
While HTC’s full Cosmos Elite package will be ready to ship by the original March 18th launch date, the platform’s first foray into modularity is taking a hit due to the coronavirus. HTC says availability of the External Tracking Faceplate will now be later than planned due to supply chain delays.
“We are taking every precaution to ensure that our employees and manufacturing partners are staying safe during this time,” the company told Road to VR. “We will continue to update you on timings, but we are still aiming for Q2 availability.”
With an all-in price tag of $900, Cosmos Elite includes the same fundamental specs of the base model, including a flip-up head-mount design, fresnel lenses, and 1,440 × 1,700 LCD displays with hardware IPD adjustment. However it also comes with two SteamVR 1.0 base stations, two Vive wand-style motion controllers and an External Tracking Faceplate, giving it access to Valve’s rock solid tracking standard.
Owners of the base model who aren’t so thrilled with its less than stellar inside-out optical tracking will simply have to wait for the $200 modular bit, which critically doesn’t include either the requisite base stations or motion controllers.
“Since we introduced Vive, the industry has clamoured for a seminal VR title