HTC Vive is partnering up with Gigabyte in hopes of getting more Cosmos and Cosmos Elite headsets into homes.
The pair today announced a bundle for the UK, Germany and Austria that includes one of the two PC VR headsets and the AORUS 15G laptop at a combined saving of £149. The standard Cosmos, with inside-out tracking, is bundled for £2,549. The Cosmos Elite — which swaps out inside-out for Valve’s SteamVR Lighthouse system — goes for £2,749.
New Vive Cosmos Bundle
Still an expensive proposition, then, but the 15G does feature a GeForce RTX 2070 card inside a laptop with a 240Hz (albeit 1080p) display. Plus you could feasibly plug it into a Cosmos, zip it into a backpack and then have relative freedom to explore in VR.
If you wanted to make some further savings, HTC also just announced that new Viveport Infinity subscribers can get a free copy of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, as the Game Pass-like service adds new titles like Moss, too. Both bundles come with a two-month subscription, so you should be getting those games for free. You can find out more about each from the deal’s official website. HTC currently doesn’t have any plans for such a deal in the US.
We think the Cosmos is an okay headset, though it has its fair share of problems including those steep prices. A few months back we learned that HTC is no longer planning to sell its cheapest variations, the Vive Cosmos Play, to consumers, instead gunning for location-based and enterprise customers instead.
Will you be taking advantage of this new Vive Cosmos bundle? Let us know in the comments below!
Morgen ist es soweit und wir begehen mit unserem Partner HTC den HTC VR day! Bei diesem Event zocken wir live mit der HTC VIVE Cosmos Elite von 18:00 – 20:00 Uhr auf Facebook! Zudem wird es morgen einiges zu gewinnen geben. Unter anderem eine HTC Vive Cosmos Elite!
Alle Infos zum Ablauf und dem Gewinnspiel
Am Samstag werden VoodooDE und VR-Legion den VR day um 16 Uhr mit einem Livestream auf Youtube starten und ab 18 Uhr werden wir auf Facebook übernehmen und bis 20 Uhr live mit euch spielen und eure Fragen beantworten.
Neben unserem Livestream wird es zur gleichen Zeit auf unserer Facebook-Seite ein tolles Gewinnspiel geben, welches uns HTC ermöglicht. Zu gewinnen gibt es:
24x Goodie-Bags bestehend aus je 100€ Viveport-Guthaben, VIVE Cosmos Handy Halter, VIVE M&M, VIVE Aufkleber, VIVE Notizbuch, VIVE Isoflasche und VIVE Wasserball
Alles was ihr zunächst tun müsst, um morgen am Gewinnspiel teilnehmen zu können, ist, gegen 18 Uhr unsere Facebook-Seite genau im Auge zu behalten.
Wer Lust hat gegen uns in einer Runde Tower Tag anzutreten und live sein können am VR day zu zeigen, der ist ebenso herzlich eingeladen, dem Event in VR beizuwohnen.
Wir freuen uns bekanntzugeben, dass wir bereits am 13.06. um 18 Uhr gemeinsam mit euch den HTC VR day zelebrieren werden! Als Partner von HTC werden wir hierfür auf Facebook einen Livestream am kommenden Wochenende anbieten, in welchem wir zwei Stunden die HTC VIVE Cosmos Elite mit diversen Spielen ausprobieren werden. Außerdem hat HTC an diesem Wochenende die Spendierhosen an und hat für den VR day lukrative Gewinne in Aussicht gestellt. Darunter auch eine HTC VIVE Cosmos Elite.
HTC VR day am 13.06
Mit der VIVE Cosmos Elite bringt HTC das Lighthouse-Tracking wieder ins Spiel, welches sich bereits bei der ersten HTC Vive und der HTC Vive Pro bewährt hatte. Wir haben unser Exemplar gerade erhalten und freuen uns darauf, uns in dieser Woche ausführlich mit der VR-Brille zu beschäftigen, um eure Fragen am kommenden Samstag akkurat zu beantworten.
Das Gewinnspiel eröffnet die Chance auf folgende Gewinne:
24x Goodie-Bags bestehend aus je 100€ Viveport-Guthaben, VIVE Cosmos Handy Halter, VIVE M&M, VIVE Aufkleber, VIVE Notizbuch, VIVE Isoflasche und VIVE Wasserball
Bitte beachtet, dass ihr zum Betrieb der HTC VIVE Cosmos Elite einen leistungsstarken PC und ein Lighthouse-System benötigt. Dieses Equipment ist nicht im Gewinn enthalten. Den genauen Ablauf des Gewinnspiels geben wir noch bekannt.
This week has seen the rise in PC VR numbers and the fall of mobile VR’s biggest platform, and we can’t forget the new releases. Let’s wrap up the week’s top stories!
Next up, mobile VR gets what seems like one of the final nails in its coffin with the discontinuation of support for Gear VR. Not only that, but you won’t be able to access films you’ve purchased on it or even download the Oculus app. Thank you for your six years of service, Gear VR.
We now have more accurate data to tell us about how many PC VR users there are on Steam thanks to the platform’s latest update to the Steam Hardware Survey. The number? 1 million!
As for this week’s releases, we have three big titles: Lies Beneath on Quest, The Morrigan gets a full release on Steam, and Good Goliath on PSVR and PC VR.
We’re giving away Arizona Sunshine codes for Quest! You can enter below for a chance to win – best of luck.
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.
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!
HTC’s Vive Cosmos Elite headset is set to ship on the 18th and we’ve been testing the unit to bring you a full review. Cosmos Elite is the same base headset as Cosmos, but equipped with a faceplate that offers SteamVR Tracking instead of inside-out tracking. HTC also plans to also sell the ‘External Tracking Faceplate’ separately so that Cosmos users have the option to upgrade.
Introduction
This is a somewhat unique review because of Vive Cosmos’ modular approach; so let me break down where this all fits before we start.
Cosmos launched back in October as HTC’s latest consumer focused headset and its first PC headset with inside-out tracking. While the headset isn’t bad, competitors on both sides (Oculus’ Rift on the low-end and Valve’s Index on the high-end) seemed to offer better value propositions considering their price and performance.
Cosmos Elite is the same Cosmos headset except equipped with what HTC calls the ‘External Tracking Faceplate’ which ditches the inside-out camera tracking for SteamVR Tracking which brings more accuracy but relies on external base stations (which also means more to set up).
When bought as a complete package, Cosmos Elite is black rather than blue | Image courtesy HTC
For this review, HTC sent us everything that ships with the Vive Cosmos Elite (External Tracking Faceplate, 2x SteamVR Tracking 1.0 base stations, and 2x Vive wand controllers) so that we could upgrade our original Cosmos to Cosmos Elite. With the External Tracking Faceplate equipped, Cosmos becomes virtually identical to Cosmos Elite, except that the latter comes with a matching black color compared to the dark blue of all the other Cosmos headsets.
Now with all that said, this review focuses on Cosmos Elite and the External Tracking Faceplate; since the base headset (headphones, optics, displays, ergonomics, etc.) is otherwise identical to the original Cosmos, we’ll be leaning on our original review of Cosmos where relevant rather than rehashing the same points. Let’s dig in.
While the original Cosmos is priced at $700, for $900 Cosmos Elite comes equipped with the External Tracking Faceplate and packaged with the Vive wand controllers (instead of the Cosmos controllers) and two SteamVR Tracking 1.0 base stations.
Photo by Road to VR
For those upgrading from Cosmos to Cosmos Elite, it’s easy to swap the default Cosmos faceplate for the External Tracking Faceplate. When looking at the lenses, you’ll find a small switch on the left side. Pull this down firmly all the way down as you pull the faceplate off; you may here a pop or two as it’s removed.
Photo by Road to VR
With the default faceplate removed, line up the port on the External Tracking Faceplate with the port on the headset and then firmly press around the faceplate to pop it into place. The seam should be flush with the Cosmos headset.
Photo by Road to VR
The External Tracking Faceplate is covered with those familiar Vive pockmarks under which little sensors hide. While there’s only 10 visible pockmarks on the External Tracking Faceplate, there’s many more sensors hiding underneath the IR-transparent plastic, for a total of 32 (the same number you’ll find on headsets like Index and Vive Pro).
These sensors pick up lasers from the SteamVR Tracking base stations. You technically only need one base station for tracking, but two base stations at opposite corners of your playspace is the default configuration to ensure 360 tracking coverage.
The base stations each need to be connected to a wall outlet for power, but don’t need to connect to your PC. They need line of sight to each other, and it’s recommended they be mounted higher than your head and no more than 16 feet apart, supporting a tracking volume of roughly 11 × 11 feet.
The base stations include mounting hardware so that you they could be screwed into your walls, and there’s also a standard tripod screw on the bottom and back if you’d rather stick them on tripods. You could also choose to simply sit them up high somewhere like on a bookshelf, but they need to stay very still during use, otherwise tracking could get thrown off.
Vive Cosmos Elite Tracking
Compared to the inside-out tracking of the base Cosmos headset, which requires no external tracking hardware, the move to SteamVR Tracking and base stations on Cosmos Elite is a more cumbersome setup process, but the result is significantly improved tracking.
While HTC has made improvements to Cosmos’ inside-out tracking (which was pretty rough at launch), it’s still a far cry from SteamVR Tracking with the External Tracking Faceplate, which brings greater accuracy and hugely improved robustness to lighting conditions.
Photo by Road to VR
The Achilles’ heel of the original Cosmos is lighting; if it’s moderately dark the headset can lose tracking quality or refuse to track entirely. With SteamVR Tracking you can literally play in a daylight bright room or in a pitch black room and the tracking will keep on kicking thanks to infrared lasers, which are invisibly projected from the base stations.
Tracking performance on Cosmos Elite is notably superior to the original Cosmos; it’s more accurate with almost no discernible jitter or latency. While the External Tracking Faceplate is a modular add-on rather than being built-in, tracking felt just as good as other headsets with built-in SteamVR Tracking like Vive Pro and Index.
As for the controllers, Cosmos Elite uses the same Vive wands as the original Vive that launched back in 2016. These are pretty much a known quantity; they track very well and feel very sturdy, but their size and design reveal their age. While the Vive wands have a large trackpad and a grip ‘button’, most modern controllers have thumbsticks, face buttons, and grip ‘triggers’ (which are held rather than clicked).
Photo by Road to VR
Thanks to SteamVR’s interoperability, you could choose to pair Cosmos Elite with any other SteamVR Tracking compatible controller (like Index), but unfortunately the mess that is Cosmos’ modular strategy makes this largely impractical from a price standpoint.
Ergonomics, Lenses, Displays, Audio, & More
Photo by Road to VR
As we mentioned, Cosmos Elite is the same core Cosmos headset that launched in late 2019 but with the External Tracking Faceplate and Vive wand controllers. So rather than rehash the same points again, we’ll summarize the rest and encourage you to check out our original Cosmos review if you want the deep dive on the characteristics of the core headset.
While the External Tracking Faceplate takes care of the sub-par tracking of the original Cosmos, it doesn’t alleviate any of the headset’s other issues.
Ergonomics are a major factor for Cosmos, and even though Cosmos Elite (and the External Tracking Faceplate) include a wider top strap, it doesn’t make much of a difference. While I’ve found HTC’s Vive Pro to be very comfortable, Cosmos’ halo-style headband doesn’t work well for me. This may vary on a head-by-head basis, but I’ve found that Cosmos’ head-mount does a poor job of keeping the headset’s lenses in the ideal spot for my eyes, and its front-heavy design isn’t ideal for long sessions.
This is compounded by the fact that Cosmos’ lenses have a very small ‘sweet spot’ (the part of the lens offering the best visual clarity) and it feels like if my eyes are even a bit out of alignment then much of my view is uncomfortably blurry. I found myself needing to regularly adjust Cosmos on my head to try to keep my eyes in the sweet spot, even after setting the physical IPD adjustment correctly.
As for the displays, Cosmos’ 1,440 × 1,700 per-eye LCD displays are on par with contemporaries for pixel density and screen door effect (the space between pixels). But, going back to the small sweet spot and the ergonomic issues, it feels like more of those pixels are blurred more of the time, making Cosmos’ through-the-lens view notably the least desirable for me among Cosmos, Rift S, and Index.
Photo by Road to VR
Though the snap-on headphones feel a little cheap and love to get in the way when you put on the headset, the audio quality is solid and easily better than the barely passable audio on Rift S. Index, however, still has notably better audio quality and its off-ear headphone design never bothers you when putting on the headset.
Summary
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Cosmos Elite is a passable headset but it has the same core issue as the original Cosmos: it’s not competitive at the price HTC is asking. Yes, the SteamVR Tracking makes it a better headset than the original Cosmos (provided you aren’t bothered by the external tracking hardware), but it also costs an additional $200. At $900, I just can’t recommend Cosmos Elite when Rift S provides more value and Index offers a notably improved experience for just $100 more.
Even if there was someone out there who simply wouldn’t settle for a headset from any company but HTC, I would easily recommend the Vive Pro Starter Kit (also $900) over Cosmos Elite thanks to its vastly better ergonomic design—it’s a shame that the company is now discontinuing that headset.
Disclosure: HTC provided Road to VR with the Vive Cosmos Elite hardware.
“Since we introduced Vive, the industry has clamoured for a seminal VR title
