The HTC Vive Pro 2 arrives three years after the original Pro VR headset was released. The 5K display and 120-degree field-of-view should be enough to make any PC VR enthusiast salivate.
The trouble is that they don’t translate well to real-world use, and aside from the display, not much has changed in the 3 years between versions.
PRICE
The difficult element to accept is that the Vive Pro 2 costs more than the original, which was already one of the most costly VR headsets available. It comes in two flavors: you can get the headset for $799 if you already own a Vive Pro and want to upgrade, or you can pay $1399 if you don’t have a SteamVR system.
DESIGN AND FIT
Due to its almost identical design and ergonomics, Vive Pro 2 may be confused with the original Vive Pro. That isn’t necessarily a negative thing, given the original’s ability to fit a variety of head shapes.
The black helmet-mounted display (HMD) is coupled to a hard plastic head strap with a hand-crank mechanism on the back to tighten and loosen the headset on your head. It’s covered in a sprinkling of sensors and pass-through cameras. The back has deep cushioning to help dissipate pressure, as well as a form that cradles the back of your head.
The HMD can tilt backward, like a pair of flip-up sunglasses, to make it easy to lift up without totally removing the headset, which is ideal for taking a quick phone call, or seeing who’s laughing at your amazing Beat Saber maneuvers. However, it does not lean too far forward, which may limit its ability to adapt to varied head shapes.
The good thing is that if you wish to use your own headset, you can separate them. Given that it would add even more bulk to an already large headset, it’s unlikely that many owners will opt for this option.
While the Vive Pro 2 does a good job of accommodating a variety of head sizes and shapes, it isn’t the most comfortable VR headset. It’s still fairly hefty and large, and despite HTC’s efforts to equalize the weight between the front and back, it occasionally feels front-heavy.
Although the HMD is lined with thick padded cushioning to make it less noticeable, there is still a build-up of pressure across your forehead during longer VR sessions.
DISPLAY
Let’s start with the good: the Vive Pro 2’s visuals are crisp, with a massive 2448X2448 resolution per eye and a quick 120Hz refresh rate. It solves a number of long-standing concerns in virtual reality, the most notable of which is the screen door effect, also known as SDE.
The effect is comparable to peering through a screen door, with a visible mesh created by tiny gaps between each pixel in the display, as the name suggests. It was evident in first-generation VR headsets, and while the effect has faded as resolutions have increased, it’s the first time we’ve seen a headset that totally eliminates it. Even if you deliberately look for it, you can’t see it.
That eliminates one of the most significant obstacles to a fully realistic VR experience, but that’s not all. The higher resolution also makes text simpler to read from a distance; you don’t have to get within inches of the text to read it clearly. That’s excellent not only for gaming but also for work and collaboration — there are a lot of individuals who use HTC systems for business.
Of course, it’s not just the wording that’s improved. Everything appears brighter and crisper because of the higher resolution, resulting in a more immersive virtual experience overall. Even games you’ve played for hundreds of hours will appear new and fresh in VR, with extra detail not seen before.
CONCLUSION
The HTC Vive Pro 2 improves in several areas. LCD technology offers a greater resolution and quicker refresh rate and eradicates SDE, and minimizes ghosting, making a significant difference in the virtual experience. Even older VR games played for hundreds of hours look new and fresh with higher resolution, allowing you to enjoy finer details for the first time in VR.
However, because the design is nearly identical to that of the original Pro, it is still rather heavy and can grow uncomfortable over extended play sessions, and the crank mechanism should be improved.
But it’s the FOV that irritates the most, with an almost rectangular field of view that gives the impression that the top and bottom of the displays have been clipped. It’s good to be able to view objects out of the corner of your eye, but for a more expansive virtual reality experience, I’d much rather see what’s above and below my eye-line.
So, while the HTC Vive Pro 2 appears to be the perfect VR headset on paper, it falls short in practice – especially given its high price tag.
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Source: HTC Vive Pro 2 Review: Is it a Worthy Upgrade or Not?
