The HTC Vive XR Elite blew me away at MWC 2023 because it didn’t make me sick

The movement and I are in fact incompatible, no matter the circumstances, and it only gets worse with age. I wouldn’t be a passenger in a car if I could, and the last time I was on a boat, I was so sick that I passed out. Needless to say, I don’t usually test the best VR headsets for Tom’s Guide.

My VR endurance will depend entirely on the experience in question and how much real movement is involved. But usually I can’t go more than 30 minutes without a break. But as I discovered at MWC 2023, this is not necessarily the case with end-to-end augmented reality.

While I was in Barcelona, ​​I got to ride the HTC Vive XR Elite for a bit, and was pleasantly surprised by my reaction to end-to-end AR. I could probably keep playing AR games all day if I had time.

(Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, MWC is a busy time and I couldn’t hang around all day playing video games – as much as I’d like to. Also, I had to try the XR Elite VR mode and see what happens with it.

It’s a miracle I didn’t get too sick, and it’s a good thing I’m not a big boat lover. Because all I’ve been able to do is send my virtual kayak crashing into icebergs and spinning in circles.

Unfortunately, I left the Vive demo with two conclusions. Firstly, the VR aspect of the headset still affected me to some extent. Although the most I experienced during the demo session was a headache, not full seasickness. Secondly, my kayaking skills are almost useless.

In retrospect, I can say that it was a miracle I didn’t get severe seasickness, and it’s a good thing I’m not a big fan of boats. Because all I’ve been able to do is send my virtual kayak crashing into icebergs and spinning in circles.

Luckily it had a better ending than the Titanic and I didn’t have to try to fight my way through a broken door to stay afloat. This is one of the benefits of virtual action – the most dangerous thing about it is accidentally knocking over one of your plants with a thoughtless blind swipe.

(Image credit: Future)

I’m a big fan of end-to-end AR content as it gives you a pretty good idea of ​​the world around you. The fact that it doesn’t make me feel bad is just an added bonus. However, you must remember that you are looking at a digitized version of the world, which distorts the environment a bit.

It’s like you’re looking at the world magnified by about 10%. I managed to adapt to this immediately, but there was a strange feeling when you finally take off the headset and everything returns to normal.

The HTC Vive XR Elite is also a pretty good headset. It’s light, comfortable, and the goggle design is significantly more streamlined than many of the older, bulkier headsets that many people are familiar with. Even compared to modern headsets, its design seems to have more in common with the Meta Quest Pro than it does with the PSVR 2.

(Image credit: Future)

Like the Meta Quest Pro, the HTC Vive XR Elite can work as a standalone headset, powered by a rechargeable battery on the back of the headband or via a PC connection. Unfortunately, the XR Elite cannot connect to a PC wirelessly like the Meta headsets and requires a physical connection. But this makes setup much easier as all you have to do is disconnect the battery and replace it with the one connected to your PC.

The controllers are nothing special, but it looks like the Vive XR Elite has a lot of the right features. This includes a 4K display, 128GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, a 90Hz refresh rate, a 110-degree field of view, and a face mask that blocks outside light perfectly.

The HTC Vive XR Elite is a pretty nice headset. It’s light, comfortable, and the goggle design is significantly more streamlined than many of the older, bulkier headsets that many people are familiar with.

The speakers are admittedly a little odd, but I’ve found this to be true of other standalone headsets with built-in headphones as well. You can hear the sound coming from the speakers to the point where it dominates what you hear, but some things from the outside world still slip through, especially if someone is trying to talk to you.

Considering how lackluster my VR experience has been in the past, the Vive XR Elite has given me some hope that it might come as developers start offering more mixed reality experiences. Of course, this may limit the time I spend shooting down TIE fighters in a galaxy far, far away, but maybe someone will give me a chance to knock them out of my living room.

Lucasfilm, if you’re reading this, you better get on it right now. No need to thank me.

The HTC Vive XR Elite is available to pre-order now for $1,099, with shipments currently expected in early March.