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Since its inception, the HTC Vive’s biggest advantage over its competitors was the roomscale VR concept, one that actually put you in a life-size area that you could not only walk around in, but duck, lean, roll and jump in, behaving exactly like real life to every degree. What wasn’t so realistic, however, was the annoying cord that tethered you to the PC, and while it didn’t hinder movement much, it was still a drain on what otherwise would be a fully immersive experience without peer. While their competitors have caught up in the controller and roomscale department, HTC is making sure it continues to lead in a key area: Movement.
With the introduction of the official HTC Vive Wireless Adapter, HTC is taking VR to the next level, and it’s doing it in more substantive ways than just increasing resolution or making a more comfortable headset. Wireless is freedom, and just as the paradigm of phone usage changed in a revolutionary way with the birth of the cell phone, so too will VR change with the birth of true wireless. We’re not quite at the point where the OASIS from Ready Player One is fully reality, we’re certainly one step closer with it now that there’s no need for a plug dangling from the back of the headset to a computer a few feet away.
For $299 you can get the wireless adapter for the original HTC Vive, while the Vive Pro requires a more expensive $359 bundle due to cable and other hardware design differences. Most Vive products are a bit expensive, and this is no different. Unlike the Deluxe Headstrap, however, the price of the wireless adapter feels a bit more in line with expectations of what’s involved in making the tech, and the follows with what’s in the box. It’s not just the unique looking head mount that’s here, it’s all the other stuff that’s needed to power the headset too, including a portable QC 3.0 battery pack, the cables needed to connect the adapter to the battery and to the headset itself, and then of course the PC side of things too. Check out our review video below on YouTube to see it in action and find out whether it’s worth the cash, and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel to get all the latest videos as they drop!