You can now preorder the HTC VIVE COSMOS - the newest VR headset by HTC.
And compared with the previous HTC VIVE headsets, this one is very different.
But you might want to know what the VIVE COSMOS is about and if it’s better than other headsets
like the VIVE PRO.
There are also some questions unanswered after a somewhat curious marketing strategy, which
we will also talk about.
So in this video, I’ll explain what happened, I will sum up all that you need to know before
you buy this headset, and I’ll let you know our thoughts.
I’ve divided this video into sections; the timestamps are in the description.
If you are a VR enthusiast like us and like these types of videos, then consider subscribing
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Now, let’s dive in.
Let me start by saying that I haven’t tried the HTC VIVE COSMOS yet.
So everything in this video is based on the information provided online and our experience
with VR in general over these past years.
We will be getting the VIVE COSMOS for the channel to review so stay tuned for that.
Since last week, you can pre-order the VIVE COSMOS for 699 US dollars (tax excluded),
699 pounds (tax included), and in Europe, 799 euros (tax included).
The box will include the VIVE COSMOS headset, two VIVE COSMOS controllers, and the necessary
cables and power adapters.
It will also include a 12-month trial subscription for VIVEPORT Infinity.
This is only if you pre-order before October 2nd.
If you order after this date, you’ll get a 6-month trial.
VIVEPORT Infinity is worth 99 US dollars for an annual subscription.
You can preorder the COSMOS from the HTC VIVE website; I’ll put a link in the description.
And then it will start shipping on October 3rd.
Let’s move on to its specs.
The VIVE COSMOS is different from the previous HTC VIVE headsets, which I’ll explain in
a bit.
What’s not different is that the COSMOS is still a PC VR headset, it still has a cable
and is not standalone.
So you still need a VR-ready desktop PC or laptop to play VR games with the COSMOS.
But the first biggest change is its tracking system.
Instead of using external tracking systems, it now uses inside-out tracking with camera
sensors on the headset.
The COSMOS has six cameras, two in the front, one on top, one at the bottom and one on each
side.
In comparison, the Rift S has five cameras.
Inside-out tracking means that you don’t need any external sensors to get 360 degrees
tracking.
So usually, this means an easier initial setup and more of a plug-and-play experience.
Inside-out tracking systems have proven to be good enough, but tracking loss is more
likely to happen than with external tracking systems.
So we can assume the VIVE COSMOS will have good tracking out of the box as well.
I think this type of tracking is the most beneficial for people who need to move around
a lot, like travelers or developers.
But the people who only use VR in one room will most likely have a permanent external
tracking setup.
That setup could take some time getting right the first time, but afterward, you won’t
have to change it, and then the headset becomes a similar plug-and-play experience.
Some people prefer the external tracking setup because tracking occlusion is less likely
to happen.
For those people, HTC announced an External Tracking Mod, which makes the headset compatible
with the SteamVR Base Stations.
The provided faceplate of the COSMOS is actually removable so that you can replace it with
this External Tracking faceplate.
You will then be able to switch between playing with the Base Stations or inside-out tracking
whenever needed, which is a nice surprise actually.
Currently, no other consumer headset supports two types of tracking.
Which SteamVR base stations will work with the COSMOS is not very clear yet, but it looks
like both generation Base Stations will work.
This does mean that the controllers provided with the COSMOS will not work with the Base
Stations because they only work with inside-out tracking.
Instead, you’ll need controllers that do work with them like the VIVE Wands or the
Valve Index Controllers.
The External Tracking Mod is sold separately.
The price for this mod has not been set yet, but HTC have said that it will be under 200
dollars.
If you already have the Base Stations, then it might be worth it to check this mod out.
Since we’re talking about its look already, let’s move on to design and comfort.
The VIVE COSMOS now has a Halo strap.
Much like what the Rift S and PS VR have.
I like this since we find the Halo strap the most comfortable compared to the straps of
other headsets.
In comparison, the Halo strap comes at the top spot for us and after that the Valve Index
kind of straps.
Now there is one thing that makes the COSMOS different, and that is its flip-up design,
which means that you can flip the front up.
This is to easily peek at the outside world without having to balance it awkwardly on
your head which seems like a great solution for any headset.
We will need to spend time with the COSMOS first to tell if it is comfortable though.
But so far, I like the look of it.
The COSMOS also comes with integrated on-ear headphones, which looks like the Deluxe Audio
Strap headphones.
If it’s anything alike, then the sound will be decent.
The headphones are removable, and there is an on-board 3.5mm headphone jack for those
who want to use their own headphones.
Ok, time to talk about the display.
The COSMOS has two LCDs with a combined resolution of 2880 times 1700 pixels.
This is an increase of 88% over the original HTC VIVE.
It’s a smaller upgrade over the Rift S, VIVE PRO, and the Valve Index.
So the VIVE COSMOS beats most other headsets in resolution.
I don’t think it will be a night and day difference when compared with the 2nd generation
headsets though.
HTC does say that they use new LCD panels which reduces the distance between pixels
and so minimizing the screen-door effect.
But LCDs have greyer blacks compared to OLED, which is what the VIVE PRO had.
However, if it’s anything like the Rift S, which has LCDs as well, then it wouldn’t
matter that much unless you are used to playing dark games.
The refresh rate is good old 90 Hz, which is pretty much standard now although more
would have been nice.
There isn’t much talk about the lenses, except that it looks the same as the Fresnel
lenses on the original HTC VIVE and thus there are still god rays and glare in high contrast
scenes.
There’s a physical IPD adjustment meaning you can move the lenses to match the distance
of the pupils of your eyes for the best clarity.
The field of view is about the same as that of the original HTC VIVE, although people
who have tried it already have said that the field of view seems slightly larger.
This could be because of the new straps and how the headset now fits.
The controllers are different too.
They look like the Rift S controllers made a baby with the Windows Mixed Reality controllers.
Each controller has a thumbstick, two action buttons and one menu button.
The biggest difference is that the tracking ring is now closer to the buttons and has
a tribal-like design that lights up.
I’m guessing that this will help with the controller tracking.
I’m hoping that’s it’s not only for the pretty look.
These controllers are definitely an improvement over the original HTC VIVE controllers.
Time will tell if they are better than the Rift S controllers or the Valve Index controllers.
Now, something surprising!
One thing HTC already teased before was that they are going for a, what they call, future-proof
headset.
They came with a modular concept.
This means that you will be able to buy mods for the headset and upgrade it without having
to buy a whole new headset.
This concept is one of the most interesting aspects of this headset to us.
The surprise was that two modular options were announced at launch.
One of them is that the COSMOS has support for the VIVE Wireless Adapter, which is the
adapter we have been using for our VIVE PRO and have been very satisfied with.
With it, you can make the COSMOS wireless.
It’s sold separately at a pretty steep price of 300 US dollars though, and you might have
to buy an extra adapter that could cost you extra to make it fit on the COSMOS.
The second modular option is the External Tracking Mod that I talked about already during
the tracking section of this video.
The added benefits of this are that you could use VIVE accessories with the COSMOS this
way, like the VIVE Trackers, the VIVE Controllers, and the Valve Index Controllers.
Unfortunately, there is no information yet on what other modular options will be available
later.
But if you can mod the headset in a lot more areas, then this headset could have potential.
Another new feature that they showed is the built-in finger tracking support.
It uses the same finger tracking software as the VIVE and VIVE Pro.
So the COSMOS will also use the cameras in the front of the headset to track your fingers.
This isn’t as accurate as with a depth sensor, but it works as you can see in this video
provided by the HTC VIVE China President.
But I have to say, while this has a lot of potential, in reality, a regular VR consumer
that plays games won’t have much use with this since there aren’t many games that
make use of this functionality.
Maybe the COSMOS will be able to change this.
Nonetheless, it will take time.
Then, there is one big question that we have even after the launch.
When the HTC VIVE COSMOS was teased back in January this year, HTC also teased smartphone
compatibility.
They never explicitly explained what this means.
But we think that this could mean that the headset can be tethered to a smartphone, where
VR content is streamed from using a 5G network.
This means that you could play VR games on the road using just your smartphone so there
won’t be a need for any PCs or laptops.
The only cable you’ll have is that to your smartphone, but a phone can go in your pocket
so then you can kind of enjoy standalone VR with the COSMOS.
However, no information on this was given by HTC.
So this makes us wonder if it is coming at all.
But time will tell.
So, another new headset this year.
It certainly has been a great year for VR.
But, what are our recommendations right now for the HTC VIVE COSMOS?
Again, we have not tried the VIVE COSMOS yet, so this is just based on our experience with
VR headsets over the past years.
A final recommendation will come in a later video once we have the headset.
So the COSMOS sits between the Valve Index and the Oculus Rift S in price.
And on paper, the COSMOS is definitely an upgrade over the original gen-1 headsets.
However, it might not be worth the upgrade over the Oculus Rift S for double the price.
In comparison, the COSMOS has a little higher refresh rate, a bit higher resolution, a manual
IPD adjustment, and maybe better sound out of the box.
But whether this justifies the price depends on more things, but right now, it’s hard
to justify the price just for this.
Whereas the Valve Index is 300 dollars more expensive than the COSMOS.
But the Index offers a more significant upgrade in most areas — refresh rate up to 144 Hz
for example, wider field of view and great sound.
And if you already own the SteamVR Base Stations, you’ll only need to get the Valve Index
and Controllers, which will put the price much closer to the COSMOS at 749 US dollars.
One thing worth mentioning in favor for the COSMOS is the free trial of VIVEPORT Infinity
that you’ll get with it.
VIVEPORT Infinity is a subscription-based service by HTC – think Netflix for VR games.
So with it, you will be able to try out over 700 VR titles unlimitedly until your subscription
ends, and more games are added over time.
If you pre-order the COSMOS now, you’ll get a 12-month free trial and if you order
after October 3rd, then you’ll get a 6-month trial.
Infinity is great for anyone new in the VR world and wants to explore as many games as
possible.
While not all titles are available on Infinity, it still could save you a lot of money.
If you’re interested in what kind of games are available in Infinity check out their
website or check out the video I made a video about our favorite titles.
You can find the link in the description.
Of course, we will need to try out the COSMOS first to give a definite recommendation.
But whether the VIVE COSMOS will be worth it will hugely depend on what you need and
what your setup is like.
I also think it will depend on how modular the VIVE COSMOS will become.
If it really is a “future-proof” headset, then it might be worth the investment.
However, there is a lot to consider, because of this I would not recommend preordering
the VIVE COSMOS straight away.
I suggest waiting until there are more reviews on the headset and more comparisons are made.
If you already own a VR headset and are looking to upgrade, then it might also be worth it
to wait longer until there is more news on the modular options and maybe even phone integration
before you decide on a headset.
We are getting the VIVE COSMOS ourselves for this channel.
We will then post more info on the headset, and we will also do a final review in case
you are wondering if we are doing that.
Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions about the VIVE COSMOS that you
would like us to check.
We will test it out for you when we have the headset.
And let me know your thoughts on the COSMOS, are you buying it or not and why?
A special thanks goes to artArmin, our Right-Hand Patron, and a special shout out goes to his
Patreon page.
Everyone, see you all in the next video.
And as always VR on!