PROJECTIONS, Episode 37: HTC Vive Pro Hands-On Demo and Impressions! 

I don't think I am going to get the Pro, I have the Vive already and I am happy with it. Maybe 2 more VR generations will convince me upgrading my Vive and PC.

The intersting part about the two cameras, is that they are placed exactly where the lenses are and that to me suggest it will allow both stereo image of the real world and possible even some AR stuff.

Ounce again Tested has the best in depth review of a product that all other reviews lack. Great Job Thank You!!

I’ve been foaming at the mouth waiting for your guys’ video!

Can't wait until this is available at retail. Super excited, but I'm very happy with my Vive 1.0 HMD for the time being.

No eye tracking means it is still stone age VR. Eye tracking is the key to it all. Moreover, with eye tracking, they could move to 4K resolution right now without straining existing graphics cards (you only need to render at full resolution at the point of focus, not everywhere else simultaneously).

Finally words from someone who tried all headsets AND knows what they're talking about

1. Better Optics that doesn't require robot head movement to read text legibly 2. Better resolution (2k per eye preferred) 3. Wireless solution included with easy setup. 4. Include Valve's Knuckles prototype when they release. If these conditions were met with the Vive Pro's ergonomics and 4 base stations included. I would gladly pay $1500 for this complete package. Until then I will wait and dream.

Sometimes I think Tested is the only place that cares about VR...

the stereo cameras are probably for passthrough AR, given that this is intended more business then that would make the most sense (think remote assistance, local + remote meeting rooms with stand-in avatars, etc)

Good job guys as always, welcome back. Excited to see more 2018 Projections

I guess they are backwards compatible so if you do have the pro you can still play on the regular vive games?

I bought the Samsung Odyssey already. Should I return to get this one instead?

Can i ask a question to the guy with the glasses.. compared to the original vive, how does the vive pro feel for you comfort wise with your glasses on? I feel like pressure on my glasses that tends to hurt my face and nose after a long period of gaming and just want to know if the new headset would help that problem in any way?

I'm pretty sure the dual cameras do the same as last time. edge detection so you see stuff in your room, but this time with depth. I hope this can actually replace the chaperone. Image seeing more and more of "reality" as your leaving the playspace center. Walk up to your monitor, see the monitor, walk to the middle of the room and seamlessly transition back to VR.

If I’m getting a computer at the end of summer or fall, then should I get the newest VR system or should I wait?

YES! I've been waiting specifically for you guys to do this review, excellent work, well covered. I believe HTC went with the Pro tag as the tech is not developing at a running speed yet, I believe their choices are, wait for slowly progressing tech like foveated rendering, eye tracking, better lenses etc. to improve, or ship minor (but pretty decent) upgrades at regular intervals (6mths) while making the whole system modular (awesome idea IMO). But I also feel that Oculus aren't shying away from the high-end consumer market, they just aren't following this modular trend, so they will likely announce CV2 at Facebook Dev or Oculus Connect *with a much later scheduled release date and few details). But they tend to hold out for the slightly more advanced tech (personally I think this hurt them last time they tried it, but hey, maybe it will pay off this time) Regardless, I am likely going to convert to HTC Vive as I have been a long time Rift supporter, but I love this modular, steady release schedule for HTC's VR gadgets. But if Oculus come out and wow me with a major all-in-one release, who knows. One thing is for sure, thoses stereoscopic cameras could do wonders if the devs have a bit of free reign with them, augmented reality potentially, automatic object mapping, neural networks trained for object detection in VR would be fun too. Turns your cat into an in-game cat for example.

Rumor for price is $350 for headset only. Kinda makes sense considering the base stations and lighthouses account for like half the price of the original vive. Really hope this is what the price is or atleast relatively close. $500 or more and you're going to alienate a lot of people. For $350 it's a insta buy for us early adopters.

"hopefully by then, cryptocurrency miners go out of business" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I took one look at the dual cameras and thought that these must be for 3D scanning: placing a physical object in a room then taking roomscale tracked stereoscopic images would allow for running software to compile the images into 3D objects and environments. This could be particularly useful for making a portable scanning station for museums, virtual tours, and recreating objects in VR or CAD programs that don't have a virtual equivalent for 3D printing.

For people wondering, it costs $799. RIP

I've been backing the and have all three versions released so far also didn't get the Vive as is so close to the Rift but I do think I will be picking up one of these headsets this year

How come the focus isn't focused throughout, and that it gets blurrier on the peripherals?

HTC confirmed the front cameras ARE for hand tracking in 3 dimensions - so great news there

i never bought vr and never tried it should i get this one? and does it come with the controllers or not im confused and do i need sensors

Dang... already available for pre-order to ship in April? $799 for just the HMD alone assuming you already own a Vive setup & $1,249.47 if you want HMD, Light Houses, and Vive controllers/accessories? I'll stick to my Vive non pro edition until 4k displays are a thing for VR gear like this.

Thanks, your VR reviews are always excellent and you can tell you really care about the industry. I think it looks like a nice improvement and will be considering it later this year as I'm considering building another VR rig :)

I am very new to VR, I want to get a higher quality system , with everything needed VR & computer am I looking to invest somewhere in the ball park of $2,500.00 ?? Do all the software programs work with all VR's ???

Knuckle controllers is more needed improvement right now, IMO

Will the pro come with upgraded lighthouses or ship with the current gen lighthouses that the htc vive comes with?

Put "Projections" in the title please.

HTC, just fucking release it already. Let me pre-order. Give us a date give us a number ! let us pre order !

While I'm glad to see more improvements coming to the VR space, I can't justify bumping up to the Vive Pro from the Vive for myself. I'd need built-in wireless, greater FOV and even higher resolution first before I'm completely on board for the next step. Still the incremental improvements are great and I look forward to seeing that continue at a good pace.

Besides comfort and release date, I see almost no reason to get this over the Pimax 8k. Higher resolution and a higher fov for nearly the same price? Like whats the point.

Are we sure we'll need an upgrade? I run an i5-7500 @ 3.4ghz stock, cheapo 8gig gtx 1070, 8 gig ram @ 2133, scores 10.1/11 in steamVR benchmark/test. I mainly play Assetto Corsa, and depending on how optimized the track is, I can crank SteamVR's Super Sampling up to 1.8 when I'm just hotlapping alone (no other cars to render), or 1.5/1.6 when in races with many cars, without dropping below 90fps or getting reprojection issues. I suspect/hope I'll be able to just lower the SS down to about 1.2/1.3, still get some of the AA benefits, and of course the image will look crisper with the higher DPI.

Thanks guys. This is my fav RU-vid channel of all.

Did you guys got your hand on the updated version of the wand that should be with the Pro? not the Knuckles btw.

I'm glad to see they aren't giving up on developing VR more, because I DO want VR someday. There are three main reasons I haven't adopted it yet: 1. High headset cost. 2. Steep PC hardware requirements that still may require running games on medium settings. 3. Poor headset resolution. So up to this point, #3 has been the main deal breaker. I'm willing to bite the bullet and spend the money on a headset and PC upgrades, but not if I have jagged screen door visuals and can't read the gauges on an X-Plane instrument panel or see a car 20 feet in front of me in iRacing. So I'm hopeful that the Vive Pro will solve my #3 issue. If it does, I may finally drop the cash and enter the VR world.

I’m just glad you explained that the headphones are removable as that was my biggest worry with the headset.

Is there any chance VR headsets could go with a reflective system rather than a refractive one (like telescopes did) to eliminate distortion and keep the center of mass more centered?

I was wondering why you guys didn't upload anything about CES. Either way, very glad you upload this to hear yalls opinions on the new Vive pro. I'm excited for it and hope it's not too expensive.

we'll never go out of business! MINE FOREVER!!!

6:29 close call! Almost the "ipad" among the VR headsets but just not quite there yet if ever. lol

Cool! Are Vive Pro pre-orders open yet? We need the Valve knuckles controllers asap. The Vive wands suck for hand presence versus Oculus touch.

Just a Vive vs Samsung Odyssey review for those who might find it relevant, especially for those that are thinking whether the Vive Pro has a place for them when the Odyssey is cheap and comes with the same resolution offered by the Vive Pro. As a UK Vive owner, I took some extra steps to acquire the Samsung Odyssey after viewing the Tested video, it was tricky, but worth it at the end. (the Samsung Odyssey is not available properly in Europe for some reason) The inside out tracking of the Odyssey is decent, and the resolution improvement over the Vive is instantly noticeable, in fact, it's almost hard to go back to Vive after looking through these. So if it's for anything like viewing videos, showing 3D environments (I use it for work showing clients designed spaces), or in sat down games the likes of Elite Dangerous or flight sim, there's nothing Vive does that can beat it in terms of image quality, built in audio by default, convenience of setup, and price. However, for stood experience, the line of sight tracking of the controllers simply don't cut it if you're used to the freedom of the Vive controllers, the Odyssey controllers feel like plastic toys, and the LED "crown" prevents you from putting your hands close to each other, often causing detection problems when you do it. For games like Onwards, it's unplayable, your weapon hand, which is often under your chin where the pistol grip would be as if you're shouldering a gun, is almost always out of sight, causing issue as you move and rotate through space. Games such as L.A. Noire Case File, is currently not compatible, prompting an error screen on start up. This works out to be just fine for me, as I use the Vive in the living room for real games, and the WMR Odyssey was always meant for use at the study or connected to a laptop for work. So IMO, if you're choosing a VR headset for room scale gaming purposes, right now, the Vive is still better, if it's for videos (cough), 3D space demo, or flight / driving sims, then the Odyssey would have my vote. Even with the Vive PRO on the horizon, I can still see the Odyssey being relevant after that's released due to its ease of setup and lack of tracking stations required. However, when the Vive Pro's price is announced and it isn't too ludicrous, I'll definitely be replacing my living room setup with it as the resolution boost is really worth it.

Great Video guys. Can't wait to see the wireless adapter!!

10mx10m is going to be insane

Welcome to 2018, Guys!

Fun fact: the 2 front cameras have depth sensing capabilities. They can even replace the vive controllers by allowing your hands to be tracked.

Wll have to wait for the product that launches after this variant, as this one still has screendoor effect.

Accentuated god-rays.. Aaaahhh, why do they stick with the old lenses..

Sure vive needs higher res panels as much as any. But keeping te same lenses means this was a rushed job. There is no point in much of the resolution is blurred by the vive's lenses and their positively needlepoint of area of focus. I don't see a point in buying this until they also change those.

Will fallout vr still work on the vive pro?

Only got a 970 in my system. I'm in no hurry to buy this :) Lets see what the next iteration might bring. Lets hope for a 4k screen next time. I Want to use it in flight sims(star citizen) mostly so clean graphics are a must have. Tested the vive 1.0 already.... not good enough. This one is just slighty better. I can wait.

Thanks guys

Still waiting on a more "perfected" model. Wireless out of the box and as minimal screen door as possible. Might grab a cheap first gen set on ebay some day to play around with

Still has screendoor effect and isnt 4k ? Ok lets wait for 2019 then...

It's looking like I'll have to wait at least two or three years before I even think on upgrading from my Rift+Touch+4 sensors setup (play area of 12 by 12 feet with perfect tracking.) Not only are these 1.5 gen HMDs (Vive Pro, Pimax 8K) not there yet in terms of resolution, but GPUs can't even handle a higher resolution in VR anyway. So we'll need genuine 2.0 HMDs (4K resolution and up), full HDMI 2.1 implementation (or better), and a generation or two more of GPUs to even be able to realistically play VR 2.0 On the plus side software can still mature a lot while the hardware gets there. I rather save for a couple years and be ready when all the pieces fall into place than rushing to buy this. A higher priority for me right now would be Robo Recall 2, it's about time we get some news about it.

Hoping there also will be a Pimax review.

Cool demo! Thanks so much for sharing this with all of us!

I just wanna know the price

You know as far as the front two camera's I can see that being an augmented reality sort of thing. But honestly what I hope it is is tracking for your hands and fingers maybe even make it so you actually see your real hands in the virtual world. I just don't think another augmented reality thing is really going to wow anyone at this point.

This is awesome. Flawless Vive tracking with the visual resolution of the Samsung Odyssey HMD.

I'm stoked to get this, but I want to wait for it to be wireless as well

I still can't decide on the Vive or the Rift. Many people are telling me to get the Rift, but it seems like people just like the price. I don't necessarily care about that, I care about the experience. With that said, what is the best VR headset?

Do you think i possible to modify the old Vive with new high res display?

Was waiting for your guys take on this!

Love that shirt Jeremy.

Right now I have a dell vr headset it’s good but it doesn’t have full tracking in vr chat

Would be nice if the vive2 used usb-c as the data and power cables. They can send enough data fast enough now to only use one cable (and maybe 2 to PC) like the new cable but aren't proprietary

Nice. However you should test Some racing sims and flight sims. I feel that VR is custome made for those 2. That is a way better way to see the screen door effect as you are always looking far from you. Simracing will never be the same once your try it.

You guys are the reason I bought the original. Might pick up this headset by itself if the price is right.

I think I will skip out on this one, I already own a Vive and I'm going to wait until they release a vive in the future that is a lot less cumbersome (ie cables)

All I want is a wider FOV. One that almost feels seemless. Current gen VR and even the Vive Pro still kind of have the horse blinder effect.

Will it have worse performance?

They need to make a battery vest or belt to power the wireless receiver. You have to put a suit to get into most air and space craft, so I don't see why a battery vest or belt wouldn't work. They need to seriously increase the battery life cause right now most of the wireless receiver for the high-end only last an hour or two.

So my Vive has a hidden USB port? Whaaaaaaaat, how did I not know this D:

Defintly not worth the upgrading yet waiting till next year. Ill buy new controls when it maps fingers and legs... The new headset when it has better res and so high quaility perferals.

Great to have you back, Thanks!

ugh i just want to know the price already

noise cancelation ???? really ???? where do you use this thing ??? on a highway or near a airfield or at home where everything is quite when i play a game ?!?!?!?!?!

I bought my 1080 GPU right before the price hike & like my Vive. I'll have to wait a few generations before I upgrade.

Now all that non-existent content will look even better!

Can you super sample this new unit like former HTC?

For the comments --> Pimax 8k/8kx being 4k per eye loses clarity due to its damn near double FOV. Honestly the endgame is 220 FOV 8k per eye with eyetracking and foveated rendering. You could probably run 8k per eye (with foveated rendering @ 90fps) with a 1080ti SLI setup or the next 1080 equivalent in the Volta architecture.

Without eye tracking HTC Vive Pro is not actually a new device. Unfortunately. Just a little tuning.

Have you guys tried the Star Wars experiences from TheVoid yet? I tried it in Anaheim last week and it was a real blast. I'm lucky enough to be in Florida this week and am going to try it again at their Disney Springs location in Orlando!!

Perked up when I heard "Improved text legibility" but, (I don't know if it's just because Norm used a cellphone camera to take a picture of a screen) that text really didn't seem to get much better. Certainly not better enough to warrant a multi-hundreds of dollar purchase.

What's that you're pointing at at 12:02 ??? Could it be an IR camera for eyetracking? Because if it is ... it actually won't require a more powerful GPU, in fact it will run better than the old Vive. Now I realize if it is, it's not enabled right now, but if it isn't then what is it?

Will the knuckles-Controller be released with the Vive Pro too?

Cheers guys!

You mentioned that on the original headset, you could pull it out. Is that for focus and is there a release button that you need to push or do you just pull it out? Thanks

The problem in Oculus is not the ghosting but the fact that if you move a lil you saw blurry, i remember the DK1-DK2, and this shit never happend, and the fact that you can change lens was the best idea, ok ther was SDE but, i prefer SDE than watch trough butter!!!

What happened to the Fallout 4 VR review/hype? You know, the biggest game of last year, first full sized AAA VR game?? I hope it's not Oculus related, you guys seem to favour thier headset and it's strange that your 'best games of the year' were both Oculus exclusives while Fallout 4 VR (which is amazing but not without it's faults) has not been mentioned since it's release, despite being the biggest VR game of 2017. Have I missed something or have you just completely ignored this release?

My most trusted reviewers. thanks guys!

Not enough of an upgrade to be worth spending money on.

Great job can't wait to hear more

6:28 he almost said "the original Rift" lmao

Baffles me that Vive are still focusing on keeping the form factor for their 'Vive Wands', the Rift's touch is so much more ergonomic and much easier to work with. It feels more like they are my hands rather than holding like a TV remote. Vive's controllers feel more like you're holding a paintbrush more than anything. I do see the benefit in that, but Vive Wands feel more like the 'Xbox Duke' of VR controllers.

That connector looked quite like what Oculus Rift has. I wonder if they both have their own.