Tested: HTC Vive Deluxe Audio Strap 

The attachment point for the audio strap to the HMD is probably loose because you're removing the original strap improperly

What a great video! Concise and super informative!

Got it free with my VIVE over Black Friday, very happy! Makes a LOT of difference to the functionality and comfort.

Very informative and concise, thanks!

I would really like to know how the Deluxe Audio Strap headphones compare to the supplied earbuds as far as sound quality goes, I do not use external headphones and don't plan to, so it would be nice to know if they are better or worse than the buds, No one seems to answer that question in all of the reviews I have watched.

Does this relieve the pinch on the back of your head from the default strap? I find I can't play more than an hour before the back of my head hurts too much and I have to take a break for quite a while.

How well does putting on and taking off the headset with the new strap work with glasses?

It's available now on the Vive site!

What's the shipping within the US for these straps? says they're out of stock atm though.

i wonder with this new audio strap is it as comfortable and easy to put on as the psvr

I wish there was a version without the headphones. I bought good quality, wireless headphones for a reason.

Ver very important to rotate the original strap clips 90 degrees till they click before pulling them off or you risk snapping off the pin and damaging the unit

why hasnt this come out...

eh, it would've been nice to see a love reaction and comparison to like a good pair of headphones

My hope is that they release a head strap with the headphones to drop the price a little for those of use using wireless headphones.

Yeah, I'm glad I went Rift after the price drop. I live in Australia, so if I wanted a Vive with the deluxe headstrap, that'd run me close to 1600 AUD. The Rift on the otherhand, has a great headstrap out of the box, with intergrated audio, and it was $800 AUD. The Vive's room scale might be nice, but it's hardly an extra 800 AUD of nice.

Oh my, you have just mounted the back strap above the soft pillow, Why !?.And thanks for a nice video.

great video

I would like a headband like that for my oculus DK2

do you need to do your phone in?

Is there a Mic attachment? How am I supposed to use the voice chat over things like altspace vr?

Is that Glamdring and the Highlander Katana back there???

i want to try one sooooooo bad!!!!!

I would get one if I could order it anywhere....

I dont see a problem with the box strap. works fine and, once you fasten it properly, fits fine aswell. the headphones on the 'deluxe' version dont wrap around your ears nicely like a proper headset.

Dammit they need to stop teasing us and just release the thing for sale already.

Its a must have, anyone who has a Vive should get one, a big change compared to the normal strap for now

More of this guy please

Oculus is working on getting more than 2 touch controllers to work at the same time in their beta program. It does not require an additional usb dongle like the lighthouse tracking puck and you get 2 touch controllers and a sensor for the same price you pay for a single lighthouse tracking puck. EDIT: www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/6f1dsz/public_test_channel_update_116_adds_support_for/

i cant find the strap anywhere where can i buy it

Back when this thing came out (with the Vive at upwards of $700), the DAS was a hard sell even with how much comfort and accessibility it added to the Vive. Now though (with the Vive at $500), THIS IS A MUST BUY. PLEASE GET THIS AND IMPROVE YOUR EXPERIENCE 1000 FOLD.

Honestly just the better cable management and weight distribution is worth the price to me. The Vive is great but it gives me actual discomfort after only 20 minutes of play, mostly because of that cable putting pressure on the top of my head, and the headset more or less resting a lot of weight on my nose.

"If you're a heavy Vive user, who's doing VR throughout the week, maybe even every day..." Sounds like you're talking to a drug user!

This entire thing is a complete afterthought in my opinion

they need to just make a full helmet one so they can do it for real and right. would feel stable and you will be in your own little bubble. put a fan in it

"They are in the same ballpark as the Oculus" I see what you did there...

Looks like a nice step up for Vive users. Enjoy friends!

I'll bite with a serious price drop and this integrated into the total package out of the box.

i want it!! but somehow benefit of the original one make my face narrow down a little (maybe because i'm fat) lol

Nice to see the vive catching up with the rift....its normally the other way. Have to say though £100 for something that should have been standard....especially at the vive price point is ridiculous. Always think the vive looks better than the rift.

I wish I had good games to play on my Vive. I really hope Fallout 4 VR is awesome because I hate these gimicky, mini games, horde shooter games, etc. I want some support for a game like Bioshock Infinite and not just on VorpX because that shit is hard to get right.

“The only issue is that It just sorta falls right off” maybe because you guys broke the connector by just yanking off the old strap? You’re supposed to bring the strap down then it unclips

So, with basically the same head strap and built-in headphones as the Rift--for all intents and purposes--it's now £860 for the Vive vs £600 for the Rift; that's a £260 difference. And, let's say you even fork out for an extra third sensor on the Rift, it's still $860 for the Vive vs $660 for the Rift; that's a £200 difference. Plus, you still get an additional Xbox One controller and a remote with the Rift at no extra cost. My point being that anyone who chooses the Vive over the Rift at this current point in time must be mental imo.

So many reviews going around and they aren't even available for purchase.

I'd still prefer circumaural for comfort.

No Microphone huh? I'll stick to my VOID pro for audio then.

Really? No cable management channel of sorts? Just the velcro strap? Yeah that is a bit of a bummer. The only good thing is that if you step on it, it'll break off instead of yanking the headset off your head, but come on. There has to be a better solution for a $900 all-in product.

Il admit i am kinda angry VR is so expensive (friends cant afford gaming PC + Vive), everyone i know said they would buy one if it was less expensive...basically im stuck playing solo so i usually just stick to play ps4 (which is something everyone has/can afford), but god damn do i love my vive, just wish i could play it with my friends

first world problems... wish my 3 bedroom house had a big enough room so I can get a vive. poor me.

Sick

Just brought this for my quest 😍

why this doesn't come with new headset -.- no.... you need to buy it separately

When you guys film b roll, the products are always fingerprint-ridden and greasy... You should clean the stuff you review before filming.

I wish they would put more polish into it, a completely new wireless headset, with an optional cable for charging while under use so if you run out of battery you can just plug it inn, there are third party wireless solutions but its all so smashed together and an unfinished beta feel to the entire product. Putting the battery and the transmitter at the back would help balance the weight even more, i was considering a belt solution for the wireless and battery but it would be another attachment to putt on whenever you need to use it so no. and a better resolution display, 4K is a must in VR ithink, sadly the Chinese one has some bad optics wasting the resolution abit Also the vive controllers are shit AF, they need to learn a bit form oculus there, or just any good controller manufacturer like playstation, The tough pads rarely work well, and used more often as just a big button. a tracking glove would be cool but i think wee would always have use for physical buttons

ASMR

meh, i'd rather wait for the Vive 2

Let it be known: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT COMBAT PROOF! One too quick swing with the head cause of a scare and it flies right off your face

but...but the price.

Since they already copied the the design of the headphone sliders from the Sennheiser Momentum, why didn't they just team up with Sennheiser to deliver a proper audio solution? From what I saw in this video, I wish they'd just make a rigid strap without the headphone protrusions, so I could use my own *quality* headphones. You pay 800 for a headset, but you want to skimp on audio? Stupid.

fixing 2 of my 3 biggest complaint, still waiting for a built in microphone

no previously I was using headphones I've essentially paid money to get a downgrade

The new Tested, brought to you by QVC.

Hard to put a price on its already priced. Ridiculous overpriced add-ons that should be part of original.

I'm early

still too expensive....

Does this mean I can buy second hand Vive from people who bought this version? :)....oh wait I don't have a computer powerful enough to run this...welp

"headset audio is... well, it's good enough, gets the job done" WTF DOES THAT MEAN!?? the product is LITERALLY an AUDIO strap! I want to know how good the audio is and what it can be compared to! does "good enough" mean 5$ generic earbuds, or top quality razor headset! christ guys, get your shit together!

The darn speakers don't stay inwards on your ears. They keep popping out and don't stay in. Bad design

Oculus Rift, plus touch and 3 sensors for roomscale cost 708 euro. The Vive plus this "Deluxe Audio Strap" which Oculus already has cost 898 euro... hum

409th View!

Sigh. Every single review I have seen is from people who don't wear glasses. I want to know what Norm thinks of it comfort wise.

rift is better

1:32 *cringe*

You just broke your vive...

$900 for this setup... it's a hard sell. I know it's not a huge difference in the long run but the Oculus Rift is looking more and more appealing every day., edit: I am not interested in roomscale.

"It's hard to put a price on" ... Oculus Rift, $500, including a quality cable clip. :)

The original in box strap is a joke honestly

The price is the main issue with this technology. As long as it's this expensive, only few will make the investment, which in return gives no incentive to the games industry. Without mainstream AAA titles supporting VR there's even less reason to shell out so much cash. (The infamous vicious circle.) Prices need to drop fast or VR will once again vanish like it did in the '90s.

15th comment

First

For all those who say it is expensive, just remember, the good is always going to have a high price and those who appreciate it buy it.

wow it's just like a rift now... except twice as heavy and 200 bucks more expensive. oh well

it's like a 100% straight over copy of the oculus system ..

So ... a copy of the Oculus head strap?

Check Ashes of creation on kickstarter right now Quick its almost over you wont regret it

This guy looks like George W. Bush and Mike Morhaime had a baby.

integrated audio -_-

the oculus rift cv1 is far in front of the vive

1st

Look at the rift, copy the rift

the integrated audio looks awful

This looks like an ad...

let's be done with this awkward, clumsy bullshit and have the real thing please.

Do they really expect people to pay £1000 to have that ridiculous contraption on their head for hours? Two things the general public have no interest in paying for: VR and self-driving cars.