Two headsets enter, one leaves with our current recommendation. (credit: Kyle Orland)
In our original reviews of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, we tried very hard to examine these virtual reality systems on their own merits without constant comparisons to the competition. But no product exists in a vacuum. After years of buildup, we’re now faced with two competitive, PC-tethered VR headsets hitting the market right next to each other. Unless you have a spare $1,400 to spend to buy both headsets (or more, if you need to outfit a gaming PC too), you’ll have to pick one or the other if you want virtual reality in your home as soon as possible.
Today, we’ll lay out the major pros and cons of both Oculus and HTC’s VR systems as we see them in order to (hopefully) guide you to the headset that’s right for you. If you’re just planning on scrolling to the bottom for our final verdict, though, here’s a spoiler—we’re not entirely sure you should buy either one just yet.
| Headset specs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oculus Rift | HTC Vive | |
| Headset weight | 470 grams (~1 lbs) | 555 grams (~1.2 lbs) without cables |
| Display | 2160x1200 (1080x1200 per eye) OLED panels | 2160x1200 (1080x1200 per eye) AMOLED panels |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Field of view | 110 degrees | 110 degrees |
| Lens spacing | 58-72mm (adjustable) | 60.2-74.5mm (adjustable) |
| Packaged Controllers | Xbox One gamepad and Oculus Remote | Two wireless motion-tracked controllers with rechargeable 960mAh batteries |
| Tracking | 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, and external "Constellation" IR camera tracking system | SteamVR 1.0 tracking system with two "Lighthouse" IR laser tracking boxes (up to 5m diagonal tracking volume) |
| Audio | Integrated over-ear headphones with 3D directional audio support and built-in microphone | Audio extension dongle to plug generic headphones to headset. Built-in microphone |
| PC connection | 4m custom cable (integrates HDMI and USB connections) | Three-part multi-cable (HDMI, USB, and power) with junction box for PC connection. |
| Included games | Lucky's Tale (and Eve Valkyrie with pre-order) | Job Simulator, Fantastic Contraption and Tilt Brush |
| Price | $600 | $800 |
| Recommended PC specs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oculus Rift | HTC Vive | |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 equivalent or greater | |
| CPU | Intel i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater | |
| RAM | 8GB | 4GB |
| OS | Windows 7 SP1 or newer | Windows 7 SP1 or newer |
| Inputs | 3 USB 3.0 ports (for headset, tracking camera, wireless controller dongle), one HDMI 1.3 port | 1x HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2; 1x USB 2.0 |
| Other | At least 1.5m x 2m of open space for "room-scale" experiences. | |
Visual similarities
On a pure baseline of technical specs, there’s remarkably little difference in the Rift and Vive. Both sport two 1080x1200 pixel OLED displays (one for each eye) that provide an utterly convincing 3D effect. Both headsets have 90 Hz refresh rates, low-persistence pixel switching, and accurate, low latency head-tracking that quickly updates your apparent VR view as you move and tilt your head in space.
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