HTC Vive Pro 2 review: Excellent 5K headset for VR owners

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HTC Vive Pro 2 is a VR enthusiast’s dream. Its 5K 120Hz screen provides the best desktop virtual reality experience you’ve ever seen. And while its design is unchanged from the 2018 model, it’s still very comfortable to wear for long sessions. But its high price tag and reliance on older consoles make it a tough sell. And let’s be honest, it would take a lot to ditch the $299 Oculus Quest 2 as the perfect VR headset for casual users.

That’s not really what the HTC Vive is aiming for. Like the standalone Vive Focus 3, this headset is clearly geared towards professionals. But unlike this device, it also has a lot to offer gamers. For them, spending $1,399 on the entire Vive Pro 2 bundle would be worth it to play Half Life: Alyx in the best quality possible. And if you’ve already invested in the previous Vive Pro or Valve Index, you can get the new headset on its own for $749.

Pros Excellent 5K screen, fast Solid ergonomics Provides the most immersive desktop virtual reality yet Requires expensive SteamVR sensors Comes with older HTC Vive controllers Gallery: HTC Vive Pro 2 | 13 Gallery: HTC Vive Pro 2 | 13 photos

Just be sure to keep track of which Vive Pro it is, because they look practically identical. The Pro 2 features a black and purple color scheme, but its front end, strap, and headphones all look the same as before. The difference becomes clear once you turn on the Vive Pro 2, though: Its 5K screen delivers 2448 x 2448 pixels per eye, a huge leap ahead of the Pro’s 1440 x 1600 pixels. Plus, the Pro 2’s LCD screens have RGB sub-pixels, which helps make everything look sharper. The screen can also be refreshed up to 120Hz, which is noticeably smoother than the previous 90Hz panel, and I appreciated the 120-degree wider field of view, which makes virtual worlds feel more immersive.

This spec might sound familiar, since the Vive Focus 3 also has the same 5K screen, it just so happens to have a slower 90Hz refresh rate. But I really liked the Pro 2, because it can easily run any PC VR game or app. Meanwhile, Focus 3 has a limited selection of mobile titles, and I’ve never been able to successfully stream high-end VR from my gaming PC. And frankly, even if you make it through, streaming is still an obvious step down from running locally.

Devendra Hardwar / Engadjit

I revisited old and new games on the Pro 2, and everything looked great. I kept getting distracted by the detailed environments in Half Life Alyx – a game that looked great by the index, but has an extra level of polish with the bump of the Pro 2 resolution. It’s a bit like going from 1080p video to 4K. You might not notice the difference at first glance, but once you start examining fine details like grass and wood grain, you can tell us you’re working with more pixels.

Hopping back into Superhot I almost feel like I’m playing Superhot 2. I can explain a lot of details in the cyberpunk intro room. And while its aesthetics are relatively simple, the game’s enemies, weapons, and environments all looked more detailed than I remember. I also spent more time than I expected on just about everything in the VR version of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. This game actually looked impressive on a regular screen, but in 5K VR I can appreciate Senua’s complex character model even more.

Devendra Hardwar / Engadjit

As impressive as it all sounded, I really wish HTC would upgrade the Pro 2 controllers. Its entire lineup includes the same formidable wands that came with the original Vive in 2016. They work decently enough, but aren’t as comfortable as Oculus touch controllers, or even Focus 3 gamepads. They’re particularly outdated after trying Valve’s hand-tracked Steam VR controllers, which are bundled with the Index. Since it’s a SteamVR headset as well, you can always use Index gamepads with the Pro 2, but that’s another $280 on top of an already expensive headset.

It was also nice to see the HTC Vive upgrade the Pro 2’s design a bit. It’s still very comfortable, thanks to its plush cushioning along the front and back, as well as its balanced weight distribution. But the company could have taken some cues from the Valve Index. The near-field speakers were a solid upgrade from the on-ear headphones, especially since the Pro 2’s cases tend to make my head warm. The headphone screens also generate a decent amount of heat as well, which resulted in some sweaty gaming sessions.

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