HTC Vive Experience

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dmartora

61 posts

Master Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#272027 6-Jun-2020 10:39

Hi folks, anyone got recent experience of buying the HTC Vive and purchasing associated games on Steam?

I’m interesting in whether there’s any limitations on the product range, or the availability of games in the local NZ store (and if so, what reliable purchase work arounds might be).

It’s obviously a lot of money to invest in it so would appreciate any advice or experiences with the product. Any help would be appreciated.

LostBoyNZ

353 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2499590 6-Jun-2020 12:34

Hi, I rent VR and ship all around New Zealand so am happy to help with any questions.

In terms of software, there's generally no limitations or problems with being in New Zealand. The only exceptions are where additional content is involved like movies or tv shows, through apps like Big Screen (virtual movie theater app where you can stream movies and shows).

Steam game prices are in NZ$ too which is nice compared to Oculus games which are all US$.

HTCs own Vive Port store is also fully open to NZ, including their subscription service.

In terms of hardware HTC have one authorised service agent in NZ, up in Auckland. The hardware is pretty reliable except for clicking the touch pad on the controllers which is really badly made but thankfully not too tricky to fix even out of warranty.

Is there a particular model of the Vive range you're looking at?

If you'd ever like to hire one too, of course I can offer that, but I'm more than happy to answer any questions to help determine which headset to buy.

dmartora

61 posts

Master Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2500156 7-Jun-2020 18:47

Thanks very much for the response, turns out I got a couple of things wrong.

I’m actually looking to get one of these things for my son, and it turns out that I didn’t listen and it wasn’t the HTC, but the valve index.

Any (change of) opinions when it comes to that device?

Any help appreciated.

With thanks

Danny

michaelmurfy

/dev/null
9386 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2500157 7-Jun-2020 19:02

Have a look at the Oculus Quest also which is a little cheaper, and works for PC gaming w/ Quest Link. That is what I have personally got and have completed Half Life Alyx on it no problems.

Review here: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=23239

Advantage of going with the Quest is you've got games (such as Beatsaber) which run directly on the Quest with no PC required.

LostBoyNZ

353 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2500229 7-Jun-2020 21:40

dmartora: Thanks very much for the response, turns out I got a couple of things wrong.

I’m actually looking to get one of these things for my son, and it turns out that I didn’t listen and it wasn’t the HTC, but the valve index.

Any (change of) opinions when it comes to that device?

Any help appreciated.

With thanks

Danny

Ah the Valve Index. Unfortunately that isn't sold locally yet (with no announcement of an upcoming NZ or Australia release yet). It is possible to import from the states though, and I'd be happy to PM you the steps to do that, but personally it's not something I'd really recommend doing. There's quite a wait (roughly 8 to 10 weeks at the moment) but more so, because if something goes faulty it's quite an ordeal to claim on the warranty.

I've got a few that aren't very old (purchased last Dec) and the headset cable has gone faulty with two of them (one right out of the box brand new), and a controller has gone wrong with two of them also. There's certainly some common issues that can occur. And with having to post items back to the states, and them only posting your replacement to a US address isn't great. You can use reshipping companies like NZ Post's YouShop, or MyUS to get your own address in the US, and they forward your mail to you in NZ, but it's still a bit of an expense.

However if they release locally in NZ at some point, I'd highly recommend the Valve Index if it's within your budget, as for everything except racing or flight sim use, I'd honestly rank it as the best PC based VR headset you can buy today.

The HTC Vive, Vive Pro and Cosmos Elite do have the same tracking as the Index though, and play the same games. The controllers aren't quite as cool as those on the Index, and a few other touches missing that the Index has, but they really still do the VR job extremely well.

LostBoyNZ

353 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2500231 7-Jun-2020 21:46

michaelmurfy:

Have a look at the Oculus Quest also which is a little cheaper, and works for PC gaming w/ Quest Link. That is what I have personally got and have completed Half Life Alyx on it no problems.

Review here: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=23239

Advantage of going with the Quest is you've got games (such as Beatsaber) which run directly on the Quest with no PC required.

Agreed there! The Oculus Quest is a fantastic choice because it can be completely wireless (no cables to worry about getting tangled with) when it runs many games, or if your son is looking to play VR games only avaliable on PC, you can plug the headset into a PC and becomes a wired PC headset. The tracking works really well, the controllers are great, and Oculus are very active with its development. Just recently they added finger tracking.

There's a bit of a wait on stock, but they come back in stock at Oculus.com once a week at the moment, and the $699 price includes postage and GST. And unlike with Valve Index, because they sell to NZ, if you ever need to claim on the warranty they send you a prepaid postage label. They aren't avaliable to buy from local stores in NZ (and any NZ stores selling them are just buying them from Oculus themselves at regular price and adding their own margin on top) but honestly buying directly from Oculus.com works really well.

There's a $139 option for an Oculus Link cable, a 5m cable that lets you plug the headset into a PC, but the 3m cable included with the headset also works for that too.