As a tech journalist, it’s rare that I get the chance to evangelize for old technology, but today I’m going to take a shot at it. While my colleagues have upgraded their virtual reality setups over the years to new Pimax and HP headsets, and while my casual VR friends are all playing on their Meta Quests, I’m still rocking a Vive Pro.
I have some good reasons for this — reasons that go beyond the sunk cost fallacy. Sure, I might have spent a lot of money on this setup over the years, on building the VR PC for it, on upgrading the headset with all sorts of accessories… but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still better than most of what’s out there. I’m not bitter or stuck in my ways. No, not at all.
Okay, maybe a little. But I’d argue that a heavily modified Vive Pro can still hold its own among modern VR headsets. There’s no alternative that can do all the things it does well enough to be worth swapping. Here’s why I’m staunchly defending this 2018 VR headset in 2024.
OLED is still rare in VR headsets
The Vive Pro’s AMOLED display feels like a weird anomaly in the VR headset space. Its sequel, the Vive Pro 2, switched over to LCD. The Valve Index uses LCD. The Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S, and Pro all use LCD. Even the latest Pimax models all use LCD.
The only big-name VR headsets from recent years that use OLED at all are the Apple Vision Pro, Bigscreen Beyond, and PSVR2.
Now, it’s fair to say that the QLED displays used in many modern headsets have an impressive array of local dimming zones, which makes those headsets far more capable of delivering OLED-like contrast than some of the older LCD headsets I mentioned.
But there’s still no beating the individual pixel control of OLED. And besides, good luck finding one of those headsets that’s untethered.
I refuse to go back to wired VR
I’ve enjoyed a wide variety of genres in VR, from social hangouts with friends in VRChat to rhythm game dance parties in Synth Riders and Beat Saber to the immersive survival experience of Bootstrap Island.
But the games I love most are the immersive full-body experiences, like Thrill of the Fight. Not necessarily full-body tracking, but just ones where I’m intuitively using my entire body to explore the game world… or at least prevent myself getting knocked out by my opponent.
Of all the upgrades I’ve made to my Vive Pro over the years, converting it into a wireless headset was the biggest improvement. It’s a big reason why Quest headsets have proven so popular — going wire-free is infinitely more enjoyable, not having to worry about tripping over a tethered cable every time you turn or move.
Bigscreen
Show me a high-end PCVR headset that has smooth, compression-free wireless and I’ll consider it, but I’m not aware of one. The Bigscreen Beyond looks amazing… but it’s wired. The latest Pimax headsets like the Crystal and Crystal Light are also impressive, but they’re also wired. Pimax has the 60G wireless add-on, but that’s still in pre-order.
Standalone VR headsets are wireless by design, of course, and don’t need a bulky receiver strapped to the head like I have, but it’s worth the extra weight for PCVR-quality visuals on my lower-resolution OLED displays (which I’ve already made clear are absolutely paramount).
Lighthouse trackers are still king
I’ve been using VR since I first got my Oculus Rift DK1 via Kickstarter, so I feel qualified to say I’ve been through ups and downs when it comes to tracking and occlusion in virtual reality. But while inside-out tracking is better than ever, and while the latest-gen headsets are easier to set up than ever, I’d still argue that outside-in tracking with Valve’s Lighthouse sensors is more capable.
The whole point of being in wireless VR, for me, is immersion. When I’m in a VR world, I don’t want to think about being in my room in my house and looking like an idiot with a massive headset on my face. The fewer reminders of the real world, the better — and few things are more jarring than trying to do something beyond my field of view that doesn’t track because my headset camera can’t see it.
Valve
How am I supposed to put my hands behind my back and goad my boxing opponents if my headset can’t see my gloves? Exactly. That alone is worth sticking with this ancient headset. Definitely.
And besides, I built a whole space to use my VR headset in for this very reason. The Lighthouse trackers are drilled into my walls. I’m not about to give the kids this space for all their toys, too.
Frankly, I’m hoping I can continue to use the Lighthouse 2.0 trackers with whatever headset I do eventually upgrade to. That way I can make use of what I’ve already got and it won’t have to go to waste…
If all I wanted was a higher-resolution, wireless, well-tracked VR headset, I could easily upgrade to a Quest 3. It isn’t even that expensive, especially considering what I’ve poured into my Vive Pro setup over the years. But frankly, I don’t trust Meta with my data.
It might be a losing battle in a world where privacy is now basically non-existent, but there are some companies I simply don’t want to do business with — and if I can help it, Meta is one of them. I’m sure Valve is collecting all my data, too, but I at least trust Valve a little more with it. (That’s probably misguided, but until Steam has its own Cambridge Analytica moment, I’m keeping my face out of a Quest headset.)
I have more upgrades to do
One of the most fun parts of the Vive Pro has been its upgradeability. I’ve augmented it with the Deluxe Audio Strap, the wireless module, a bigger battery, a cooling fan, and replacement face plates.
And it’s still going on. I have a friend 3D-printing me a new battery mount, and if I wanted to, I could swap out the lenses for those from the original Samsung Gear VR headset (though I hear it makes nausea more common, which my wife is very sensitive to).
I should really get the Valve Index controllers at some point, too, but the Vive Pro wands still do most of what I need them to.
Is this the beginning of the end?
All of the above is true, but I can’t deny that there’s clearly a part of me that’s hanging on to my Vive Pro because it’s what I know. I’ve been using it for six years, for crying out loud. That’s a long time to use any piece of technology, let alone one you strap to your face.
Newer VR headsets may be lighter, more comfortable, and higher resolution, but they can’t quite do all the things the Vive Pro can do for me. And considering how expensive VR systems are, any upgrade will need to be better than what I have in every way. If it isn’t wireless, OLED, upgradeable, with solid tracking, unaffiliated with Meta, and reasonably affordable, then it just isn’t worth it for me.
That said, I know the day is coming when such an option will be available. MicroOLED will eventually be cheap enough to become commonplace, and Wi-Fi 7 can help usher in new ways to connect to a PC without a pesky wire. Maybe Valve will finally even announce an Index 2.
In the meantime, I’ll keep slugging away with my bulky, unsteady Vive Pro with all its augmentations. It might be old, but at least I’m getting my money’s worth, one creaky headstrap adjustment at a time.
