HTC VIVE Cosmos

Bought this product while I was on deployment during a black friday sale, and was not able to use or do anything with it until I came back this June. Was initially excited about it, but even after all the updates to improve the supposed issues the tracking is still really bad. And on top of all of that, due to my deployment I am long past the ability to return it, and I dont think I could in good conscious sell this to someone, so now Im stuck with it. And to upgrade it so that it has external tracking (which would fix all the issues) you need to spend $200 on the faceplate, another $300 on the external SteamVR 2.0 base stations, then another $250 on the Index knuckle grips, so to fix the issues with the head set you need to spend another $650ish, your better off just getting the Valve Index instead, or just getting the HTC Vive Cosmos Elite instead. Do not get this product.

Bought this to play Fallout 4 VR & Skyrim VR with a new, upgraded headset (currently own the Rift CK1) only to find out that the controllers do not work on those games. Also ran into some issues with it displaying a steam icon in the middle of my view that I could not get rid of. Then there is the fact that you need a lot of light or the headset will not track the controllers. Ended up returning it and will just stick with my current headset.

Initial impressions are very positive. I was expecting it to be awful because of several reviews I read and watched. I did not experience any tracking issues. The tracking was spot on. When the controllers were out of range they reacquired quickly and accurately. So far with a couple of hours playing with the Cosmos, I am happy I didnt cancel the order.

I will start by saying the only positive thing is some aspects of the software - the tron (colored outline) passthrough mode is awesome almost like a valve index. The next positive thing is the audio - great thing that it comes with built-in headphones. Thats pretty much it. Literally everything else about this headset completely pales to any of its competitors. The lens is a fresnel lens. It is the worst - the frostiest, streaking/godrays at their worst. Sweet spot very small. The FOV is also poor. The comfort of the HMD isnt the worst and I was able to wear it for awhile, but the fit isnt very good, and the synthetic leather leaves a pattern on your forehead. It feels too tough. The Halo headband wheel is by far the worst ever. Its small and very hard to turn. THe HMD also gets quite hot and has a built in fan that brrhz, very annoying. There should be no need for that. There is definitely SDE in the headset and only in the small sweet spot in the middle - but I guess its technically a good type of SDE. You can see the pixels, but they are pretty small and at least it retains sharpness plus makes text good to read. Onto the deal-breaking part of the headset - the tracking. Its shaky, wobbly, and loses position when crouching and will freeze for a couple seconds after which will finally pick back up. Aiming with skill is not possible. The HMD is so jerky/twitchy when tweaking your position as are the controllers. The controllers will lose tracking when held in front of the other so tracking will set you back very far in FPS games. The controllers are also too chunky, and I dont like that the grip buttons click at the end - cramps my hand to keep that click held in to hold objects/weapons in some games. The Oculus Rift S completely alleviates every single issue I mentioned....and somehow HTC makes the Cosmos nearly double the price in comparison. This is a no-brainer. I was hoping the tracking would already got fixed....but HTC has not been able to fix tracking with the software updates as of yet so who knows. I cannot recommend the Cosmos in any such way and I believe it should never have ever been released.

I bought the Cosmos in October of 2019 and have used it almost every single day since then. With every update, this thing actually gets worse and worse. While I like some features like Viveport (which you can get with any other VR headset btw) and not having to attach base stations/lighthouses to my walls - its not worth the frustration you will experience with this headset. Besides the constant updates that take forever to install and run, youll get to run the room set up every time you play! Because this thing has horrible software and despite always playing in the same location with all the same lighting and furniture, it wont remember my play area. But you cant set that up unless you controllers work and when theyre done being stuck to the ceiling, the floor or some other random location, youve got to find a way to actually make them appear in your hands rather than somewhere else. IF you can make it this far, then you get to hope and pray that the software doesnt just crash on you. And once you make it into whatever game/software youre wanting to use, just wait patiently for it to flash a warning in the middle of your viewing area that tells you that you have not enough light, too much light, you were stupid and bought this piece of crap, etc etc. Trust me, its not worth any amount of money. Even if they sold this thing at 10 bucks, it wouldnt be worth the hassle. Do yourself a favor and literally buy any other VR headset out there. If youre serious about VR, do yourself a favor and buy a Valve Index (which btw is so popular its sold out GLOBALLY - and its definitely not popular for the price - be prepared for some sticker shock). As for VIVE - the only thing Id recommend from them is VIVEport. Everything else... just pass.

I personally did not enjoy the inside out tracking. I returned this item and stepped up to the full vive, and way happier!

Good resolution is a big plus. it looks cool... when it works My understanding is that other headsets use tracking devices located on the walls. They can see your moves no matter where your hands are. This headset uses cameras located on the headset. It means that as soon as the cameras dont see your hands, they are lost. I dont know why they describe it as an advantage. To me, losing tracking all the time makes it useless, really. When I play a racquetball like game, the racquet gets lost unless I make an effort to keep my hands in front of me all the time. I kind of hoped that maybe, I could buy additional devices to improve tracking, but no. Their own tracking devices for other versions of Vive are no use with this one. Is not it unfortunate? Overall, I am getting the impression that those who make these headsets use other headsets at home. cons: - many of the games simply dont run or run in some kind of unusable mode, and I cant find any explanations why - as soon as the controllers move outside of the view, they are lost. I hoped to use the headset for fitness. No, forget about it. I made a mistake with this one, its not suitable for fitness, its annoying. - The headphones keep popping out and away from my ears. its again annoying and distracting. - all I am getting when asking questions about how to cope with the above is you shouldnt have bought this headset, we dont know who they are making it for, its pricey and subpar On the positive side, VR is a great experience. Its cool to watch 3D scenes. If quality tracking is not important, and the software that you plan to use runs ok, its really amazing. I wish I had a chance to return this one for something with better tracking because my goal is VR fitness. UPDATE: If you push the joystick down, it is also a clicker. I wish somebody told me before. It was not evident at the beginning. So, I am adding a star back.

Set up is easy and support is slow but regular. Unfortunately the tracking leaves a lot to be desired. Games that require more precise aiming like Arizona Sunshine, Gorn, Pavlov, or Boneworks lose a lot of playability because the headset simply cannot track precisely. It is passable at best, if youre looking for a more casual experience like Beat Saber then this headset works fine. It also requires a pretty bright room, things like large open windows will confuse the room tracking. Game support is really slow, I purchased on launch in October but some games like Skyrim or Gorn are still not officially supported. Fortunately there are plenty of fan mods to get things in running condition. Overall, this headset is hard to justify at its price point. For the functionality you get it would be more reasonable to price at maybe half of what HTC currently sells it for.

What I disliked about the product was the not available mini display port the adapter for gaming laptops. What I liked was the high resolution screens and pass_through mode. I used it for Flight simulator and space exploring.

I bought this used for Christmas but decided to open it up early for the sake of testing it to ensure everything works and is included. At first I was a little uneasy since the description didnt say what was all included besides it saying it was in great condition. However I wasnt expecting to have the original packaging so that was great along with having everything else (including batteries) except it was missing part L2, the DisplayPort cable. Contacted the seller and heard back very quickly along with them sending out the cable right away. Once it arrived I hooked it up (and dealt with the long time of software downloads and drivers) and its works pretty good besides me needing to figure out how to best fit it on my head with glasses. Very happy with the Cosmos and with the seller, will recommend!