HTC Vive vs Oculus Rift: which VR headset is better?

Hardware, design and controllers

HTC Vive and Oculus Rift have made the VR revolution a reality in 2016, and they're being updated all of the time with new controllers and games to make your buying decision even tougher. Buying both is still a fantasy for most people, not a reality.
HTC Vive is a little more lenient.
Oculus Rift also demands two USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI 1.3 port or better. HTC Vive only needs one USB port and wants either an HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2 or better.

Price and availability

You clearly want a virtual reality future, but you know it comes at a cost. Owning a VR headset may be the ultimate fantasy for some people until a price drop happens.
HTC Vive is especially expensive, with the price set at $799 (£689, AU$899). That's how much it costs before shipping and without a PC, remember.
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
Oculus Rift is pricey, too, but a little more reasonable. It costs $600 (£400, AU$839), and again that's without the shipping charge and a PC to go along with it. Not to mention the $200 Oculus Touch controllers.
How much is the future worth to you? At first, no one was able answer that question right away simply because both headsets were initially backordered. It was HTC Vive by default.
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
How much is the future worth to you? W weren't able to answer that question right away simply because both headsets were initially backordered. It was HTC Vive by default.
While the Oculus released first in March 2016 and the HTC Vive units started shipping to customers for its official April 5 release date, you were likely to get a Vive headset before a Rift.
New Oculus Rift orders didn't stock until July, while HTC Vive were ready to ship two months sooner: May 2016. It took a while for the future to arrive for so many anxious gamers.

Conclusion

There's a lot that goes into an HTC Vive vs Oculus Rift comparison and that ultimate decision, more so than our Xbox One vs PS4 debate. That's because VR headsets are gaming's great unknown at the moment, while both Sony and Microsoft's consoles have always been seen as safe bets.
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
VR headsets are gaming's great unknown at the moment.
The good news is that Oculus Rift demand is strong, and so are its games out of the gate. You're getting a powerful virtual reality headset for a price cheaper than the Vive. That's a big plus, unless of course Rift's more stringent processor and video output requirements add more to your bill than the savings are worth.
HTC Vive, on the other hand, is a futuristic-looking headset that's a little more future-proofed with a front-facing camera, room-scale VR and two controllers bundled with the order. Oculus Touch controllers don't come until December.
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive comparison
You certainly pay for that extra technology and those Vive controllers, however. Its price will pull the plug on virtual reality for many eager gamers with a smaller budget. I'm also still waiting for more core game experiences from the HTC Vive, and I know that will happen given the advanced technology involved and the Steam platform backing it up.
You really can't go wrong with either VR headset. They're both mightily impressive, and have tremendous support, whether it's from Facebook or Valve. Which one is best for you really comes down to the amount of money you're willing to spend and the type of immersive games you want to play.
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