Vive Cosmos, HTC’s latest PC VR headset and replacement for the original Vive, launches today for $700. Just like all of company’s PC VR headsets to date, Cosmos will be able to use the Vive Wireless Adapter, but you’ll need a few things first that the company will soon be selling in a special Compatibility Pack.
If you happen to already own Vive Wireless and are looking to use it with your new Vive Cosmos, you’ll have to wait for official support which HTC says in a blog post should arrive later this month.
Also coming later this month is a Cosmos wireless compatibility pack for $50, which arrives with a 21W power bank, connection cable for Cosmos, and attachable headstrap pad.
At $300, the Vive Wireless Adapter itself normally arrives with a 10050mah battery pack that provides an output capable of driving the original Vive for 2.5 hours wirelessly. HTC maintains that Cosmos requires more power than the current Vive Wireless Adapter battery can support due to the headset’s inside-out tracking.
The company additionally revealed that Cosmos’ camera tracking data is kept entirely on-board, which although touted as a privacy feature makes for higher headset power consumption.
It’s uncertain whether the Wireless Adapter will see a price bump when it’s officially available as a bespoke product, and not just a $50 add-on kit. Whatever the case, HTC says it will be offering the 21W battery as a part of all Vive Wireless Adapters in the future.
If you’re wondering where out signature deep-dive review is, you may have to wait a bit longer because we’ve run across a worrying issue with our review unit that may or may not be a feature of the headset.