Mirroring the ‘Oculus Ready PC’ program, HTC is now working with PC hardware partners to offer ‘Vive Optimized PCs’. The initial set of systems come from HP, Alienware, and MSI.

‘Vive Optimized PCs‘ are “fully Vive-compatible right out of the box featuring jaw-dropping graphic capabilities and breathtaking audio output for a superior VR experience,” according to HTC. It isn’t clear if there are requirements beyond meeting HTC/Valve’s recommend VR specs to be considered Vive Optimized.

htc-vive-and-oculus-rift-total-system
See Also: Including Controllers, Vive and Rift Could be Evenly Matched on Price

Although recommended specs for the Vive are slightly less than that of Oculus, you won’t be able to nab yourself a ‘Vive Optimized PC’ for less than $1,299 for the time being (while Oculus Ready PC bundles make such systems available for $999 or less).

HP has the cheapest initial offering. The company’s page for the HP ENVY Phoenix, which is now adorned with Vive imagery and copy, says it starts at $999, but clicking to buy one you’ll find that only the $1,299 and higher configurations are marked as ‘Virtual Reality Certified’. Alienware’s Area 51 Gaming Desktop isn’t ‘Vive Optimized’ until you hit the $2,099 configuration. MSI is the only one of the bunch selling laptops (with built in desktop GPUs), which they say are compatible with the Vive.

As the Rift’s recommend specs actually exceed those of the Vive, if you can find an ‘Oculus Ready PC‘ for cheaper than a ‘Vive Optimized PC’, it may be a better bang for your buck! While Oculus said that PCs through their certification program wouldn’t exceed $999, this seems to be only be the case when combined with a pre-order of the Rift.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • DonGateley

    I absolutely do not want another PC if it requires it’s own keyboard/display, If it can be operated via a remote desktop from my otherwise fully capable i7 laptop with its only connections being headphones, Vive, and ethernet, my ears perk up.

    • dogtato

      better would be if you could just do everything you needed to using the vive

      • DonGateley

        It sure would but realistically that’s a ways off. What I’m asking for is just a matter of configuration of what is here now.

    • care package

      Now why on Earth would you need to remote desktop to your laptop? Do you actually mean Remote Desktop or a streaming device? Gaming at 1080p 60hz is still a challenge with streamers. You certainly aren’t going to get the required 90hz.

      • DonGateley

        To do all the functions one would do with a real monitor except for the feed to the device.

        • care package

          Oh I see what you are saying now. You’d need a monitor at least temporarily to set up the PC before you could remote into it. Television maybe?

          • DonGateley

            I just realized that what I want is already quite doable except for possibly the applications for the device itself. Headless servers abound which are completely controlled remotely. Interacting with the VR applications such that they don’t even attempt to put video in windows on the desktop but rather always to the connected device is all that is required.

  • Isn’t it about time you do a serious lineup on what computers are best? I bet, with the cred from this website, you could get vendors to let you test out some gear. Let’s see that hardware lineup story!

    • Peter

      This.
      GTX970 will get you through the door, but whats really needed to fully enjoy your headset.
      980Ti? 980Ti SLI?

      • care package

        a 970.