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The bottom line is that both products are excellent, and you can't go wrong choosing either. There are a few key deciding factors: people with (1) VR rooms > 4m^2 (~12'x12'), (2) large glasses, or (3) staunch anti-Facebook beliefs. If you fall into one or more of those camps, Vive is your best choice. Otherwise, at $399 (vs. Vive's sale price of $699) the value of the Rift simply overwhelms all other factors. With ceiling mounted sensors, Rift's room scale tracking is within a percent or two of Vive's, though in a smaller range (as above, about 12'x12'). It also includes more software that adds to the value. Note that a full apples-to-apples comparison adds the following costs to Rift: a 3rd sensor, a USB card, mounting brackets, and extension cables. Total: about $130 (note that the article misstates the price of a third sensor as $99; it is $59). This remains $170 less than Vive's $700 sale price, excluding software value. Note that an equivalent comparison could also add costs to the Vive: A deluxe audio strap (for similar comfort and integrated audio), and potentially the upcoming Knuckles controllers. Total: between $200 and $250 (assuming a cost of $100 to $150 for the controllers, which seems conservative given a single replacement controller is $129 from HTC), getting back to the similar price advantage of the Rift. |