HTC America Vive Cosmos Elite Headset Only

Works very well with HTC vive, took a while to set up but now it works like a charm. Built in headphones and microphone makes things much more convenient. Only problem we are having is setting up our trackers along with it.

Mediocre. That describes the HMD in one word. Long Version: The HMD is actually pretty good but has serious design flaws. The lenses are actually decently clear, the screen has great color with no pixel gap problems, overall visual clarity is passable - as long as you press the HMD into your face. The problem arises with the HINGE. The Hinge design was the worst possible thing that could have happened to the cosmos (elite). Once I stop pressing the HMD onto my face, the hinge comes into play. It loosens the HMD, causes it to rock upwards when tightened, and is not comfortable at all. When the HMD rocks upward, the lenses become unclear and the usable FOV reduces somewhat. Tightening the mount only makes it insufferable and makes the HMD rock even more upward - becoming more blurry and unclear. If HTC just gave the Cosmos Elite a side mount instead of a top-hinge mount all of this could be avoided. I guess you could mod your own solution. Besides the mount problems, the built-in audio is passable. Index is better. Doesn't beat a true DAC-AMP setup of course. Still beats the Quest 2 and Pimax. Microphone didn't work at all then suddenly worked for a single day, which apparently sounded really bad but not as bad as the Rift and Rift S. Elite tracking is nominal; I have 4 Basestation2.0 so no problem there. Cable is kinda sticky and pretty heavy. At no point did I look through the cameras so I can't comment on those. Decently comfy when not overly tightened. Strap adjustment knob really really hard to twist - it's smooth and has a lot of resistance unlike the PiMax and Index. All this adds up to be a bad overall product. Bad enough that during ViveCon 2021, HTC never once mentioned the Cosmos (Elite). They spoke about the 1st Vive and then Vive Pro extensively, followed by the Focus. Cosmos was a flop. Also side note, the Cosmos Elite requires the HTC software and drivers to be installed. I initially plugged it in without any software and it connects to SteamVR but fails to wake up. Turns out a complete software installation with driver initialization has to occur first, then some of the HTC software can be uninstalled.

As a display device, the HTC Vive Cosmos Elite works pretty well. If your only intention is to play sedentary games in VR, the kind where you (the you in real life) sit still and don't move, you might be satisfied with this headset. But if you're the type of person who likes to play games that require you to move around, such as room-scale games and fitness games, DON'T BUY THIS. Even if you plan to play games where you sit in a chair but occasionally have to move your head from side-to-side, DON'T BUY THIS. It won't stay in one place. You will constantly be fiddling with the tightness knob trying to keep the fit snug and secure. On top of all this, one of the most promoted features of this headset, the flip-up visor, only compounds the problem. In theory being able to flip up the visor so you can quickly see the real world around you when needed would be a great idea, but when you do the headband loses all tension and you have to go through the annoying process of trying to tighten it once more. In short, quickly flipping the visor up is easy, but quickly flipping the visor back down is impossible, which makes the feature useless. As an owner of the original Vive, it's faster and easier to remove and replace that headset than to use the flip-up visor and resume gaming on this one.

Overall not a bad headset to own. The fit is a bit strange, as it puts most of the weight/pressure on the front and back of your head. For those not accustomed to this, be ready for a few headaches while your head adjusts to the new lenses and the way it fits. I found that the thin gaskets were too thin for my preference and will be switching to the thicker gaskets, which seemed to help the headset feel more comfortable. As for the headset itself the Mic leaves a little bit to desire, making a "pop" noise when you pronounce anything with a "p" in it. Found out it's partially because there is no buffer or windbreaker made in the unit, so it's all raw mic data and makes it easy to pick up on that. Although you can fix that with a simple wind breaker kit if you don't mind the aesthetics or with a digital buffer that can filter it out of you have enough technical know-how. As for the speakers.... The left one cuts out on a regular basis, I found that the 3.5mm headphone jack on the right speaker is a forwarding port for the left speaker, so all you have to do is reseat the cable and it starts working again. The lenses leave something to be desired though. The sweet spot on them is VERY small and can often cause problems with playing games such as beatsaber, then there's also the ring issues that they're prone to while playing. Unfortunately to fix this, you'll have to mod the headset, which voids the warranty from what I've heard. So if you want to have that waranty coverage, then you'll need to wait to do that. However, the reason why I suspect mine is faulty, is because I keep getting USB Error 009 at least 2 or 3 times per day. I've reinstalled drivers multiple times, provided system specs for my PC to HTC, contacted them multiple times and even dealt with an overheating issue with the headset. Unfortunately, despite how nice the technicians they employ are, the problems were never permanently resolved. The troubleshooting always seems to boil down to them blaming corrupt drivers, which is the first thing they usually tackle. Then I suspected that maybe there's too many USB devices on the PC and attempted reducing this. This didn't resolve the problem either as I still get USB Error 009. Did a fresh reinstall of windows, no dice. Even now I'm in the process of upgrading my to a new CPU, mobo, and ram kit to rule out any potential hardware issue on my side. On top of that the headset is prone to locking up when it overheats. Not too much of a problem when it's winter, but once summer rolls around, I'll be lucky to use it for an hour and a half before it locks up and has to cool down. It sounds like the cooling fan inside of the unit that should be pushing air out isn't activating when it's supposed to, resulting in the overheat. HTC support clearly informed me that this headset isn't designed for more than 2 hours of use at a time, which I have a hard time buying considering that other Cosmos Elite owners I know can play games for several hours with no issues. Overall, I'm docking a two stars overall for the following reasons: Plastic lenses that make games hard to see when you're moving around quickly, hardware related problems with the unit, and feeling a lack of support from the HTC.

UPDATE (6/3/2020)... After talking to an amazon Rep over the chat because phone calls aren't being answered, The code for Half Life Alyx is NOT a Digital code received from AMAZON, but from HTC themselves. Amazon needs to clarify in order to get the game, you have to to to HTCs website and redeem the Free VivePort offer included which will unlock the game to be downloaded in Steam. That was the confusion and why I rated this 3 starts earlier. Again the items is flawless and I left a review on it below. Changing to 4 stars instead of 3, But I would of gave this 5 stars because of the hassle I had to deal with the first time. Hope this helps anyone in the future. Old Review.... Bad enough because of this pandemic, you cannot contact amazon Customer Service via phone so I wen to their web chat to explain that I did not get a download code for the game said to be included and being bounced around by 10 different people having to explain the issue over and over again, I said forget it, its not worth the headache... One had amazon themselves call me only to hang up on me during the process then when I tried calling them back, I cannot get through once again because of the COVID-19 Pandemic... so yeah if you are buying this and expecting to get the Half Life: Alyx Download mentioned in the description, Good luck... Now for the headset itself. The item is fine, I gave this 3 stars because going through the madness of trying to get what was promised in a pkacaged and being bounced around and having to explain the problem over 10 times... Not worth it, I ended up buying the game from Steam out of my pocket... Anyway the Item came in perfect condition, I already had the wireless adapter so I got the wireless add on with it, the ability to flip the headset up to see whats in front of you or having to make some adjustments before going back into VR is a plus! Visuals are better but it still uses the fresnel lenses, Sweet spot is smaller than the original vive but I got the new lens mod coming for that to eliminate this. I recommend anyone who uses a Vive headset to get the lens mod, its so much better!!!! Tracking uses the Original Vive wands and base station and IMO that tracking is superior. The headphones attaches sounds good but i normally don't use them, I have a surround sound system for that. But overall the headset is good. if it wasnt for not getting the game that was promised with this bundle and the headache I went through with amazons customer support, I would of gave this review 5 stars...

You will not be disappointed! The flip up is amazing and the graphics are incredible. They did a fantastic job with this one'

I purchased this headset during a Black Friday sale looking to upgrade my Vive headset, which I've owned for a good 4-5 years at this point. I was anticipating getting something higher-quality that would still have that same durability, and I was excited to have the built-in earphones as well! I, unfortunately, ran into numerous problems with this headset, many of which were described in other reviews and a few which were my own unique flavour of troubles. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to fit it on my head right - either it was too tight for the headphones to click down onto my ears, or too lose to sit securely on my head. The fans on the headset were also a bit noisy after it ran for a few minutes, and getting stuff to look clear through the lens feels like a challenge only compounded by the difficult fit on the headset. I've also had issues with the headset completely crashing after being in VR for a while, with all the graphics in the headset glitching out and the software displaying an error. After trying to diagnose and determine how intermittent that issue was, I also realized I was starting to get a headache, and I'm not sure if it was from trying to sort these issues out or if it was from the weight of the headset. I decided that, even at the sale I got it at, it wasn't worth all the trouble it was giving me, so I returned it. It felt bittersweet going back to my old headset, but I just couldn't justify the time and cost to make this headset feel usable for me.

I have had the cosmos for a few days and it seems like a higher resolution vive. I only use vr headsets for vr and I have only used the Vive so my overall experience with VR is limited. Tracking seems fine. The only problems with tracking I had is that one of my tracking stations was acting up, but I had that problem before the headset and its since been fixed. The resolution is a nice upgrade from the vive. There is a performance hit since it has to make up for two higher resolution screens but I can get decent frames on a 8700k cpu with a 2080 super. Overall, I like it, but I only use it in a limited way.

Well, I'll start by saying you DONT get what you pay for with this headset. Its bulky, feels like old tech, and hard to find the "sweet spot" in the image. It leaves you constantly adjusting to try and remedy the blurry image, but it is a struggle. Completely kills whatever game you're playing having to stop and readjust. Hinge doesnt have any need considering theres a camera pass thru option. And it really messes with the image. I cant really reccomend it, considering the old controls needed for this headset dont help it any. Suggest getting index controllers instead to really enjoy games. You'll constantly fight with holding items in game. I dont see this as a suitable upgrade in any way. Avoid unless this is your only option for a headset. I warned you. You'll walk away feeling ripped off using this dinosaur. I got a deal, and I still feel ripped off. Not by seller, but by HTC. Dont buy. No matter the price.

Lenses are not adjustable closeness to eye. Not DLP everything looks washed out and gray blacks are not black. No comparison to the older model that has DLP. Headphones will not stay pressed up against the ear they just keep popping out. Not happy return of the product.

I have the original Vive, and purchased this as a headset upgrade. Unfortunately, the field of view is cut way down, the image quality is perhaps visually only 15% sharper, and the headset's earphones would not close. This might be a good unit for a child sized head, but it is clearly not designed as well as the original.