Gadgetory

it's been almost a year since we first tried HTC and valves game-changing VR headset in the time since it's gotten a new name better hardware and well it's been delayed but it's still just as mind-blowing as before I'm Michael Fisher with pocket now and this is a hands-on look at the vibe pre the vive pre is the updated version of the original HTC revive i tested nearly a year ago the device that single-handedly made me care about virtual reality the pre edition is sleeker and more lightweight with a single wire connecting it to a computer instead of the thick harness of the prototype there's a camera now providing a window to the outside world and a means of keeping you from walking into objects via a new feature called chaperone the vibes accessories have also been upgraded the wall-mounted sensors are now simple boxes with standard tripod mounts and the handheld controllers are super lightweight more ergonomic and wireless to boot these improvements make the vive pre much more accessible as a consumer product still selling the vibe is bound to be anything but easy for HTC and valve if virtual reality is an incredibly difficult product to pitch to people who haven't used it and with simpler cheaper competition like oculus rift gear VR and Google cardboard out there it telling people that in addition to buying a high-end gaming computer they've got to mount sensors to their walls and devote a whole room to this device while that only adds to the uphill struggle our entire ground team got to try the vibe at CES and even after a year of me waxing poetic about the product these concerns along with the very real danger of tripping over the wire during a walkabout gave some of them pause the vive experience is still a singular one it's the only mass-market VR product that lets you literally walk around the room you're standing in both physically and virtually being able to roam the virtual space to get a different perspective on the mid air painting you've drawn or to move around your imaginary office to make messes of different things or to try to see the entirety of the whale you're swimming with underwater that more than anything is what makes the vibe special it adds a degree of immersive pneus that's just not there when you're sitting in a chair wearing one of the other visors de vive demo area at CES made it clear that it's still blowing minds literal shrieks of delight could be heard as one woman explored the underwater shipwreck I wrote about last year and if you don't have a whole room to devote to vibe it can also serve as a more conventional desk-bound vr headset when needed I demoed it with the space combat simulator elite dangerous and it was impressive though I still prefer the stand up mode with over a month to go before pre-orders open and no firm word on pricing there are still plenty of variables when it comes to the vive pre and of course we'll have to see how it performs in the real world when we take it for a full review for now even after a four-month release delay and rumors of a high price tag I'm still much more excited for the vibe pre than I ever thought I'd be for a VR product and given my teammates reactions and a chance encounter with two other CES attendees on my plane ride home if both of whom were almost as effusive in their praise as I was the first time I tried it I know I'm hardly the only one this wraps up our CES 2016 coverage from Las Vegas folks if you'd like to see more please check out our dedicated playlist on YouTube and if pocketnow.com and subscribe so you don't miss future videos until next time this has been michael fisher captain two phones on twitter thanks for watching we'll see you next time