So you’re ready to jump into the world of VR, but you’re not sure if the HTC Vive is the right headset for your sim racing career.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
In this article we will take a look at the features of the HTC Vive, as well as how it stacks up to other VR headsets on the market.
We’re also gonna answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the world of VR racing headsets.
Table of Contents
About the HTC Vive headset
For those who didn’t know it yet, the HTC Vive is a virtual reality headset originally released by HTC and Valve on the 5th of April 2016.
Designed for high-end PC gaming, the Vive is equipped with sensors on the front and back of the headset that track your movement in a 15 x 15-foot space.
This means that you can actually walk inside the gaming world.
It also comes with two controllers that track your hand movement to allow you to interact with objects in game.
Though you won’t really need those controllers in sim racing since you’ll need to keep your hands firm on your steering wheel.
Because it’s one of the first VR headsets to be made available on the market, you can find a lot of spare parts and accessories for it, which is great if you ever lose or damage your original accessories.
How do you play VR on HTC Vive?
In order to play in VR with the Vive headset you’ll need to complete thefollowing instrucions.
- Open the SteamVR software on your computer
- Make sure that your headset is connected to your PC
- Turn ON the controllers
- Check that the HTC VIVE hardware is being tracked
- Put the VR headset on
- Grab your controllers
Voila, you’re good to go 🙂
Racing in VR with Vive will be such an immersive experience that you’ll be hooked from the get go.
And as a racing simulator enthusiast, you can bet that it will take your driving experience to a whole new level.
Is HTC Vive good for sim racing?
Sim racing in VR is getting more and more realistic and by using the HTC vive headset you’ll be able to immerse yourself even further.
The Vive headset has a ridiculously good resolution, making every detailed from the car and the track pixel perfect.
The 110-degree field of view also does a great job of wrapping around you and giving you the sensation that you’re really in the car.
The headset is compatible only on PC and the operating systems it supports are basically Windows, Mac and Linux.
Therefore you can only use the HTC Vive for PC based sim racing softwares and not for games like Gt Sport.
Though that shouldn’t be a problem since most of the best sim racing games are compatible with PC thus allowing you to switch the headset among them.
Is HTC Vive good for iRacing?
The HTC Vive headset works incredibly well on iRacing and it’s one of the best headsets for that software.
The Vive has a great resolution and the field of view is perfect for iRacing, since it’s one of the few sim racing softwares that supports a completely immersive VR experience.
Now, most gamers would think that any headset is good for iRacing and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
iRacing is one of the most punishing sim racing software when it comes to picking the right VR headset since it’s so demanding on the hardware.
So if you’re iRacing fan and are thinking to jump into the world of VR then you should definetely go with the HTC Vive.
How much does it cost and where can I get it?
The headset retails at around 850 bucks making it a bit more expensive than the Oculus headsets though quite a bit cheaper than the Valve index or HP Reverb.
You can get in on Amazon and you could check it’s current prices and customer reviews here.
Bottom line: is it really worth it?
So, is the HTC Vive worth the money?
That really depends on what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to spend.
If you’re looking for a high-end PC gaming headset that comes with some of the best VR features out there, then the Vive is definitely worth it.
Anfd if you’re specifically interested in using it for sim racing then it’s really probably the best option out there.
On the other hand, if you’re not really interested in PC -based gaming and are looking for a headset for Playstation, then the PSVR would suit your needs better.
Or if you’re looking for a cheaper option then you could consider going with an Oculus headset or wait until the Valve hopefully releases a cheaper version of the HTC. 🙂
Hope this article was helpful and that it answered all of your questions.
As always, happy racing!
Sim Racing VR Headsets – Relate Guides
- Is The HTC Vive Good for Sim Racing?
- Is the Valve Index VR Headset Good for Sim Racing?
- Is The Oculus Quest 2 Good for Sim Racing?
- Best VR Headsets for Sim Racing
- Best VR Headsets for iRacing
- Best VR Headsets for ACC
- HTC Vive Pro 2 vs Valve Index
- Oculus Rift vs Valve Index
- Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive
- Oculus Rift vs Windows Mixed Reality
