The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    HTC Vice Cosmos Elite vs Valve Index

    HTC+Vice+Cosmos+Elite+vs+Valve+Index

    The two most recent and most expensive VR headsets that came out are HTC’s new Vive Cosmos Elite, and the Valve Index, which was made by Steam. The Valve Index costs around $1000, whereas the Cosmos Elite costs around $900, so the two headsets are relatively close in price.

    For comparison in the visuals of each headset, the Valve Index has better visuals. Firstly, the Valve Index has a FOV of about 130 degrees, whereas the Cosmos Elite only has 110 degrees. The Valve Index also has a 120 Hz display, and the Cosmos Elite only has a 90 Hz display. This means that the Valve Index has a wider screen, and it looks more clear and smooth.

    The Valve Index is perfectly balanced between the back and front of your head, so it fits comfortably when wearing it. There is also a knob that you can spin to make the back of the headset go forwards or backward, so you can make the headset sit very snugly on your head.

    The Cosmos Elite, on the other hand, uses the traditional halo head strap. The same one that the Oculus Rift S had. This causes the Cosmos Elite to not fit as comfortably as the Valve Index.

    The biggest difference between these headsets (I think) is the controllers. The Cosmos Elite uses the original HTC Vive Wands, which is the same controllers that the HTC Vive uses. Lots of people complain that these controllers are awkward to hold, and they break a lot and the buttons are not very accurate.

    The Valve Index uses its own new controllers, called the Valve knuckle controllers. They have individual finger tracking and pressure tracking, and you wear them like gloves. This is a much-needed improvement over the HTC Vive Wands, so Valve Index also wins for this. “These sound awesome!” says HsarMya Moo, a sophomore at Lakewood High School.

    So far, the Valve Index wins. It has better controllers, a better display, and it is more comfortable. Even though the Valve Index is more expensive, it is actually worth the $1000. The headset is high enough quality that it deserves its price tag. The Cosmos Elite did not. It is not high quality enough to be worth $900. The Valve Index wins over the Cosmos Elite.

    More to Discover