HTC Vive Cosmos Elite will soon be available as an upgrade for original Vive owners

The HTC Vive Cosmos has been around for a while now. When that headset first released, there was the promise of other versions in future. The modular faceplate system on this VR headset makes it possible to upgrade the headset in various ways. 

The Elite is the first of these upgrades and it'll be available to buy soon in two variants. Either as a standalone headset or as an External Tracking Faceplate that can be used with the original Vive Cosmos. 

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The premise of the HTC Vive Cosmos Elite is simple enough. This headset offers the visual upgrades of the Vive Cosmos but with the ability to work with external tracking base stations that came with the original HTC Vive and Vive Pro, as well as the controllers. 

This makes the Cosmos Elite and interesting upgrade if you already own the classic HTC Vive and want to continue making use of the excellent controllers and base stations that came with that headset. 

The Vive Cosmos sports a 2880 x 1700 pixel resolution vs 2160 x 1200 on the original Vive. Alongside other enhancements, including comfort and sound upgrades, these visual improvements certainly make the Cosmos Elite worth considering. 

We had some gripes with the inside-out tracking capabilities of the Vive Cosmos when we reviewed it. The Cosmos Elite should alleviate those problems with base stations being reincluded in the system (if you have them). 

The option to purchase the External Tracking Faceplate separately also offers an upgrade to those Cosmos owners who want to improve their current setup. Though you will need the base stations to make the most of this new system. 

Other good news comes along with these purchases too. Whether you're buying the Cosmos Elite or the faceplate, you'll get a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx to enjoy. If you're buying the headset you'll also get six months of Viveport Infinity for free as well. 

The Cosmos Elite will be on sale from 27 April in the UK for £549 and 1 May in the US for $549. The External Tracking Faceplate will be available from 15 May in the UK for $199 and 1 May in the US for $199. Both will also be available in other regions around the same time.  

from Pocket-lint https://ift.tt/2w6ej0a