Vive Cosmos Elite Pre-orders Start Today, Release Date Set for March 18th

Last week HTC announced the full Vive Cosmos lineup which saw the introduction of three new variants which each use faceplates with different capabilities. Cosmos Elite, the high-end variant which uses SteamVR Tracking, opens for pre-orders as of today, with a release date of March 18th.

For the full breakdown of the Cosmos series, which now includes the Cosmos Play, Cosmos, Cosmos Elite, and Cosmos XR, see our reveal coverage here.

Like all of the Cosmos headsets, Cosmos Elite is built on the same core foundation, which means the same flip-up head-mount design, fresnel lenses, and 1,440 × 1,700 LCD displays with hardware IPD adjustment. But Cosmos Elite is designed to appeal to VR enthusiasts who want to leverage the power of SteamVR Tracking, the same Valve-made external tracking tech which has powered all of HTC’s PC VR headsets prior to Cosmos.

Image courtesy HTC

While Cosmos Elite is technically capable of the same level of inside-out tracking as other Cosmos headsets, the Elite comes with a unique faceplate which is covered in sensors that detect tracking signals from two external base stations. Though it doesn’t have the convenience of inside-out tracking, SteamVR Tracking is widely considered a gold-standard for VR tracking thanks to its speed, accuracy, coverage, and robustness to varying lighting conditions.

Since Cosmos Elite uses SteamVR Tracking, it doesn’t use the same controllers as the other Cosmos headsets; instead it uses the Vive wand controllers which launched with the original Vive.

Vive Cosmos Elite Price, Pre-orders, and Release Date

Priced at $900, Cosmos Elite includes the headset, two SteamVR Tracking 1.0 base tations (1.0), and two Vive wand controllers.

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Pre-orders for the headset will start on the company’s website today, while the Vive Cosmos Elite release date is set for March 18th, just ahead of the release of Half-Life: Alyx on March 23rd.

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