Device hub · VR / spatial · Desk research
HTC VIVE
Original VIVE is the 1080×1200 / 90 Hz / 110° SteamVR kit.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedHTC developer specs and the 2016 newsroom remain the official sources. Product photos are not hosted.
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an HTC asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
In short
Original VIVE is the 1080×1200 / 90 Hz / 110° SteamVR kit. Index still refuses a degree and only says “20° more than HTC Vive for typical users” — this 110° row does not authorize writing 130° on /vr/valve-index/. Grams and IPD millimeters are not on the cited HTC tables.
Who it is for
- Owners of first-gen VIVE kits comparing the official 110° / 1080×1200 table to Index, Pro 2, or Beyond 2.
Who should skip it
- Anyone shopping current HTC. That is Focus Vision / XR Elite / leftover Pro 2, not this 2016 kit.
- Standalone shoppers. Original VIVE requires a PC, a link box, and base stations.
- People who need published headset grams or an IPD millimeter window. HTC’s table does not print them.
Key differentiators
- Dual AMOLED 3.6-inch; 1080×1200 per eye; 90 Hz; 110° FOV (HTC developer + EU/UK/AU tables).
- SteamVR Tracking lighthouse; front-facing camera / Chaperone (HTC).
- 2016 complete kit US$799 (newsroom) — controllers and room-scale sensors in that price sentence.
Caveats
- Do not use this 110° to write 130° on the Index hub. Valve still has no official degree.
- GPU floor conflict: US support min GTX 970 / R9 290 vs developer specs minimum table GTX 1060 / RX 480. Quote both.
- US product PDP /us/product/vive/ was not a live specs URL this pass. Cite developer + EU/UK/AU tables + US newsroom.
- Launch $799 is 2016 RRP. Do not print it as a 2026 street price.
- No grams on the cited spec table.
- No hands-on testing.
VR-category specs
Same rows on every headset hub (Vision Pro, Quest, Galaxy XR, PICO, PS VR2). FOV, weight, and battery cells quote the manufacturer footnote — they are not lab measurements.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Display type | Dual AMOLED 3.6-inch diagonal | HTC VIVE developer specs guide; vive.com EU/UK/AU product tables |
| Display resolution | 1080 × 1200 pixels per eye (2160 × 1200 combined) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Refresh rate (OEM) | 90 Hz | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Field of view (OEM claim) | 110 degrees | HTC VIVE developer specs guideHTC prints a single 110° with no H/V split on this table. Valve Index describes its FOV only as 20° more than this headset for typical users — do not add 20 to 110 on the Index page. |
| Optics / lenses | IPD and lens-distance (eye-relief) adjustment listed. Lens type (Fresnel/pancake) not named on the cited table | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Chip / processor | No headset SoC. US support table: min GTX 970 / R9 290. | HTC VIVE US support system-requirements; developer specs guideOEM conflict. Quote both tables. Do not flatten 970 and 1060 into one floor. |
| RAM / unified memory | PC: 4 GB or more (HTC min and recommended). Not a headset RAM SKU | HTC VIVE US system-requirements support page |
| On-device storage | None (PC VR) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Operating system | SteamVR on Windows. HTC support table still lists Windows 7 SP1 / 8.1 / 10 — treat as the historic OEM row, not a 2026 Steam client guarantee | HTC VIVE US system-requirements support page |
| Tracking | SteamVR Tracking; G-sensor; gyroscope; proximity. Base stations required (room-scale sensors in the 2016 kit sentence) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide; 2016 US newsroom |
| Controllers | Two wireless VR controllers in the 2016 complete-edition price sentence (newsroom: haptic feedback, dual-stage triggers). Not a standalone-only visor SKU | HTC US newsroom 2016-02-21 |
| Other input | Integrated microphone. Front-facing camera for Chaperone / blending physical elements (HTC table + newsroom) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide; 2016 US newsroom |
| PC / console tether | Required. HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2 or newer + USB 2.0 (HTC support). Not standalone | HTC VIVE US system-requirements support page |
| IPD | Interpupillary distance adjustment listed. No millimeter range on the cited table (accessed 2026-09-19) | HTC VIVE developer specs guideDo not invent 60.8–74.6 mm from reviews. |
| Weight | Not published | HTC VIVE developer specs guideDo not invent 470 g or 555 g from uncited blogs. |
| Passthrough / see-through | Front-facing camera; HTC: Chaperone play-area boundaries and blending physical elements into the virtual world. Not color mixed-reality computing | HTC VIVE developer specs guide; 2016 US newsroom |
| Eye tracking | Not listed | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Battery — headset (OEM) | Tethered visor — no headset-hour row. Controllers are wireless (newsroom) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide; 2016 US newsroom |
| Battery style | PC/wall tethered headset. Controller batteries are not itemized as Wh on the cited table | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Charging (OEM) | Headset powered from the link/PC path. Controller charging not itemized on the cited specs table | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Audio | Stereo 3.5 mm headphone jack; integrated microphone | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Wireless | Headset is a wired HDMI/USB visor. Table also lists Bluetooth (accessory/controller radio class — not a wireless-headset SKU) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Glasses / prescription | Lens-distance adjustment listed. No “glasses compatible” checkbox on the cited table | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Platform / account lock | Steam / SteamVR. 2016 newsroom: SteamVR keeps equipment updated | HTC US newsroom 2016-02-21 |
| Age / intended use (OEM) | Not stated as a minimum age on the cited specs / newsroom pages (accessed 2026-09-19) | Cited HTC pages |
| US list price (dated) | US$799 complete consumer edition (HTC US newsroom, 21 February 2016), including two controllers, room-scale sensors, front-facing camera, and two VR titles for a limited time. 2026 street not captured | https://www.vive.com/us/newsroom/2016-02-21/ |
| Price band | Legacy PC VR complete kit (2016 $799) | HTC US newsroom 2016-02-21 |
| Announced / introduced | Consumer edition unveiled 21 February 2016 (MWC). Pre-order 29 February; fulfilment / availability early April 2016 (newsroom) | HTC US newsroom 2016-02-21 |
| Availability | Not published | HTC developer specs; vive.com EU/UK/AU |
HTC VIVE extras
Unique to this line or SKU. Other headsets keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Index FOV baseline | Valve Index describes FOV only as 20° more than HTC Vive for typical users. This hub’s 110° does not become 130° on /vr/valve-index/ | valvesoftware.com Index headset; this HTC table |
| GPU floor conflict | US support: min GTX 970 / R9 290, recommended GTX 1060 / RX 480. Developer specs minimum-computer table: GTX 1060 / RX 480. Do not average | HTC US support system-requirements; developer.vive.com VIVE specs |
| Tracked area (developer table) | Standing/seated: no min. Room-scale: 6′6″ × 4′11″ min, 11′5″ × 11′5″ max | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Controller use per charge | Approx. 6 hours (developer controller table) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Chaperone / camera | Front-facing camera; play-area boundaries (HTC table) | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| Headset connections | HDMI, USB 2.0, stereo 3.5 mm, power, Bluetooth | HTC VIVE developer specs guide |
| URL locale | US /us/product/vive/ was not a live specs URL this pass. Same headset table is on /eu/ /uk/ /au/ product pages plus developer.vive.com | Write-day fetch |
Overview
Original VIVE stays a hub because Index’s FOV sentence still names it, and leftover kits still exist. Later HTC: /vr/htc-vive-pro-2/, /vr/htc-vive-focus-vision/, /vr/htc-vive-xr-elite/. Peer: /vr/valve-index/.
Display and FOV
Dual AMOLED 3.6-inch, 1080 × 1200 per eye, 90 Hz, 110°. No H/V split on the HTC table.
The Index math we will not do
Valve: typical users get 20° more FOV than the HTC Vive. HTC: this visor is 110°. Adding those sentences into 130° on Index is invented. The Index hub keeps the relative sentence only.
Tether and kit
Required PC path: HDMI 1.4 or DP 1.2+, USB 2.0. 2016 $799 is the complete-edition unveil price. Grams and IPD millimeters stay unpublished.
Sources
- HTC developer — VIVE specs & user guide — accessed 2026-09-19
- HTC — VIVE EU product table (same headset specs) — accessed 2026-09-19
- HTC US newsroom — consumer edition unveil ($799) — accessed 2026-09-19
- HTC US support — original VIVE system requirements — accessed 2026-09-19
- Valve — Index headset (relative FOV sentence) — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Is this VIVE Pro 2 or Focus Vision?
No. This hub is the original 2016 VIVE (1080×1200, 90 Hz, 110°). Pro 2 and Focus Vision have their own slugs.
What is the FOV?
HTC’s table prints 110 degrees. Valve later said Index gives typical users 20° more than this headset — that is not a license to print 130° on the Index page.
Does $799 include base stations?
The 2016 newsroom price sentence is for the complete consumer edition, including two controllers and room-scale sensors. Date it as 2016 RRP.
What does it weigh?
Not on the cited HTC spec table. We will not invent grams.
Official product page: HTC VIVE. Specs: HTC VIVE specs.