Best HTC Vive accessories: Upgrade and enhance your VR experiences with these gadgets | Tech News
There’s no denying that virtual reality gaming is a lot of fun. There’s also not many VR experiences better than those available on the HTC Vive and HTC Vive Pro.
The HTC Vive is an impressive bit of kit for sure, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved with the addition of a few upgrades, accessories or attachments. We’ve been hunting down the very best bits of kit to buy to make your VR gaming all the more enjoyable.
Deluxe Audio Strap
- Integrated audio
- Improve comfort
- Easy-to-use size adjustment dial
One of the frustrations with the standard Vive is the need to use your own earphones or headset. We had problems finding a suitable USB powered headset and using the 3.5mm jack meant messing with more cables.
The standard out-of-the-box Vive is also a bit of a fuss to put on and take off. The triple Velcro strap system is great for adjustment, but it’s a bit of a faff.
If you’ve felt the misery of these hassles, then the Deluxe Audio Strap is the upgrade for you. This accessory replaces the standard straps and integrates audio right into the headset design.
This has several benefits – firstly the headset fitment is a lot more comfortable; padding and plastic housing allows for improved weight distribution and less pressure on the nogging while you game.
The improved head strap also makes the headset a lot easier to use with a comfort adjustment wheel on the back replacing the three strap system. A simple twist of this dial loosens or tightens the headset to quickly achieve a comfortable fit or make it wide enough to slip off in a flash.
The next highlight is the integrated audio. Simple flip-down ear cups sit on the ear while you game and can be easily moved out of the way should you need to hear something happening in the real world at any point. These integrated earphones mean you don’t need to use your own. The design also means less cables in the way when you game, which is always a bonus.
This accessory not only improves the audio experience of the HTC Vive, but the comfort too. We found this meant better immersion during gaming sessions and far less face pressure, both of which are welcome additions to an already awesome system.
See current price on Amazon US – Amazon UK
Wireless VR adapter
- Wireless VR upgrade for HTC Vive
- 20,100mAh battery pack powered wireless VR
- Easy installation
The HTC Vive might be one of the best VR experiences around, but it still needs a great gaming machine to run and you need to be tethered to that machine while you play too. This can really ruin the experience when you get tied up in the cables as you play, especially in the more frantic games or just plain annoying when you feel it tugging on the back of your head constantly.
This is where the TPCAST wireless adapter comes in. This is a wireless upgrade for your HTC Vive which allows you to ditch those restrictive cables in favour of wireless transmitters and receivers, as well as a hot-swappable battery pack that’s capable of as much as five hours gaming before it needs recharging.
TPCAST is an aftermarket upgrade to the HTC Vive that’s certainly worth considering. It’s not cheap, but it is impressive.
We found this wireless adapter yielded some fairly impressive results, with very little in the way of noticeable lag or frame rate drops while we played. It’s not without its foibles – there’s no official microphone support at the moment and it can be frustrating when the battery runs out of juice mid-play sessions (especially considering it takes around ten hours to fully recharge). But it is a brilliant bit of kit that works really well.
We can’t tell you enough how fantastic wireless VR gaming is. There’s nothing like the freedom to move around without tripping over cables or feeling the constant nag of the tethered cables.
The downside is being painfully aware of gaming borders and not knocking over precious household objects while we play.
See current price on Amazon US – Amazon UK
Prescription lens adapters
- Easy-to-install lens adapters
- Prescription lenses for glasses-free VR gaming
- BlueGuard coating to block out those nasty rays while you play
If you’re a glasses wearer then you know the frustrations that come with trying to wear a VR headset over your prescription frames. It’s not only uncomfortable, but it also often leads to double the problems with smudges, smearing and steaming up.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible to upgrade your HTC Vive and add prescription lens adapters so you can game without your glasses.
These adapters are a great addition to your headset. They not only allow you to play without your specs, but they also offer some protection to the lenses themselves. If you scratch the standard lenses, they’re not easy to replace, so it’s worth keeping them safe and the adapters will stop you accidentally scratching them with your standard specs.
There are a few different sources for prescription lenses for the various VR headsets out there. We’d recommend VR Lens Lab. This company not only offers prescription lens adapters but also offer additional extras like Blueguard coating that protects your eyes from blue light radiation while you play.
Of course, the lenses cost as much as your standard prescription lenses, so prices will vary according to how bad your eyes are, but in our mind, it’s a worthy upgrade for comfortable, immersive VR gaming.
3dRudder motion controller
- Foot controlled movement
- Multi-game and device compatible
We’re big proponents of Room-Scale VR gaming. It’s so much more immersive when you can walk about in the VR world, by moving about in the real one. The problem with this though is it soon gets tiring. We’ve often found our gaming session cut short due to sore feet or an aching back.
3dRudder offers an interesting solution to this problem by allowing you to control your in-game movement with your feet while remaining seated.
Rest your feet on this motion controller and you can simply dip, twist or turn your feet in order to move your character about in the VR game. With simple movements,11 you can walk, run, strafe or simply move about with ease.
The underside of the 3dRudder is slightly curved allowing you to easily rock it in any direction. It does mean that you cannot use this device standing up though, as you’ll not only break it but likely fall flat on your face too.
This accessory is an interesting premise. Built-in pressure sensors accurately track movement and relay that information into the game. It can even detect when you press down or lift your feet up and this can be used to move vertically too. This opens up use in flight sims too and any game that requires a joystick.
Of course, many modern VR games offer controller-based movement controls via the trackpad or control sticks, but using a foot controller frees up your hands for the important/interesting things – like shooting, looting and engaging with the world.
We also found that 3dRudder helped maintain immersion while playing as controlling movement with your feet just lends itself naturally to VR gaming, even if you aren’t actually walking in the normal sense.
With fast-paced games where quick movement is key to survival, we also found 3dRudder made us much agiler than trying to move about with the standard movement controls.
3dRudder is versatile too. It’s not only compatible with a variety of VR games out of the box, it’s also possible to use the controller in a variety of ways including keyboard mode, mouse mode, joystick mode and more. This means its possible to use it to control all games, not just VR ones, but also as a giant mouse to browse the internet if you feel so inclined.
All the settings are fully customisable with the accompanying software, so it’s a breeze to set it up just the way you want.
3dRudder connects to your gaming machine using a plug-and-play USB cable. Your PC should immediately recognise it as a joystick, but the software allows you to tweak the settings to your particular liking and the games you’re playing too.
3dRudder is remarkably intuitive and easy to pick up and use. It’s also not limited to VR use, so when you’re not gaming inside your Vive you can put it to good use elsewhere too.
See current price on Amazon US – Amazon UK
We’ll be updating this list in future with even more accessories for your Vive, so be sure to check back to keep in the loop.
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