The HTC Vive Cosmos and the Oculus Rift S are two headsets that you can rely on when it comes to immersive virtual reality experience. Both headsets have various similarities but also have distinct differences.
These two headsets are very far from each other in terms of price as the Vive Cosmos is more expensive by $300. The Vive Cosmos is priced at $699 while the Oculus Rift S comes in at only $399.
The Vive Cosmos is a PC-powered VR headset the same as the Oculus Rift S; both can make virtual reality as immersive as possible.
However, these headsets do not limit you to the visuals as they both encourage the movement of the body to perform tasks within the games in virtual reality.
Both have upgrades compared to their predecessors (The original HTC Vive for Vive Cosmos, and the Oculus Rift for the Oculus Rift S), and some are more like changes rather than upgrades.
When it comes to choosing between the two on which is better to invest with, there are a lot of features and factors to consider before making a decision, let’s get into a detailed comparison between the two to help you choose which headset fits you best.
Table of Contents
Design and Build Quality
Starting with the Vive Cosmos, it is a headset that comes with two upgraded controllers.
These controllers are not solely compatible with the old Vive remotes or the Index controllers as it adapts the newer and more standard Oculus Touch controller design. It has an adjustable strap on top of your head, making the headset comfortable to wear.
The Vive Cosmos has no wires, unlike the HTC Vive, and although it is PC-powered, it uses the new Intel WiGig technology that lets you play smoothly with up to 60GHz of audio and video transmission.
Just like the Vive Cosmos, the Oculus Rift S has a head strap and a halo headband that is adjustable and a little bit more comfortable than the Cosmos.
It can be adjusted quickly and has a wider strap with a cushion that is very comfortable for both your head and neck and will allow you to wear the headset for a long time with minimal discomfort.
The Oculus Rift S is also PC-powered and still needs wires to connect it to your PC and requires minimum PC specs for it to function in an average manner.
The Oculus Rift S has a minimalistic design, but the main advantage of the headset is the comfort level. The Oculus Rift S is more comfortable than the Vive Cosmos.
Overall, they both have a sleek design with the cushioning on the circumference that adds to the comfort level.
Display and Resolution
The Oculus Rift S has a display of 1280 x 1440 pixels for each eye, which is lower than that of the Oculus Quest.
The display comes in a 5.5 inch LCD screen, and despite the lower pixel density, it still gives you an experience that is amazing for almost every game that you play.
The screen of the Oculus Rift S has a Passthrough feature, which allows the users to see the display as well as their surroundings with a black and white mixed reality.
This makes it easier for the user to see things and avoid running into objects around them at any given point of time.
The Vive Cosmos has a better display of 1700 x 1440 for each eye, which is way better than most of the headsets in the market. It comes with a smaller 3.4 inch RGB LCD screen that makes the pixel density better.
The pixel density of the Vive Cosmos allows players to see more detail inside the virtual reality and has no see-through feature, which means that the screen concentrates on the display only and does not let you see your surroundings.
However, it has a feature that allows you to flip the screen like a visor in order to allow you to see your surroundings without actually taking the headset off of your head.
Both headsets have a feature of their own that cannot be compared fully. If you want to be more aware of your surroundings, then the Oculus Rift S is better because of its see-through display.
But if you want a better display of your game within the virtual reality without outside nuisance, then the Vive Cosmos is better for you.
Refresh Rate and Field of View
The higher the refresh rate, the smoother the transitions. This gives you the smoothness that you want in games to avoid distraction from glitches and motion sickness as well.
The Vive Cosmos has a refresh rate of 90Hz which is the average refresh rate in most of the headsets in the market. It gives you a smooth transition between objects and movements plus higher frames per second rate.
The Oculus Rift S has a lower refresh rate of 80Hz compared to the Vive Cosmos and the other headsets out there. 80 Hz is not that bad, but you might have to adjust a bit if you are more familiar with higher refresh rates.
Field of View or Field of Vision is the range of where you can see the entirety of the display at any given angle. The higher the field of view, the better you will see the surrounding virtual reality, which provides you with a more immersive experience when you are inside the game.
Both of the headsets have a 110-degree field of view, which is helpful in games where there are a lot of characters.
There is not much to compare between the headsets’ field of view as they are the same.
The Oculus Rift S however, could have done better in terms of the refresh rates. Although it is not that big of an issue for gamers, the Vive Cosmos with a higher refresh rate is preferable for a smoother gaming experience.
Tracking and Controllers
Both the Vive Cosmos and Oculus Rift S has a 6 degree of freedom and have an inside-out tracking.
This means that both of the headsets have a more comprehensive range of motion and do not need an external tracker for the handheld controllers.
The Vive Cosmos beats the Ocular Rift S, however, with its six mounted cameras. The Rift S only has four cameras installed in the headset.
The Vive Cosmos gives a wider range of motion where it detects the movement well up to the side of the head.
The Oculus Rift S has a hard time tracking its controllers when the hands are put behind your back. This makes it hard for games that require you to pull your hand back behind your head like shooting an arrow.
Both of the controllers are wireless, and they both use AA batteries.
The Oculus Rift S has a slightly upgraded Oculus Touch controller that uses an AA battery for each controller.
It responds well with the inside tracking system of the headset and is convenient for moving around. The Vive Cosmos, on the other hand, features an upgraded control where it adopted the Oculus Touch controller.
It also has lights that I assume is used for the inside out tracking to track the controllers more accurately. However, it uses a whole lot of batteries. It requires two AA batteries for each controller that doubles that of the Rift S.
When it comes to tracking, the Vive Cosmos is better with more cameras installed in the headset.
However, when it comes to the controllers, the Rift S is slightly better in some aspects of the Vive Cosmos as it demonstrates the same function with a lesser amount of energy used.
Gaming on the two headsets
When it comes to gaming, the Oculus Rift S has a variety of games that come along with the headset for free.
It has more than fifty games that can be played for free once you purchase the headset.
Valve has also provided support that allows Oculus Rift S users to access all their games via SteamVR. SteamVR also detects the Rift S as its default headset; this offers a higher resolution for the Rift S users compared to other headsets.
There were issues when the Rift S was initially released that some games from SteamVR were incompatible with the controller. SteamVR immediately made a solution making the Rift S compatible with all games, the same with the original Rift.
This means that you have a lot of games to discover both from the free games that come along with the headset and all the games in SteamVR that are now compatible with the Oculus Rift S.
The Vive Cosmos also has its own games. Viveport is the own VR software store of Vive separate from SteamVR, and it includes games that can’t found in SteamVR.
However, the two software are compatible with the Vive Cosmos, and so you can play all the games available in SteamVR as well.
When it comes to games, the Oculus Rift S and the Vive Cosmos have pretty much the same library, so it isn’t easy to pick one among the two.
Conclusion
These two headsets are great as they are almost identical to each other in terms of features.
The comfort that you get from both of these headsets is excellent. Their inside tracking gives you the freedom to move more freely compared to laser-detected trackers.
Also, compared to a positional tracking system, the inside tracking system of both headsets allows less time to set up and fewer wires that can distract you from the game.
There are so many features that can still be compared, and that is why it is tough to compare the two and choose which is better.
I guess the deciding point here is the price between these two, amazing headsets. These two headsets perform very well, and although they have a few downsides, they make up for it for sure.
When it comes to choosing between the two, while keeping money on your mind, I will go for the Oculus Rift S as it is way cheaper than the Vive Cosmos.
However, when investing in which has more quality features, the Vive Cosmos can make up for its price, with its tracking features and higher refresh rates along with others.
It is really up to you on which one you prefer and on what standards you put into choosing the best VR headset for you.
Check out both the headsets and let us know your favorite in the comments below!
If you liked the post, then do not forget to share it on social media!
Leave a Reply