HTC Vive is the most advanced VR system yet (photos)

HTC Vive thrusts you into VR like nothing before, but it needs a high-end PC. And you need to jack in with wires.

The Vive helmet: large, but the visual quality is fantastic. The included tether is very long.

You can wander a room, provided you've set up the included light box sensors properly.

Two included wireless controllers let you feel like your hands are in the game.

This is what you get in the $800 Vive package. Headset, controllers, room sensors, and a lot of cables.

We didn't really try this in an elevator lobby.

Setting up Vive means getting the light boxes to sync. You may need tripods, or you can put them on high bookshelves.

You set up a space to move in, as little as 6.5 feet by 5 feet. Or you don't need to move at all, but where's the fun in that?

Sometimes the controllers turn into hands, or guns, or tools.

A graphic representation of what the glowing grid feels like: when you're in VR and reach the boundary of your play space, you see blue grid lines slowly emerge.

Both controllers are rechargeable, and last about four hours or so.

A trigger underneath and a large circular clickable trackpad on top handle most controls. There are grip buttons, too.

The headset doesn't have its own headphones, but a pair of earbuds comes in the box.

The Vive's lenses and display resolution are pretty similar to Oculus Rift's.

One of the two light boxes: these whir and shoot out lasers. They don't need to be plugged into your PC.

A light box from the back.

One of many cables.

Both controllers come with charge cords, but they also work with anything Micro-USB.

There's a hand strap. You might need it.

Lots of photos of me looking ridiculous.

An extra foam lining is included for the headset, for smaller faces.

The included earbuds. You can also plug in your own headphones.

A breakout box where the headset's three cables plug in. HDMI, USB and a power cord.

The VR headset needs to be plugged in and powered, too.

Sometimes the controllers lost their tracking. It's early days.

The Vive is a lot of gear. And it's expensive. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.

If you want the best in VR right now, this is it.

Just remember to take breaks. VR fatigue is real.

Oculus will get motion controllers, and PlayStation VR too. This is just the first one.

HTC's new Virtual Reality kit has been released, and it includes a lot more than just a headset.

Don't trip over the cable.

An in-headset camera can show what's around you in a mode called Chaperone. It can be useful in a pinch.

Oculus Rift (left) vs. HTC Vive (right): both use similar PC tech, and they'll run many of the same games down the road. But Vive has the edge right now.

Oculus Rift's headset (left) is lighter and more comfortable than the HTC Vive's (right), though.

Rift and Vive, facing off.

Similar lenses in both Oculus and Vive headsets. The straps, however, are different.