We've dabbled in VR many times before, even as far back as the beginning of the 90s with W Industries' Virtuality system. More recent years have given us mobile-based devices, such as Samsung's Gear VR and Google Cardboard , but such devices are essentially tasters of VR's potential by comparison.

Innovative VR that allows you to move around in a virtual space; excellent visuals thanks to high-res displays; controllers are excellent and offer developers many options for use

Setup is far from straight forward thanks to sensor placement; occasional crashes when installing; Room Space requires a large area to play in; headphones not built-in

HTC Vive: Room-scale VR is an experience like no other, and nothing does it better than the HTC Vive

The best room-scale VR experience available; HTC is investing in the Vive ecosystem; Can be used either seated or standing

Most expensive headset on the market, Still aren't quite enough killer apps out there, So; Many; Cables

It asks more of you than Oculus does, but Vive also rewards you with an even more immersive, transformative VR experience

Room-scale is the best kind of VR; Motion controllers make you feel even more immersed; Steam support means it's easier to get games

Heavier; less secure on your bonce than Oculus Rift; Fiddly firmware and a mess of cables; Currently lacking fully formed games

Is the room-scale HTC Vive worth the £599 price tag? We've spent some time with the HTC Vive, and here's what we thought.

Having said all that, there is nothing else out there like the HTC Vive. While PlayStation VR plays in a similar space with its hand-tracking facilities, and Oculus Touch has the potential to make Oculus Rift as intuitive as the Vive when it finally launches, I confidently predict neither of them...

The HTC Vive is the sci-fi, virtual reality future we've all been waiting for, but if developers and content creators don't embrace it, all the technological innovation in the world won't save it from the scrapheap.

Incredibly immersive

Expensive; Requires a lot of space; Cabling can be awkward; Lack of stand-out games and apps

There's an ethereal, intangible effect that VR has on you, one which lingers long after the headset is off and you're back to your real life responsibilities. The technology still has a ways to go before it's user-friendly enough for the average gamer to set up, and it definitely needs to add some...

HTC Vive provides the VR experience I've been dying to have at home. If you feel like splurging, have the space for Room Scale and are invested enough to drill holes into your walls, by all means, it's a truly immersive experience that you can't miss.

Incredibly immersive; Room Scale VR; Comfortable headset; Superb tracking; Front facing camera

Very expensive; Need lots of room for Room Scale; Set-up may involve holes in walls; Slight stuttering; Games aren't polished

How do you even begin to encapsulate the polarity of feelings the HTC Vive can inspire in an overall verdict? The HTC Vive is the bastion of high-end virtual reality in 2016, but its cost of entry isn't just a monetary value (despite that being the largest factor).

Truly stepping into VR for the first time; Intuitive motion controllers; Simplicity of Chaperone system

Very expensive for general consumer; Base Station fitting is a nightmare; Mediocre library at launch

We'll start with the good, and when it's working, it's an excellent and immersive experience. The headset is not heavy, the cables do not really get in your way and once the tracking units are set up, you can forget about them.