HTC Vive SteamVR Controller (2018)

Works great. No problems with the used unit.

The first set of controllers that were included with the Vive Pro went bad after about 3 weeks. They started by drifting then completely cutting out at the worst possible times. I measured, adjusted, upgraded and fixed everything...including the 200 Windows required reboots.Then I stumbled on a site indicating how to disassemble the controllers. The issue was the connector inside the controller. I fixed the first one and completely jacked up the second controller, bumping a ribbon cable that has no chance of returning to the right spot so it won't power on now. $200 down the toilet.So, I bought 2 of these for the $400 price tag. That was 6 days ago. No bumps, hits, accidental damage, just Expert and Expert + play going fast for long hours (and soreness)...and today they are drifting. I stand still and the start flying away. Recalibrated, fixed, rebooted 22.5 times, upgraded (tried, no upgrade availabe) and no fix. At this point, I'm looking at paying $400 every 3 weeks to use the the Vive...love Beat Saber (my new daily obsession), loved Alyx, Pistol Whip...and don't want to go back to the Oculus.Unless you're sponsored or made of money, stay away...invest in oil futures and lose money the smart way.

One of my original HTC Vive controllers stopped working (the thumb tracker) after hundreds of hours of play and years of use. I bought this as a replacement and it works great! Now I have one original/old controller and this new one. The new one works so well, it’s a noticeable difference. It was easy to set up and I haven’t had an issue in the few months I’ve been using it.

My last controller seems to have died from "right trackpad disease" where it gets stuck and is unresponsive, ultimately getting to the point where it won't even sync to my computer anymore, however I bought this controller refurbished and it feels like using a brand new one, its been through quite a bit of use already and has not suffered the same fate as my original.

Unless if you want a controller that has no joysticks. Then I can't recommend this controller. I wish I had gotten the steam controllers instead. The ergonomics of this controller make trying to play games like beat saber annoying. The lack of joy sticks always interfers in precision selection in games that require wheels or parkour. The controllers are also extremely big. And I like having to replace AA batteries on controllers because you can get rechargeable AA batteries and swap them instantly instead of having to wait for them to charge.

Great controllers if you're only considering HTC, but these are the same exact controllers as the OG Vive wands - Just a different color, and compatible with 2.0 base stations. My recommendation is to get the Valve Index controllers if you're wanting an experience way above this level for the same price. They're compatible with the Vive/Vive Pro and 1.0/2.0 base stations, as well.

Personally I like the Wand design over the current "occulus-like" standard so I don't have any complaints there. It's good to see that HTC still makes these lovely abominations.However, as I bought this to replace a 2016 model wand (black), I can't help but feel like the battery life is significantly shorter than its predecesor. For example, I charged both controllers and after a day of use, the original 2016 model is sitting at a confortable 56% battery, while the 2018 model is already at 15%.I suppose its those Lighthouse 2.0 compliant receptors but frankly I have no idea. Still, the controller is perfectly usable, just remember to charge it after every session if you play for more than 3 hours daily.

I bought this as a replacement for controllers that stopped tracking. They work great out of the box, but I should note that this is the third time I've had to buy new controllers for the vive. They aren't built to last and slowly degrade until they stop working completely after about a year.