It's a huge improvement over what HTC launched with two years ago, which involved using three separate velcro straps to secure the Vive to your head. That was functional but incredibly clunky. And coupled with the additional weight of the original headset, tough to wear comfortably for extended periods. The Vive Pro, on the other hand, balances the weight of the headset well, similar to Sony's PlayStation VR.

Its built-in headphones are also hard to miss. They have a generous amount of padding and can be adjusted easily. While they may make the headset look a bit overstuffed, they're far more convenient than the earbuds on the Vive, which was just another wire to deal with. And they're certainly better than trying to juggle larger headphones with an already oversize VR headset. Audio purists might disagree (we get it, you really like your Grados), but a built-in design makes more sense for VR. Both the Oculus Rift and Samsung's HMD Odyssey make it clear that's a far better option for maintaining immersion and presence, which should be the primary goal for every headset.

The Vive Pro also has significantly more plush cushioning around its entire faceplate, and even more at the back of the head strap. It made a huge difference after several hours of testing -- my forehead was still a bit sweaty, but I wasn't left with any lasting pain around my face. It also feels easier to clean than before, and as always, you can replace it when it wears out. The Vive, meanwhile, just had some basic foam face protection, which was harder to maintain and tougher to wear. It might seem like a trivial difference, but it's important given just how much skin contact VR headsets make. Aside from headphones, that's not something we worry about with most gadgets.

I haven't even gotten to the biggest technical upgrade yet: the higher-resolution screens. The Vive Pro's OLED displays run at 1,440 by 1,600 pixels per eye -- that's a 78 percent higher resolution the original Vive. It keeps the same 110-degree field of view, though. That's standard for high-end VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and Samsung HMD Odyssey, but it would have been nice to see HTC push things forward a bit. The huge Star VR headset boasts a 210-degree FOV, for example.

Because the Vive Pro is being sold as a standalone headset, you'll have to buy two of HTC's Lighthouse sensors and VR controllers separately. HTC is offering all of those accessories together in a $299 bundle (which is $231 less than buying them all individually), but that's still a significant expense on top of the Vive Pro's $799 price tag.

If you've already got that equipment, then setting up the Vive Pro is as simple as connecting its breakout box to your computer's USB 3.0 and DisplayPort connections, and then plugging in in the headset itself. If you're doing it for the first time, though, you'll have to find space at two opposing corners of your room to mount the Lighthouse sensors.

I was able to make do with placing them on my bookshelves, but if don't have something like that around, you might have to mount the sensors on your walls. It's also a shame that HTC's SteamVR 2.0 sensors won't be available until the end of the year because those will be able to track your movement in much larger spaces. But I suppose that won't be very useful until we see the Vive's wireless adapter, which is coming this summer.