Virtual reality technology is becoming increasingly popular and advanced. If you’re thinking of buying a VR headset to enjoy it, don’t miss our ranking of the best VR headsets this year!
Maybe you were familiar with its previous name, the Oculus Quest… They renamed Quest 2, and it is, without a doubt, the best VR headset you can buy today. Like the original model, it works on its own, although this time it packs its features into a smaller form factor.
What stands out most is the screen, with nearly 2K resolution in each eye. It’s the most detail-rich panel of any other headset on this list and at an incredible price. It also has the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform, which improves performance.
If all that wasn’t enough, thanks to Oculus Link, you can link the Quest 2 with your PC to enjoy PC-exclusive VR titles like Half-Life: Alyx. If you want a VR headset, these are ideal.
The HTC Vive Cosmos may not be the cheapest VR headset in the world, but it’s one of the best VR headsets currently available thanks to its unparalleled resolution.
It’s a modular headset, which means you can attach it to the one you already have at home, which can be a good way to save money in the long run. The Vive Cosmos has six cameras, although they aren’t perfect.
For a little more, you can get the Cosmos Elite, which does have SteamVR 1:1 tracking, although it’s probably not the helmet to go for first-time HTC users. That’s what the standard Vive Cosmos is for.
The HTC Vive Pro 2 may look like the perfect VR headset on paper, with the highest resolution of any headset alongside a 120° field of view and 120Hz refresh rate, but the execution isn’t that impressive.
The pixel-rich display does a very good job of bringing new life to VR games with much more detail, and it also eliminates the screen-door effect, making it an impressive panel.
The problem is the rectangular field of view, offering a 120° field of view only horizontally. It makes the experience a bit claustrophobic. Moreover, it is an extremely expensive device, and we only recommend it to true fans.
While not quite on par with the HTC Vive Pro 2’s 5K display, the HP Reverb G2’s 4K display will still be a big step up from first-generation VR headsets, offering better visuals and a 114° field of view.
But it’s not all perfect, as it doesn’t work well with AMD PCs and the Windows Mixed Reality platform it uses is far from the quality of others such as those used by SteamVR and Oculus.
If you want high resolution, then this Reverb G2 is a great option, but we wouldn’t go for this headset if you have an AMD PC.
The PlayStation VR viewer is the only one designed for a gaming console. Xbox One gamers can use the Oculus Rift, but it is not VR-ready.
Instead, Sony’s device, which hit shops in October 2016, has a 5.7-inch OLED display that will give PlayStation gamers a good experience without nausea and motion sickness when wearing the glasses.
It has a low latency of 18 microseconds and a refresh rate of 120Hz, slightly higher than that offered by the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets. That means 120Hz gaming is possible, although we doubt the Play will be compatible.
Sony seems to think so too, and will soon start offering a separate device smaller than the console that can support such a high graphics procedure. It will be able to track the position of your head and improve on current controllers. We can’t wait to try playing games with it!
One of the big decisions to make when buying a virtual reality headset is to choose the type of headset you want to use. Currently, there are three main types of headsets depending on the device you are using.
This type of headset is more like a VR headset case in which you place your compatible smartphone. Your mobile phone will act as a screen on which these images of the simulated environment will be projected.
It is often considered a device for beginners. There is a wide range of inexpensive viewers available that will give you a good experience with 360-degree videos and even video games, although you won’t be able to interact much with the environment.
You can now choose between Samsung’s virtual reality platform, called Gear VR, or the one used by Google, called Daydream. These viewers only work with certain smartphones, but if you have a compatible one, you will enjoy a better experience.
Both platforms have their app shops where you will find all kinds of virtual reality games and experiences. These headsets also come with a controller to interact with the apps you download.
Unlike the previous model, these headsets include their screen and sensors, but they still need to be connected to another device, usually a computer.
This is the best range of headsets on the market, offering an excellent experience with high-resolution games and other virtual reality applications. You’ll get total immersion thanks to their incredibly accurate location tracking.
However, all of this means that these headsets are also the most expensive of the lot, with prices not going below $400. They are also compatible with powerful computers, which are typically priced at less than $600.
Finally, the newest augmented reality headsets are those that include all the components: housing, screen, sensors, and processor. The most popular is the Oculus Go.
The VR experience you get is similar to premium mobile VR headsets such as Gear VR or DayDream, and also includes a special controller to interact with the simulated environments.
Although it may seem secondary to some, thinking about whether you want a wired or wireless viewer is very important. This will of course depend on the type of VR headset you choose.
The highest quality headsets are the ones that work connected to a console or computer via a cable. You may not see this as a hassle at first, but they are a bit restrictive to enjoying virtual worlds.
Most VR headset users eventually get used to the wires, but if you don’t think you can, you may need to consider a mobile headset or a standalone headset, which works wirelessly.
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