Virtual reality is a new and exciting medium for all kinds of entertainment, whether you are a gamer or just want to do virtual tourism. But depending on your existing hardware options, the available gaming space, and your budget, the best VR headsets for you may be quite different from the best option for someone else.
There are high-end headsets that connect to a powerful gaming PC to deliver the most beautiful of virtual images. There are those with external trackers capable of handling large spaces, “room scale” experiences. Then there are those that are completely wireless and don’t need any connection, allowing you to track everything with just the headphones. For anyone just testing virtual reality waters, there are also headsets that can use their smartphone as a screen, helping to keep costs and barriers to entry as low as possible.
Whatever your wishes, needs and space or budget limits, there is an excellent earphone for you. Below, these are the best VR headsets in 2020.
The best general VR headsets
Oculus Quest
- Resolution: 1,600 x 1,440 per eye
- Tracking: From the inside out – 6DOF
- Drivers: Oculus Touch
Instead of boosting visual fidelity with its next-gen headsets, Oculus VR has focused on accessibility, and the boy took a big leap with Oculus Quest. Completely wireless, with inside-out tracking, great motion controllers, and its own built-in processing capabilities, it’s as independent as a VR headset can be.
You load it, you put it and ready. You don’t need a PC, smartphone, or any other device, and it still looks a bit better than first-generation VR headsets connected to the PC. A monumental leap in ease of use.
At $ 400, its price is premium, but far from extreme, and it has an extensive library of existing Oculus and SteamVR content to enjoy. It has a full six degrees of freedom (6DOF) movement, allowing you to enjoy the scale of the room as well as sitting and standing experiences, and its tracking solution is fantastic.
There are some difficulties with controller occlusion if you lean too close to something or move them just behind your back, but otherwise they remain in view no matter what you’re doing, allowing for an immersive virtual reality experience no matter what. what you do. You are exploring.
If you want an almost premium VR experience without any hassle, this is the headset for you.
The best high-end VR PC headsets
Valve index
- Resolution: 1,440 x 1,600 per eye
- Tracking: Valve Index Base Stations – 6DOF
- Drivers: Knuckle Valve Index Controllers
Gaming PCs will always power the high-end consumer virtual reality space, because they have the hardware to power it. Valve’s Index headphones, trackers and controllers represent the latest generation of world-class VR experience, with a high-resolution display (operating at up to 144Hz, up from 90Hz for first-generation headphones), one more field of view wider than most headphones and reduced visual crowns. In short, this is the best virtual reality experience available today, except for a few niche headsets that aren’t quite as compatible or designed.
It takes advantage of a second generation of Valve Lighthouse tracking sensors, allowing you to extend your gaming space to a scale of up to 100 square meters, and since they are external, controller occlusion is nearly impossible. It is the most accurate tracking solution of any VR headset today, and when paired with the fantastically versatile motion controllers, it offers one of the most immersive virtual reality VR experiences possible.
The only real drawbacks of the Valve Index are its price and it lacks any kind of wireless capabilities. The HTC Vive Cosmos Elite is an alternative worth considering if that last point is difficult for you as you can upgrade your basic settings to enjoy wireless tracking. However, it doesn’t have the same high refresh rate, even if its screens have slightly higher resolution.
The best cheap VR headsets
Oculus Go
- Resolution: 1,280 x 1,440 per eye
- Tracking: Gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity sensor – 3DOF
- Drivers: Oculus Go Remote
At $ 199, “cheap” is a relative term. The Oculus Go is not much different from its Quest counterpart, even if it is noticeably cheaper. It still enjoys excellent resolution per eye, has a comfortable design, and is pleasant to watch. It’s also completely wireless and self-contained, so there’s no need to worry about having a compatible device connected, or any additional expense beyond buying the apps and games you want to play on it.
However, it is more an entry level VR headset. It has no internal or external tracking, but relies on an internal gyroscope, accelerometer, and proximity sensor to track head tilt and rotation. That restricts it to three degrees of freedom (3DOF), so you can’t move left and right, closer or farther from an object in the VR world. However, you can look around, making this headset a great choice for those just starting out with virtual reality, or without the space for room-scale experiences.
It comes with a Bluetooth remote control, which only offers a few basic functions, but it’s enough to skip videos or provide multi-button input for gaming. You can also connect controllers from Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, if you want additional functionality.
At just under $ 200, the Oculus Go is much more affordable than most of its peers on this list, and with 64GB of space, it has plenty of storage space to store your favorite apps and games in its internal memory. It supports its own custom game library, as well as tons of existing Rift and Gear VR titles, making it a vibrant array of content from the first time you put the headset on.
The best VR headsets for smartphones
Merge VR
- Resolution: Depends on the smartphone
- Tracking: Gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer – 3DOF
- Drivers: None
There are a plethora of smartphone-ready VR headsets, from Samsung’s Gear VR with Oculus Backup to Google’s own Cardboard. But MergeVR has emerged As a versatile and affordable solution to the problem of installing a wide range of smartphones in comfortable earphones to give people an affordable taste of virtual reality on their phone.
Made of durable foam, the headset is a perfect solution for kids and young users who may not treat the most expensive headsets with the care they need, and has a vast library of educational and entertaining experiences ready to download and play.
By taking advantage of your phone’s built-in sensors, you can provide three degrees of freedom (3DOF), allowing you to rotate and tilt your head to change your view, but not your perspective. It has a decent field of view that’s an improvement over the Google Cardboard, and with a comfortable headband, you can wear it for long periods without undue fatigue. It even has room for eyeglass wearers to keep their prescription lenses while in use.
However, the main feature of this device is its ease of use. Virtual reality can be a cumbersome medium, but VR headsets for smartphones are some of the most accessible, and Merge VR is one of the most accessible. You will have to make some minor adjustments to the built-in lenses to adjust your own facial shape, but after that you will be up and running.
There are much better VR headsets with much more immersive experiences, but for those who want the easier entry point to virtual reality, this is one of the best, and it’s also very affordable.
Just make sure your smartphone is compatible before buying it. Most are, but some are not.
The best PlayStation VR headsets
PSVR
- Resolution: 1,080 x 1,200 per eye
- Tracking: PS4 Camera – 6DOF
- Drivers: Move Motion wands + various third party options
After four years and five million units sold, if you want virtual reality on your home console, the only real option is still the PSVR on the PlayStation 4. However, lack of choice doesn’t mean it’s bad. The PSVR headset features an eye-catching design that helps it stand out from the multitude of black and silver alternatives, and offers solid images considering the relative weakness of its hardware compared to its PC-tied competition.
All of the accessories that make this headset possible, the PS4 camera and Move Motion controllers have non-virtual reality features, so you’re more likely to have part of the kit before paying for the headset, which could save you some money. in the process. However, even if it doesn’t, the PSVR package is still more affordable than most alternatives, and even comes with one or two free games to get started.
Tracking isn’t as accurate or comprehensive as what Oculus, Valve, and HTC offer, restricting it to just 180 degrees of rotational motion when using motion controllers. But it is still a fun experience that caters more specifically to players. Thanks to the excellent support from the developers of Sony and PlayStation, the PSVR also has one of the best gaming libraries of any virtual reality platform, which means that there is something for almost everyone: from classics like No Man’s Sky and Skyrim, to the adorable Astro Bot Rescue Mission.
A great addition to any PS4 player’s arsenal, the PSVR is an affordable way to get some great-looking virtual reality experiences without picking up a ton of extra hardware to do it.
It will also work on the PS5. So if you plan on upgrading to the latest and best version from Sony, you can bring your VR headsets with you, and you will probably look better than ever when you do too.
