Are you new to the world of Virtual Reality gaming or a veteran gamer? Selecting the best virtual reality headset for you can be stressful as there are tons ou there.
With the virtual reality gaming world seeing a spike in growth with the release of new games, you’ll need one that fits perfectly into all your gaming needs.
Virtual Reality games are now for PC s, game consoles, and even smartphones. And each of these devices has its own different headset too. And with the advent of stand-alone VR headsets, the choice of a VR headset for you just got a little complicated.
Choosing the best virtual reality (VR) headset for you is all a matter of what type of VR experience you want to have and the device you would want to use the headset on.
The best VR headsets vary in their prices and specifications, from system VR headsets that require a PC (which are described as tethered headsets) to all-in-one standalone headsets.
What Are the Best VR Headsets in 2020?
Our top pick for the best VR headset has to be the Oculus Quest. Due to its ability to play a wide range of the best VR games without the need to tether it to a PC, console, or smartphone.
When you consider its hand tracking feature also, it provides one of the best ways to get a high-fidelity virtual reality experience.
If you’re looking for the top in VR experience and you have a high-end powerful PC to connect the VR headset to, the HTC Valve and Oculus Rift are to be considered. Just keep in mind that they need a bit of floor space to really give you the experience you are looking for.
If you have a gaming console like the PS 4, 4 Pro, or 5, then you might consider looking into the Play Station VR
If you’ve got a tight budget to work with, we recommend a smartphone-based VR headset like the Oculus Go as it does not really need a high tech phone to power it.
Whatever your need or budget, keep reading for our review of the best VR headsets your money can get you. (Note that the prices stated are subject to change by the manufacturers.)
The Best VR Headsets Review For 2020
Oculus Quest
This is our pick for the best VR headset
Pros: Standalone all-in-one VR headset, Large library of games, Able to cast content unto TVs and smartphones, Room-scale VR capable
Cons: A bit on the expensive side, Limit of advanced tools due to standalone ability
The Oculus Quest is a standalone VR headset which is a fancy way of saying that there’s no wire around or that it needs to be connected to anything and thanks to its integrated sensors and algorithms, you can walk around your play area without the fear of bumping into a wall.
The system has been rapidly increasing its range of games and with its casting ability, others can see what you play on the TV or a smartphone.
With its price at just over $400, the Oculus Quest comes with motion tracking, comfortable controllers that are still the best in the business, high-resolution display with games and apps being downloaded to the headset’s onboard storage, and finally an option to connect to a PC if you so desire.
Sony Play Station VR
The best VR headset for console gaming
Pros: Low price, Plenty of games, Works with PS4 controllers, Easy setup
Cons: Resolution can’t compare to other
This headset is the best VR headset when it comes to console gaming and it also has a very good library of games.
It offers exclusive games like Batman: Arkham VR, Iron Man VR, and Astro bot: Rescue Mission while also being able to play VR hits like Job Simulator and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR like other headsets.
The Play Station VR’s easy use, impressive publisher support, and intuitive Move Controllers make it a headset to be compared to. Once you have a Playstation 4, 4 Pro, or 5, you can start playing. It is a cheaper option to consider once you have any of the Playstation consoles.
With its price at a little over the $300 mark, it is a good option as most times it is on sale and comes with a few games. The headset also has a cinematic mode with which you can watch movies and TV when you are not playing games.
It also has a social screen so others who aren’t wearing a headset can still watch.
HTC Vive Cosmos
This is among the best VR headsets for PC use
Pros: Smooth graphics, Easy to use touch controllers that are highly adaptable, Large game repertoire, Built-in tracking, Flip-up Visor, Swappable faceplates for extra features.
Cons: Requires a lot of electrical outlets, More expensive than the original Vive or the Oculus Rift S
The Vive Cosmos is a follow-up to the 2016 HTC Vive. It has a better resolution than the original Vive, and with its swappable faceplates that add more cameras to give you external sensor tracking and mixed reality. It has self-contained tracking features just like the Oculus Rift S
With its price range crossing the $700 mark, the Vive Cosmos is quite expensive when compared to the Oculus Rift S which gives almost a similar experience.
The Vive Cosmos is a comprehensive package that gives a whole-room VR experience and its flexibility could be fascinating to creators.
For an extra $300 the TPCast add-on allows you to make the headset totally wireless and for even greater motion tracking, the Vive Cosmos Elite comes with external base stations to top up motion tracking abilities although this is more expensive reaching the $900 price range.
As a bonus, HTC has a Viveport subscription service, where fees start at $6.99 per month and allow you to select 5 games or apps from an administered list to use each month. It can also be used with Valve Index accessories.
Valve Index
Best PC VR controllers and tracking
Pros: Works with HTC Vive hardware, Expansion options for the future, Amazing controllers
Cons: Its weight is heavy, Expensive, Needs a room set up and cable for tethering, Does not come with charging cable.
Did you think the HTC Vive Cosmos was expensive? Well, it does not compare to the Valve Index which reaches the $1000 price range if you want to buy everything that is required for it to work (this is with exception to the computer).
Though with its expandable options, you could use HTC Vive base stations which reduce the price to the $750 range or making use of only the headset with other motion controllers and base stations, this should reduce the price further to the $500 range.
Its high price range is definitely worth it with all its accompanying features like; its customizable controllers which can be customized to your own hand shape.
The controllers are also pressure-sensitive with features to track all five fingers which makes them almost gloves and add an extra immersive potential to its games.
Its display is an LCD panel that offers a wide range of refresh rates that can suit any computers processing power and its resolution is just as sharp as any of its rivals. Although the headset suffers from technical problems sometimes and it is heavy to wear.
Oculus Rift S
The best headset for PC VR
Pros: Great game library, Includes good touch controllers, Built-in room tracking feature, Reasonable price, Crisp display.
Cons: PC requirement, Not a huge improvement over the Oculus Rift, Headset that isn’t really portable and not a flip-up like other ones.
The Oculus Rift is an advancement over the 2016 Oculus Rift that adds features like higher-resolution display with a speedy refresh rate and in-built room tracking and eliminates external cameras and sensors, making it easy to use and setup.
It comes with onboard headphones with integrated audio coming out of its headband. It still uses a cable tethered to the PC, but with only one cable in use, it is pretty compact.
The Oculus library of games and apps is extensive and it has an Oculus store for first time Rift users to browse for games. The Rift S comes with Oculus insight tracking that makes provision for room-scale tracking without the need for external sensors.
With its reasonable price range at $400, it becomes the best headset for PC VR and its touch controllers which make it easy to play any type of game be it climbing, swordplay, or creating art in virtual reality.
Oculus at one time offered a simpler all-in-one standalone VR headset in the Oculus Go which was less expensive at the $200 price range, but at the time of this writing, it has been discontinued.
Choosing the Best VR Headset for You
To choose the best VR headset, you would need to take into consideration two areas which are; your budget and the hardware you currently have. You will also need to consider how much space you would like to dedicate to your VR setup.
