Virtual Reality is currently in something of a boom period. For the first time in the history of computers, Virtual Reality has arrived not as potential, or a very expensive yet underperforming accessory, but as a major piece of equipment available to everyone.
The nature of Virtual Reality is such that there are hundreds of different Head Mounted Devices (HMDs) on the market to buy, from as little as £2 going up into the thousands. Because of the sheer number of headsets, it can doubtless be confusing to decide which headset is right for you.
It is with this in mind that we introduce the VRS Ultimate Guide to Virtual Reality Headset to cut through the marketing and sales pitches, and give you simply the facts about all the ways to currently experience Virtual Reality.
What's your price range?
Name | Est. Cost | Display type | Resolution | FOV | Audio |
Refresh Rate |
Latency | Optics | Inputs | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pico G2 4K
View full review
|
$ | LCD | 3840x2160 total | Unknown | Onboard Speakers with Headphone Jack | 75Hz | Unknown | Adjustable IPD | MicroSD, USB C | Standalone HMD |
Oculus Quest
View full review
|
$ | OLED | 1440 x 1600 per eye | Unknown | Onboard speakers with headphone jacks | 72Hz | Unknown | Adjustable IPD | USB C, Bluetooth, WiFi | Standalone HMD |
Vuzix iWear
Vuzix View full review |
$230 | LCD | 1280x720x2 | 55° | Noise Isolating headphones | Unknown | Unknown | Floating Display Design | HDMI, USB | Video HMD |
Royole Moon
View full review
|
$850 | 2x AMOLED | 1920x1080x2 | Unknown | Professional-grade Noise Cancelling Headphones | 60Hz | 0.01ms | Adjustable IPD and Focus | HDMI, USB, WiFi | 3D Video HMD |
Merge VR Goggles
MergeVR View full review |
$60 | 96 Degrees | IPD Adjustable 42mm Lenses | Left and Right Buttons | Smartphone HMD | |||||
Homido Grab
Homido View full review |
$40 | 100º | 37mm Biconvex lenses | Phone Dependent, has external button | Smartphone HMD | |||||
Sony Playstation VR
Sony View full review |
$399 | OLED | 960x1080x2 | 110º | 360 Audio via included headphones | 120Hz or 90Hz | <18 ms (Estimated) | Fixed Lenses, Compatible with Glasses Users | PS4 Controller, Playstation Move Wands | Tethered platform-specific HMD |
VRIZZMO Rebel
VRIZZMO View full review |
$60 | 120º | Adjustability Unknown | Smartphone HMD | ||||||
Homido Mini
Homido View full review |
$15 | 100º | Not Adjustable | Smartphone HMD | ||||||
DreamZ VR
DreamZ View full review |
$59.00 | 120º | IPD Adjustable | Smartphone HMD | ||||||
Fibrum Pro
Fibrum View full review |
$79 | 110º | No Adjustment, 30 mm Lenses | Smartphone HMD | ||||||
BoboVR Z3
BoboVR View full review |
$22 | 80-95º | IPD and Focal Length | Smartphone HMD | ||||||
Durovis Dive 5
Durovis View full review |
$30 | ~90º | Focal Length and IPD | Smartphone HMD |
In Development Headsets
Virtual Reality as a concept has been around for decades but the new wave of head mounted displays that have come in the wake of the Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard amount to essentially a reboot, a year zero scenario. As such, there are just as many pieces of equipment that are in-development, conceptualised or otherwise unavailable.
In order to provide the ultimate guide to head mounted displays, our primary focus has been on hardware you can buy right now, however there are quite a few interesting, unique or just plain odd pieces of VR kit in development, which we have covered in the following table.
What's your price range?
Name | Est. Cost | Display type | Resolution | FOV | Audio |
Refresh Rate |
Latency | Optics | Inputs | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HTC Vive Cosmos XR
View full review
|
$700 | LCD | 1440 x 700 | 110-degrees | 3D | 90Hz | Unknown | Adjustable IPD | USB 3.0, DisplayPort, In-house faceplate connector | Tethered XR HMD |
HP Reverb G2
View full review
|
$600 | LCD | 2160 x 2160 per eye | 114-degree (diagonal) | Onboard speakers | 90Hz | Unknown | Adjustable IPD | USB-C, DisplayPort | Tethered HMD |
Hololens 2
View full review
|
$3500 | See-through waveguide | 2048 x 1080 per eye | 52-degrees diagonally | Onboard spatial sound | Unknown | Unknown | See-through waveguide | WiFi, USB - C and Bluetooth | Projection Extended Reality HMD |
MindMaze Elvira
View full review
|
$ | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Mixed reality HMD with neurological sensors |
Magic Leap
Magic Leap View full review |
$2295 | Pass-through Projection | 1.3 million pixels per eye | 50 degrees | Onboard speakers and headphone jack | TBA | TBA | Pass-through Projection lenses | USB C, Bluetooth and WiFi | Standalone Mixed reality/holographic HMD |
Meta 2 (Developer Kit)
Meta View full review |
$1495 | AR Projection | 2432x1366x2 | 90° | Four Surround Speakers | 60Hz | Unknown | AR Projection Visor | Video and Data Cable | Tethered AR/MR HMD |
StarVR One
Starbreeze Studios/Acer View full review |
$3200 | AMOLED | 1830x1464 per eye | 210-degrees hor. 130-degrees vert. | Onboard speakers and headphone jack | 90Hz low persistence | Unknown | IPD adjustment via software | 2x Displayport, 2x USB 2 | Tethered VR HMD |
PinchVR
PinchVR View full review |
$0 | TBA | Yes - Phone Dependent | TBA | TBA | Smartphone HMD |
- = Phone Dependant
- = Tablet Dependant