The 9 Best VR Headsets for a Totally Immersive Gaming Experience
Think all VR headsets are the same? There are actually three major categories of VR headsets on the market: Affordable options that'll attach to a smartphone, standalone VR headsets, and considerably pricier high-end devices that require a powerful gaming PC to deliver a highly immersive experience. Take a look below at all the best options available on the market today and find the best one for your needs and budget.
Oculus
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The Oculus Quest 2 brings quality VR to the masses. It's comfortable, senses movement, and comes with an excellent motion controller. It's the best way to experience virtual reality without investing in an expensive gaming PC or console. It comes bundled with two touch controllers, custom silicone caps, and in-ear headphones.
HTC
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The HTC Vive comes with two multifunction trackpads with haptic feedback and two base stations of motion tracking. The headset requires a room with ample space for an optimal experience.
There's plenty of great content to choose from for the HTC Vive, courtesy of Steam. The device is considered by many to be the best VR headset available today for its impressive specs.
HTC
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The HTC Vive Cosmos requires a powerful gaming PC to deliver the best results (be sure to test your computer's compatibility). Key features of this virtual reality headset include a high-resolution display with a 110* wide field of view, 90hz refresh rate, six tracking cameras, and ergonomic design.
The HTC Vive Cosmos comes with an adjustable interpupillary distance (IPD) dial and doesn't require base stations like other headsets. We suggest a room with ample space for an optimal experience.
Oculus
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The Oculus Rift features a high-res display, integrated headphones, two Touch controllers, and a pair of sensors to track your movement.
Like the HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift requires sufficient room, as well as a powerful gaming PC, in order to deliver the best user experience. Oculus has listed a number of compatible options in various price points on its website.
Oculus
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The Oculus Rift S gives you an upgrade with improved optics, a halo headband that is seriously comfortable, updated Oculus Touch controllers, and Oculus Insight Tracking so you can be free to move around without complicated sensors.
We found the Rift S to be much more comfortable and easier to set up than HTC's options. Plus, it has a wider content selection since it supports SteamVR — the same platform for downloading games on the HTC VIVE.
PlayStation
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The Sony PlayStation VR is one of the best options to experience quality virtual reality content the sub-$600 price range. Unlike the pricier HTC Vive Cosmos and Oculus Rift that require even more expensive gaming computers to work, all the PlayStation VR needs is one of the tech giant's PS4 or PS4 Pro gaming consoles.
Easy to set up and operate, the headset features a quality OLED display with a zippy refresh rate and low latency. There are plenty of games, experiences, and videos to soak in, too. Sony even includes two games and the PlayStation Camera with this exclusive bundle!
Oculus
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If you're an iPhone owner who wants to experience VR but aren't willing to purchase a gaming PC, PlayStation 4, or an Android phone, the Oculus Go is worth taking a look at. It's one of the few VR headsets that doesn't need additional hardware to power it. That's because it already has a built-in screen, battery, and hard drive of its own.
The headset is incredibly easy to setup, it has a wide selection of games and apps (the same selection as the Gear VR), and it is comfortable to wear. We think that its controller is better than the one that's included with the Gear VR, and Daydream View headsets, too!
Nintendo
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Nintendo put a little twist on the traditional VR — and mad it family-friendly! They call it 'immersion without isolation'. What does that mean? Well, the newest Labo kit has a pass-and-play multiplayer option and is more social than single-player headsets.
The Nintendo Labo: VR Kit comes with more games than any other Labo version, to date. Reviewers say it rivals Oculus Rift and call it "simply amazing" and say it has "hours of engagement and problem solving for kids".
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The Daydream View is a VR headset designed by Google that's much lighter, comfortable, and more affordable than the Samsung Gear VR headset. However, it has fewer apps and games to experience over Samsung and Oculus' mobile offerings. On the plus side, it's compatible with more smartphone models than the Gear VR headset.
Beautiful to look at and easier to wear for longer periods of time, the headset comes with a neat controller that makes all apps and games incredibly engaging. There are several eye-grabbing colors to choose from, including charcoal, fog, and coral.
The 9 Best VR Headsets for a Totally Immersive Gaming Experience
Think all VR headsets are the same? There are actually three major categories of VR headsets on the market: Affordable options that'll attach to a smartphone, standalone VR headsets, and considerably pricier high-end devices that require a powerful gaming PC to deliver a highly immersive experience. Take a look below at all the best options available on the market today and find the best one for your needs and budget.
Because virtual reality can be way more fun than RL.
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