18/02/2018
We've seen a virtual reality explosion over the last few months, and now in there's an amazing variety of VR headsets to choose from, starting at PC and moving all the way down to mobile VR.
But which is the best VR headset out there? Well, for our money it's the Oculus Rift right now, as better games, Touch controllers and room-scale tracking have come together to make this the most polished high-end VR experience out there.
Big test: Vive, Oculus, PS VR and Windows Mixed Reality compared
But the competition is closer and ever. Vive is also excellent (and still offers the best room scale), while the Sony PlayStation VR sold over a million headsets by summer 2017 thanks to its significantly lower price and the ubiquity of PlayStations ready to run it.
So what are the best VR headsets – and which one should you head out and buy? We've put together the definitive selection of the most gob-smackingly awesome devices just waiting to be strapped to your face.
Best VR headsets for consoles and PC
This group is what most of the fuss has been about. The Oculus and HTC both work with a PC, while the PlayStation VR works with a PlayStation 4, so your choice of headset may come down to whatever machines you already have. If you're going for a PC headset, be sure you have good enough specs to run it.
1. Oculus Rift
https://www.wareable.com/media/images/2017/06/rift-1434103169-heux-full-width-inline-1497270336-ZBCH-column-width-inline.jpg
The Oculus Rift is the headset that started the current hysteria. Developed by Palmer Luckey, funded via Kickstarter and snapped up by Facebook for a cool $2 billion, the Rift plugs into your computer's DVI and USB ports and tracks your head movements to provide 3D imagery on its stereo screens.
Wareable verdict: Oculus Rift review
The consumer edition Rift uses a 2160 x 1200 resolution, working at 233 million pixels per second, with a 90Hz refresh rate. It's high-tech stuff, and matches the HTC Vive for refresh. However, given its access to the power of the latest PCs, it's pushing a lot more pixels than Sony's PS VR headset.
The Oculus Touch controllers arrived at the end of 2016 and have made a world of difference. Not just that, but when it comes to games Oculus has come on leaps and bounds. That's been largely helped by some developer cash injections from Facebook, giving us quality, polished titles like Lone Echo and Robo Recall. Room-scale support has been added too, though you'll need to purchase at least one additional sensor to get it to Vive-level tracking, and even then the Vive tracking experience is a little better.
Essential reading: Best Oculus Rift games
Simply put, the Oculus Rift platform is finally a finished product that excels at giving you the VR experience the company initially promised. The price is a lot lower now too, especially now that Oculus is including the Touch controllers with every headset from here on out. Oculus VR permanently dropped the price to $399 after a successful "Summer of Rift" event. Taking into account the games, the experience, the quality of the VR and price, the Rift has climbed up to the top spot of our list, kicking Vive off the top and becoming our new VR champion. But guess who's not far behind...
$399, oculus.com | Amazon
2. HTC Vive
https://www.wareable.com/media/images/2017/06/4f3c00adefcb11f4afcf8adeafb28702-1497270320-n3mJ-column-width-inline.jpg
The HTC Vive was made in collaboration with PC games giant Valve and works with Valve's mammoth gaming ecosystem, Steam. HTC packs in 70 sensors to offer 360-degree head-tracking as well as a 90Hz refresh rate – that's the stat that's key to keeping down latency, which is the technical term for the effect that causes motion sickness when it's too high. Thankfully that wasn't an issue in our review, which can't be said about every device.
Wareable verdict: HTC Vive review
While its library has got more impressive, it's missing some of the exclusives you'll find on the Rift. Still, there's a lot to explore, and plenty of titles we think are worth your money. The key to the HTC Vive's success is the Lighthouse room tracking, which enables you to move around with the headset on and still offers the best tracking of the headsets on this list.
It means mounting some sensors in your home, but the effect is next-level, and it all comes packaged in the box. Later this year these sensors are getting upgraded with a new curved design and support to add up to four at once (right now it's just two). Meanwhile, the Vive's new Tracker tech is able to bring any object into VR, and some developers have already found some creative uses for it.
Essential reading: Best HTC Vive games
The Vive can also now go wireless thanks to the Vive's own wireless module as well as the TPCast module, and eye tracking is on its way. There's also the Viveport subscription service, which gets you a whole bunch of VR content for a monthly fee of $6.99.
$599, vive.com | Amazon
3. Sony PlayStation VR
Best VR headsets 2017: HTC Vive, Oculus, PlayStation VR compared
PlayStation VR will be most people's introduction to 'good' VR. It's not perfect, but it's going after console gamers hard and, ultimately, it is still a truly awesome VR experience. There's nothing else in this category of quality but affordable VR, meaning PS VR is the benchmark for mainstream console VR.
Wareable verdict: PlayStation VR review
Plus, since launch there's been a steady stream of new titles, some from big franchises, with Resident Evil 7 being one of the most notable big entries of late (and a 2017 Wareable Tech Award winner), as are Doom VFR and Skyrim, along with plenty more.
Having sold more than 2 million headsets, Sony is at least winning the VR war on sales and we're expecting it to maintain that momentum through 2018 with both familiar franchises and new IPs on course for PS VR.
Essential reading: Best PlayStation VR games
With its low price and PS4 compatibility, it's no surprise that PlayStation VR has outsold both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift – even if, by its own admission, the tech isn't quite up to the standards of its competitors.
$449, playstation.com | Amazon
4. Samsung Odyssey/Windows Mixed Reality
Best VR headsets 2017: HTC Vive, Oculus, PlayStation VR compared
Microsoft's plans for virtual reality aren't what you're used to. Rather than go for a straight VR platform, Microsoft is investing heavily in a platform it refers to as mixed reality. And, since it's Microsoft, it's partnering with a bunch of third parties to make it happen, like Acer, Lenovo and HP.
Rated: Acer Mixed Reality headset review
Microsoft is still trying to create a more affordable version of high-end VR, and many of the headsets are built to run in two modes: one for PCs with dedicated graphics cards and one for PCs with integrated graphics. Many of these headsets start around $300, but at the top of the pile is the Samsung Odyssey. It has built-in spatial headphones from AKG, two 1400 X 1600 AMOLED displays, and a 110-degree field of view.
Hands-on: Samsung Odyssey review
In our hands-on time with the Odyssey, we felt it was the one Mixed Reality headset that's on the same level as Oculus Rift. It has a premium, comfortable feel that the other headsets, from the likes of Lenovo, Acer and HP don't have.
$499, samsung.com
