Best VR Headsets 2024: visit a different world

I know from personal experience that the best VR headsets are a great way to jump right into the world of immersive gaming if you’re just starting to learn about VR technology. As of 2023, there are an amazing number of products on the market, so you’re sure to find one that works perfectly with your gaming setup and the space you have. I’d like to share my personal top picks with you to make your choice easier.

The best VR headset should be immersive, comfortable, and have a lot of games and apps to choose from. Value for money is also important, because even if you want to spend $1,000 on a VR headset, you should make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Today, there are a lot of great VR headsets that fit this description, which is good news.

A wide variety of headwear is vying for consumers’ attention, from low-cost smartphone purchases to pricey high-end systems. A lot of the technology they use to sell themselves feels spanking new to those who are not familiar with it, in addition to the fact that new brands and model names are appearing left and right.

Virtual reality has captured the attention of the gaming business, and because of the quick development of this technology, it won’t be long before any gamer may play their favorite title in VR. This has improved recently, becoming outstanding. They let you move freely, provide more immersive methods to discover new worlds, and give you a true feeling of the scope of your games. Below, we have mentioned best VR headsets

Best VR Headsets

Oculus Quest 2

The Quest 2 is slightly smaller and lighter than the original, weighing 17.7 ounces and measuring 4.0 x 7.5 x 5.6 inches (HWD) without the strap. The headset’s sleek plastic chassis is white, with the plastic and foam eye mask behind it in contrasting black. The front faceplate is almost bare, with four position-tracking cameras mounted along its edge.

The left side of the headset has a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the right side has a power button and an indicator LED. There is a volume rocker and two-hole microphones on the underside of the headset. The eye mask easily pulls out to allow you to adjust the position of the lenses or insert the included separator that slightly separates the headset from your face for comfortable use with glasses. But even with the divider, glasses can feel uncomfortable if you have extra large frames.

Sony PlayStation VR

If you want to get specific, PlayStation VR can handle 1080p games on its 920 x RGB x 1080 OLED display at either 90Hz (meaning the image refreshes 90 times per second) or 120Hz, depending on the VR -Game or application. And for those worried about latency, Sony says PlayStation VR’s response rate is fixed at around 18ms – which is about 0.002 seconds faster than the highest acceptable latency before you’d notice the lag in VR.

Those numbers are great, but they are matched by both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift. The only advantage Sony has that neither Oculus nor HTC can claim is that it is indeed a world-class games company. While the other two have tried to make connections with developers in recent years, Sony already has them.

Valve Index

The general look of the Valve Index will be familiar to you if you’ve seen a VR headset before. With a screen module placed in front of your eyes, it’s held in place with an overhead strap that connects to a rear strap that holds the device in place with an adjustment dial at the back of your head. Despite the headset’s relative bulk, Valve has done a good job of distributing the device’s weight for a comfortable fit for long gaming sessions.

Even if glasses remain wedged in this front seal, they can be accommodated without too much discomfort. However, what’s packed into the headset makes it special. Behind the glossy front glass are two LCD displays with a resolution of 1440 x 1600 per eye. While it’s no longer the sharpest display on the market, it’s still sharp enough to see fine details in VR worlds.

HTC Vive Pro 2

The HTC Vive Pro 2, HTC instead aims for high-end virtual reality capabilities that can only be achieved by connecting it to a well-equipped PC be able. And the numbers it’s targeting are very impressive. It offers a 5K resolution display (2.5k for each eye) and aims to maintain a silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

However, it is not only about the resolution of the screen, but also about the quality of the panels used. The headset features a fast-switching LCD with RGB sub-pixels and IPD-adjustable goggles that support a 120-degree field of view. That’s wide enough to capture action out of the corner of your eye, thanks to a double-stacked lens design.

HP Reverb G2

The design of the HP Reverb G2 is pretty standard for a virtual reality headset. Headphones are integrated and the headset can be adjusted while wearing via Velcro straps. The face mask, which rests on your face when wearing the headset, is light and comfortable, and does a good job of blocking out the light from the outside world (another immersion-breaking issue with some VR headsets).

This mask attaches magnetically to the headset, making it easy to swap out (in case you need a custom fit). This isn’t the most useful metric, as you have to use the headset with the cable attached, so you’ll never wear it without the cable connected. However, it feels lighter than many of its competitors, including the Vive Cosmos, although it also feels a little more plasticky and fragile.

HTC Vive Cosmos Elite

The Cosmos Elite builds on the original Cosmos, so many of the features are carried over from the first generation, including exceptionally high-quality graphics. With the Cosmos Elite, you can expect things like incredibly accurate outside-in base station tracking. While that means you’ll have to spend a little time setting up your base stations before jumping into the virtual world, the extra processing power is definitely noticeable.

The Vive Cosmos Elite promises a state-of-the-art experience, featuring convenient tech and modular features that take you to another level of control of your VR world. The Lighthouse tracking feature means you have access to a phenomenal 160 square meters of track, also with state-of-the-art motion tracking.

HTC Vive Pro

While HTC and other VR evangelists will likely turn their attention to the Pro’s increase in visual fidelity – a native resolution of 2880 x 1600 (615 dpi) versus 2160 x 1200 on the original Vive – the Vive Pro features a number of design changes as well as valuable as the Dual AMOLED display. First off, the HTC Vive Pro comes with built-in headphones that sit right on top of your ears. They’re height-adjustable and have volume controls, so you no longer have to remove the headset to adjust the volume between gaming sessions.

There’s also the new strap, which holds the headset tighter than the Velcro straps on the original HTC Vive. The strap prevents the headset from moving during particularly intense moments in games like DOOM VFR or Arizona Sunshine and protects against the notorious head strain that can occur after wearing the original HTC Vive for a long time.

Samsung HMD Odyssey

The Samsung HMD Odyssey is currently the best WMR headset yet. While it doesn’t quite measure up to the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in terms of pure graphics rendering, it comes very close with excellent build quality and performance. The headset also has a somewhat budget quality to it, which could be owing to its lightweight feel (it weighs 645g, or just under 1.5 pounds).

The screens bang with a resolution of 1,440 x 1,600 pixels per side and a refresh rate of between 90-60Hz. This is a higher resolution than most other Windows Mixed Reality headsets and puts it in the same league as the HTC Vive Pro, though it is less expensive. However, it’s the most expensive WMR headset at $499 (about £377, AU$635). But it’s the only one that includes built-in headphones with spatial audio.

Oculus Rift S

The Rift S swaps the first Rift’s dual OLED screens for a single LCD, upping the resolution to 2560 x 1440 for a sharper image. But it also reduces the refresh rate from 90Hz to 80Hz. This is intended to keep the price down and keep the minimum specs for the device the same as the Oculus Rift, allowing more people to get on board without having to upgrade their PC gear.

However, there is also a risk that those suffering from VR-induced motion sickness will be made worse, as the screens are not updating at a rate that your brain finds natural. The headset itself is a lot sleeker than before and it now has a 2560 x 1440 resolution display with a fast 80Hz refresh rate. And it’s rather light as well, which makes it ideal for long sessions of VR gaming, whether you’re sitting at your desk or enjoying VR in a larger space.