Ranking behind the Oculus headsets, the Vive Cosmos, the HTC Vive Cosmos Elite, and the PlayStation VR all got an 8 out of 10 for their excellent performances. BNEXT Universal VR Headset. Only certain smartphone makes and models are compatible with the Merge VR, so you will want to double-check that you have the correct device. The Oculus Rift S, the Valve Index, the Vive Cosmos Elite, the Vive Cosmos, and the Oculus Quest 2 all tied for the top score in our Visual Immersiveness metric. The entertaining and immersive feeling is what I will describe when flying the drones with FPV goggles. Press the power button (A) located on the underside of the PlayStation VR headset scope. Once the initial setup has been completed, it's exceptionally easy to use, only requiring you to don it in view of the sensors. The overall setup process for this headset is very quick and easy. It also gives you the option of using headphones or the integrated speakers and we never accidentally hit controls on either of these three headsets. Gravity Pull is no longer on the App Store, but the rest are still there AFAIK. HTC is planning to build on its early virtual reality successes by launching new virtual reality headsets in 2021 that will take VR to “the next level”. No details have been divulged yet on these upcoming virtual reality headsets. However, none of our judges ever found this to be enough to degrade the VR experience. Samsung Gear VR.  It is extremely easy to access the audio connector to plug in headphones when using the Cardboard, with it only being slightly more difficult with the Merge VR. This excellent headset earned some of the best scores we have seen to date in our image quality and interactiveness metrics. Alternatively don’t really exist on iOS — on Android you can plug in a mouse or mouse-equivalent, iOS doesn’t support that. Its minimalistic design provides a surprisingly good viewing experience. Some headsets can be a little tight getting on, especially if you wear glasses. It can be operated without any additional hardware and has integrated speakers. Double-tap the side of your headset again to return to VR. The SHINECON had a wide field of view and alright viewing quality, but we routinely struggled to get an image in focus with the way it holds the smartphone, which made it hard to read the text as there was plenty of distortion. We grouped our tests into five weighted testing metrics — Visual Immersiveness, Comfort, User Friendliness, Ease of Setup, and Interactiveness, as well as discussing the value of each headset when you compare their cost to their performance. Overall, we found very few things to complain about when it comes to the Oculus Quest 2. The official Cardboard SDK currently puts the configuration and exit buttons on the top corners, and the official v2 Cardboard design has a button that touches somewhat above the screen center. Doesn’t have screen touch buttons; ... BNext VR Headsets. To determine scores when it came to visual immersiveness, we looked at the overall viewing quality, field of view, image sharpness, as well as how well each headset blocked out ambient light. This is all very useful info. Get the best VR headset, and take your gaming experience to the next level. Rounding out the back of the group, the Bnext VR performed relatively poorly, earning a 2 out of 10 for its results, respectively. The PlayStation VR received an 8 out of 10 for the high-quality visual experience they provided. This headset had a harder time with faster movements in our experience. The HTC Vive Cosmos and the HTC Vive Cosmos Elite both have integrated headphones, making setup much easier than the others when you want to play. This takes the phone out of VR mode and shows the settings menu which leaves me with no choice but to take the phone out of the headset to be able to close the menu and get back to VR mode. The Oculus Rift S utilizes an inside-out tracking system, so there is no need for any external sensors. The Valve Index offers 6-DOF (Degrees of Freedom), and its stock sensor configuration can easily cover an area larger than you can reach with the tether. When SteamVR signals everything is green and ready to go, you can … The next time you plan to shop VR headsets for your drones, be sure to check them out and bookmark this guide since I update the content frequently with fresh information. All in all, this was a much more intensive setup process than the others and would probably be quite a struggle for users who aren't the most tech-savvy. Speaking of design, BNEXT has a simple appearance that might not attract eyeballs right away but it looks just fine. There are a few concessions with the Oculus Rift S though they'll likely be overlooked by the vast majority of users. The PlayStation VR has a reduced resolution of 960x1080 per eye, but we still found it reasonably easy to read the in-game text. If you are searching for a top-tier headset that doesn't need to be tethered to a PC, then we highly recommend the Oculus Quest 2. After considering over 50 of the best VR headsets on the market, we bought the 10 most compelling models of 2021 for extensive side-by-side testing. Technology has given us exciting tools and revolutionary new advances in home enjoyment, but nothing rivals playing video games and watching movies in your very own VR world. I'm sorry, I'm new to VR so I might be missing something. The headset almost always followed our gaze perfectly and we never had any noticeable issues with it. Bummer. When you consider the cost of the powerful PC required to run these products, this price can easily double. We review four of the best virtual reality headsets for beginners looking to get into the world of immersive VR gaming from home. However, this only applies to its audio. Earning an impressive 9 out of 10 and tying for the highest score of the group, the Valve Index and the HTC Vive Cosmos Elite display phenomenal performance when it comes to creating an interactive experience. Virtual reality headset prices. The motion tracking accuracy for the hand controllers is pretty good, but Oculus Rift S seemed to lose their position more frequently for us than the Valve Index or Vive Cosmos Elite. Moving on to the remainder of the tethered headsets, the PlayStation VR is the easiest of the three to set up for the first time, earning a 7 out of 10. It has a single button that you can press to tap the touchscreen on your phone. If pushing the button is just going to take me into settings with no way of going back except for taking out the phone, what's the point? DecaGear VR Release Date. Material on GearLab is copyrighted. There isn't a strap to secure the Cardboard to your head, and with cardboard not being the most comfortable material to hold against your face, it can be quite tiring to hold it in place the entire time you are using it. Next, the Bnext, the SHINECON, and the Merge VR all earned a 5 out of 10 for their somewhat mediocre performance when it came to being visually immersive. BEST GAMING CONSOLE VR HEADSET. The VR content is highly interactive, and the inside-out tracking system of this headset eliminates the need for any external sensors, making for a much more convenient and user-friendly experience. This headset has a holder that slides out, which then clamps in. The PlayStation VR blocked the majority of the light but suffered from a slight light leak around the bridge of the nose, depending on the shape of your nose. It did a phenomenal job of tracking the position of the hand controllers and where we were looking while wearing the headset. After you put batteries in, the Oculus Rift S is pretty much ready to go right out of the box, but it did require a little bit of time to get the software up and running. This model prompts you through the setup process and offers a quick tutorial on how to use it. The sensors need to be mounted on the wall or on top of two tripods. Only working with a PS4 and a PlayStation Camera, this model does have limited compatibility, with the PS Move controllers being necessary for some games. This headset is a VR video viewer, and that's it. The Oculus Rift S, the Valve Index, and the Oculus Quest 2 all do a great job of blocking light from leaking in, either keeping the interior completely dark or, depending on the shape of your nose, letting in just a sliver of light. This headset has a holder that slides out, which then clamps in. There is no need to worry about buying additional hardware since they are also compatible with pretty much every modern smartphone. Of the top-tier headsets, it has one of the fastest and simplest setup processes and is comfortable enough to wear for marathon sessions, all while costing considerably less than some of the other premium products. It does this to prevent you from running into obstacles during play, but we overall struggled to get the HTC Vive Cosmos to cooperate. We found the Oculus Rift S to have more than enough padding to still be comfortable and not create pressure points during marathon VR sessions. Most people didn't get overly sweaty while wearing this headset, and it doesn't seem to get as warm as the original Rift. The Merge VR is a little more expensive but will strap into place, making it significantly more comfortable than the Google Cardboard that forces you to hold it in place. These headsets all have a fairly snug fit that can make it uncomfortable to wear glasses and can cause you to find your face fairly sweaty after extended periods of use. This button should indeed apply a touch on the screen, but as you said, it should be anywhere but at the middle bottom ><. It has one size that fits all from kids to adults and the elderly. We even turned off the ambient lighting and found that the controller's motions were still tracked without issue. Vive Proton The Oculus Quest 2 was the most user-friendly and easy-to-use headset that we have seen. 4. Isn't the rubber finger supposed to be located anywhere BUT that part? The HTC Vive Cosmos does have dual hand controllers and is only limited by the length of the tether, but we weren't very impressed with the accuracy of the motion tracking. Update: If your headset doesn’t come with a QR Code, and isn’t on this list, you can create your own with the Sites in VR app (free for iOS and for Android. If all the higher-end tethered and standalone headsets are far too expensive for your budget, then you should check out the Merge VR. You can reserve your slot or join the waitlist with just a little deposit of $10. The Google Cardboard is by far the least comfortable out of all the headsets to wear on your face but has plenty of room for glasses and more than enough ventilation to keep the lenses from fogging up. Let us know! The single-button interface also limits the amount of interaction with your virtual environment, making the Cardboard more of a VR viewer. Deca didn’t say when the DecaGear VR would ship, but the company expects to send the first batch in May 2021. The Quest 2 has an exceptional resolution of 1832x1920 pixels per eye — even higher than the Valve Index. Editor’s Rating: 4.1/5. Here at TechGearLab, we bought all of the VR systems in this review at retail prices — just like you would — and won't ever accept any free or sample products from manufacturers. However, these are much better than mobile models in terms of interactiveness and visual immersiveness. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. All trademarks property of their respective owners. It is a pain to use but makes it almost impossible to not accidentally hit buttons. Compatible with google cardboard apps that DON'T require a button (some of them), and many other VR apps & adventures that can be found on the Applications Stores. This headset is a simple cardboard frame for your smartphone and lenses. It is extremely easy to get all of the software for these mobile smartphone VR headsets set up, as you only have to download the correct app from wherever you typically get apps. After this BNext VR headset review you can make a decision if you are interested in experiencing the world differently, it is worth the money. If you have an additional pair of glasses, it isn't very comfortable to wear for long periods. This is a fairly minor flaw in our mind and we can't say enough how much we recommend this headset. The BNext VR Headset does not come with much, other than the VR Headset itself. The SHINECON is only a little more comfortable to wear than the Cardboard. The Valve Knuckles convey your movements extraordinarily well. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support, Finding the Right VR Headset to Escape Reality. In terms of hardware setup, the Google Cardboard, Bnext, SHINECON, and the Merge VR are essentially ready to go right out of the box. The lenses on the Bnext and Merge VR need to be adjusted, but that is about it. This headset is decently comfortable but not quite our favorite. The bulk of the mobile headsets came next, with the Google Cardboard, the VR SHINECON, and the Merge VR all earning a 2 out of 10 for their relatively subpar performance in this metric. So far I'm quite impressed. The PlayStation camera has some trouble tracking if it is too dark in the room. Tether connection can be a little finicky. Deca has announced that the headset will cost $449. The HTC Vive Cosmos came next, earning a 5 out of 10 for its average level of interactivity. I had an idea to use AirDroid through the Fulldive's browser, so you can control your phone, write SMS from inside VR glasses but I didn't try.