The Best VR Headsets
Before there was only reality, but apparently that wasn't good enough for some humans and what was a thing of the future is now a reality, or virtual reality as you might say. We've hand picked the top 7 VR head sets you can buy for any budget, from looking like a maniac with your phone strapped to your face, to, well, still looking like a maniac with a slightly more stylish box on your face.
VIOTEK Spectre
For a budget phone-based VR headset, the VIOTEK Spectre delivers. Utilizing Side by Side 3D technology, the VIOTEK Spectre allows a crisp and clear image of your phones display. Weighing only 0.4 lbs, it's incredibly light which will mean the headset stays comfortable for long periods.
The VIOTEK Spectre fits any iPhone or Android device with a 4.5-inch - 6.0-inch display, meaning a vast array of phones are compatible. Simply download a VR app or game and away you go. It also folds up and comes with a hard shell carry case so you can take it anywhere! All of this makes the VIOTEK Spectre on of the best VR headsets you can buy for the price.
Price: $11.99
Pasionite VR Headset
The Pansonite VR Headset is another budget-friendly headset with slightly more features than the VIOTEK Spectre. It's compatible with any iPhone or Android device with a screen size between 4.7 inches and 6.0 inches and offers a "full-on" visual-experience.
Featuring HD resin aspherical lenses along with focal adjustments, you can achieve the perfect viewing point in great clarity even when wearing glasses. Unlike cheaper budget VR headsets, the Pansonite VR Headset comes with built-in speakers and boasts a huge 120-degree viewing angle - now that's impressive for the price point! It also comes with a Bluetooth controller!
Price: $35.99
Oculus Go Standalone
The Oculus Go is the perfect VR headset for people who want something a little more than a phone-based VR headset, but don't want to fork out on additional hardware such as a PlayStation 4 or PC to run it from.
This standalone unit runs by itself, without any additional hardware and is available in 2 variants - 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. The Oculus Go also boasts a 5.5 inch LCD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 (1280 x 1440 pixels per eye) which gives a crisp, clear and color-rich display.
Like the Oculus Rift S, the Oculus Go features built in speakers meaning this VR headset requires no wires at all! That's right, it's completely wireless! In addition to this, being an Oculus product there's a wealth of content available, including VR designed apps such as Netflix and Youtube. Due to all of it's features, the Oculus Rift S is probably one of the best VR headsets for a standalone device.
Price: $149-$199
PlayStation VR
Designed specifically to work the the PlaySation 4, the PSVR offers a great-mid range experience to virtual reality and is very well supported. This means there's a wealth of games, videos and apps at it's disposal so you'll never run out of virtual entertainment.
The quality of the VR display very good for the price point, it's certainly not the best out there but the OLED 1920 x 1080 display delivers punchy color and great detail. It's easy to set up, easy to configure and runs via your PS4, so no additional hardware (apart from the PS4) is required. You don't even need the move controllers to enjoy the PSVR as the standard DualShock4 controller works brilliantly.
Dependant on time, you can pick up the PSVR as a bundle, with cracking deals on Black Friday, the Boxing Day sales and Easter. This Black Friday grab the PSVR along with 2 Move Controllers, Blood & Truth and Everybody's Golf VR for only $249.99.
Price: $249
Oculus Rift S
With hundreds of games and exclusives in the Oculus store there's so much to do at a very competitive price point. The Oculus Rift S features improved optics over the older Oculus models, while still keeping a very fair price point. With a display resolution of 2560 x 1440, you get massive detail for a mid range VR, though it's not as good as the HTC Vive PRO (but that's a lot more $)!
There's a pair of integrated speakers that are integrated into the headband that produce decent sound quality, although not game-changing. The controllers for the Oculus Rift S have also been slightly tweaked compared to the older model, but again, this is nothing game-changing but makes them slightly easier to use than previous generations.
Again, one downside to this VR headset is the computing power needed to run it. Oculus recommends your PC should have these specifications: GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480 equivalent or better, CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 or AMD FX 4350 equivalent or better, RAM: 8GB or more, Output: DisplayPort 1.2 or newer, USB: 1x USB 3.0 or newer.
Price: $349
Pimax 5K XR OLED VR Headset
The Pimax 5K XR OLED VR Headset is just.. insane. Featuring a 200-degree field of view (that's around 90 degrees more than most other headsets) and a UHD display, this headset certainly deserves a spot on the What The Shock?! Best VR Headsets.
If the massive field of view wasn't enough, the UHD display smashes the competition with a 5120 x 1440 resolution, meaning less pixel than ever, while the OLED delivers deeper blacks making movies and games an absolute joy to watch and play.
Compatible with 95% of games available on Steam and Oculus Home, you'll never run out of things to play on this VR headset. Like other PC based headsets you'll need a semi-decent computer to run it, with Pimax recommending the following specs: GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1070 equivalent or better; CPU: Intel i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 equivalent or better, RAM: 8GB or more; Video Output: DP (Displayport) 1.4, USB Ports: 1xUSB 2.0/3.0; OS: Windows 8 or Windows 10.
1 downside is you'll also need a SteamVR Lighthouse tracking device to use the Pimax 5k XR OLED VR headset, which is sold separately.
Price: $799
HTC Vive Pro System
Ah the higher end of the market, considerably pricier, considerably better. The HTC Vive Pro really performs and offers stunning visuals thanks to it's 2880 x 1600 615ppi display. This means you'll get quality that mid-range VR sets like the PSVR can't rival. You'll see more colors, more details with everything in sharper detail. Like the PSVR there is plenty of support for the HTC Vive Pro meaning endless hours of VR gaming.
Another great feature about the HTC Vive Pro is what HTC refer to as the Hi-Res Soundstage. These are essentially high-quality headphones built into the headset itself offering true-to-life sound thanks to a powerful amplifier and 3D spatial sound.
The only downside to the HTC Vive Pro (apart from the price) is the recommended specifications require to run it on PC. You'll need a PC with the following specs: GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480 equivalent or better, CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 equivalent or better, RAM: 4GB or more, Output: DisplayPort 1.2 or newer, USB: 1x USB 3.0 or newer, OS: Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.