The Best VR Headset for Your Budget

Last week, Apple announced its plans to launch a wireless headset that includes both VR and AR technology. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until at least 2020 to get your hands on one. In the meantime, here are our top 5 VR headsets for a range of budgets and platforms.

Tethered Versus Mobile Headsets

VR headsets come in two flavors—tethered and mobile. As you can see below, tethered headsets cost significantly more than mobile headsets, but they also offer a much more advanced VR experience. Both types of headset require additional handheld controllers to interact with the virtual environment.

Mobile headsets are designed to literally place your phone inside a box that you strap over your eyes. The lenses create separate images, one for each eye, giving you a sense of 3D space. Tethered headsets need to be connected to a separate computer. What you lose in flexibility, you gain in video quality, processing speed, and range of games with tethered tech.

HTC Vive Pro ($799)

There’s a reason the Vive series of tethered headsets is the most expensive on the market. The original Vive and the new Pro model have better specs than any of their competitors, but that may not be a big selling point to entry-level consumers, especially since you’ll also need a top-of-the-line PC to pair with the Vive Pro.

One thing the Vive series does better than anyone else is room tracking. Their Lighthouse technology lets you move around with the headset on—a plus for a more immersive gaming experience—although you will still be connected by a cable to your computer. There are a decent number of titles that will work with the Vive Pro. In addition, HTC offers a subscription service called Viveport that includes giveaways, exclusive bonuses, and the ability to try out different games.

Oculus Rift ($399)

If you’re at all interested in VR, then chances are good you’ve already heard of the Oculus Rift. The biggest name in virtual reality also comes with the best, easiest to use controllers and the largest catalogue of games. The recent price drop also makes it more affordable, but like the Vive Pro, you’ll still need a powerful PC.

The technology, originally funded by a Kickstarter campaign and then acquired by Facebook for around $2 billion, has improved since the earliest model of the Oculus Rift, but some users report issues with the built-in headphones and cite the precise positioning required for the headset to be frustrating. Still, it’s our choice for a mid-range PC headset.

Sony PlayStation VR ($299)

What if you don’t have a high-powered gaming PC but still want to dive into virtual reality? The Sony PlayStation VR headset is here for you. A hundred dollars cheaper than the Oculus Rift, the PSVR only requires—you guessed it—a PS4 to work. That’s a much smaller total investment if you’re just getting started.

Plenty of people found the PSVR’s balance of quality and affordability to be right on the mark. Sony has sold more than 2 million of the headsets, outstripping the competition. It might not be the best possible VR experience, but this headset is a fun and novel way to interact with your PlayStation.

Samsung Gear VR ($130)

Let’s leave the realm of tethered headsets behind and check out the Samsung Gear VR. At less than half the price of the Sony PlayStation VR, Samsung’s mobile headset works with a range of Galaxy smartphones. If you’re looking to upgrade soon, Samsung frequently bundles the Gear VR with their newest phones.

The mobile headset supports 360-degree video as well as a variety of apps and games. It is packaged with a Bluetooth controller to allow you to navigate the virtual world. Given that Oculus helped build the software, it’s no surprise that the Gear VR offers the best mobile virtual reality headset on the market today.

Google Daydream View ($99)

When Google announced the “Cardboard” VR headset in 2014, people couldn’t tell if it was a real product or a joke. The newest model of their Daydream View headset is streamlined, surprisingly comfortable, and a bargain at $100.

The biggest advantage of this headset is that it will work with most smartphones, not just Google’s own Pixel. Keep in mind, however, that your experience will be limited by how well your phone can keep up. The new Daydream View has a full 100-degree field of view (an improvement over the previous model’s 90 degrees) and a simple 2-button controller.