Best VR Headsets in 2022

How We Chose Our Selection of VR Headsets

No, we don’t just pick whatever looks best or will play our - but not necessarily your - favorite games. Here’s what we consider when searching for the best virtual reality headset.

Reviews - We love reviews, they give us a chance to learn things about the product that we’d never otherwise know like things the manufacturer would never tell us. They are a heat source of identifying which is the very best VR set available. They’re written by real people, and they can tell us if the headset is comfortable, if there’s a wide and diverse range of games, and if they’re likely to walk you right into grandma’s favorite china vase.

Price - We know that virtual reality headsets aren’t cheap, but we believe we still found a considerable range of products from the really affordable to the yeah-not-so-affordable-right-now-but-maybe-later. We are very passionate about ensuring that everybody can have a chance to experience the products that we recommend, so providing a versatile list of possibilities will hopefully have something for every budget.

Features To Look For In VR Headsets

If you’re still on the fence about which VR headset is right for you, take a look at our ideas for the best features to think about before purchasing, which should make the final decision much easier.

Design - If you don’t think the design of your virtual reality goggles are important you might end up very disappointed and very uncomfortable when you get around to buying it. Developers try to ensure that the headset will fit naturally around your head so there won’t be any parts digging into your nose or temples, and it isn’t too heavy so that your head fatigues easily. They don’t always achieve this perfectly, but with cushioning and the right materials your VR headset is ready can be worn for hours if you feel like it without causing pain.

Controllers - A good controller is an excellent way of enhancing your VR experience like never before, especially if you want to use your headset for endless amounts of awesome games you can find available. Finding a headset with great controllers that allows for the maximum range of movement will make you feel like you’re actually in the game, and won’t struggle with any irritating lag or lack of responsiveness.

For the most authentic, realistic VR experience, you’ll need a high-end 6DoF (Degrees of Freedom) controllers, as opposed to the 3DoF controllers that you find with casual gaming, which offers three-dimensional motion meaning you can duck, dive, swing, push, pull, and more to enhance immersion like never before. You’ll find some headsets supply controllers of their own, but if not you can buy third-party controllers that will connect to your headset.

Games - There is a substantial range of VR games available for you to play that are both modified versions of older, popular games or brand new VR-enabled games that are only possible because of the advances in virtual reality and are incredibly immersive and enjoyable.

These games range from titles such as La Noire, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, and Beat Saber, and span a variety of genres including action, adventure, mystery, and horror, which transports you into situations that might not sound too creepy, but when it’s just you and the headset, you’ll feel a chill like never before.

Like your typical games consoles, some titles are available on certain platforms but not others, so if there’s a particular game that you want to try out, then make sure you can actually play it on your VR device. Unlike your typical consoles, though, the prices of these games won’t cost a couple of arms, a leg, and your firstborn to get your hands on.

You can find these games either on Steam or Playstation, as well as several product websites.

Compatibility - In the tech world, there are few things more demoralizing than getting super-excited about an awesome brand new product, game, or app only to find out that your device is not compatible, and instead of being one of those making memes about the gameplay, discussing it at length online and with friends, and - you know - actually getting to enjoy it, you’re just some guy who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with something he cannot have.

To save this spiral into self-pity and looking for the next best thing, it’s important that you ensure your device is compatible with VR technology. Luckily, there’s a lot of backward compatibility in the VR world, but if you’ve had the same PC for close to a decade now, you might encounter some issues, and it’s probably the sign you’ve been waiting for about an upgrade. There are also specific products, such as the Samsung headset, that will only work with Samsung products.

In order to get the very best experience from your VR headset, ensure to check out the specifications that allow for compatibility. Due to the graphics-intense nature of VR, you’ll need high resolution, sufficient RAM, accepted USB ports, and an operating system advanced enough to handle the new technology, which is usually Windows 7 64 bit or higher.

If you’re unsure, you can carry out tests on your PC beforehand - definitely beforehand - to check whether or not your device is compatible.

VR Headset FAQs

Q: What is a VR Headset?

A: A VR or virtual reality headset is a device used to transport you into virtual reality. It provides a first-person view and blocks out your external environment to provide an immersive, very real experience to play games or watch videos.

Q: Do You Need A Good PC to Run a VR Headset?

A: Not always. It will depend on the kind of headset you purchase. You can buy products that are standalone, you can buy ones that will fit your smartphone in a dock, and you can buy a VR headset for PC which is tethered to the machine, which might give you more variety in games but will also limit your range of movement.

Q: Can VR Hurt Your Eyes?

A: No, not in a way that causes permanent damage, anyway. That being said, existing eye conditions can be exacerbated by using the VR headset for too long, and like any activity that involves staring at a screen, you’re likely to experience eye strain, headaches and illness if you’re plugged in for too long.

Q: Can You Wear Glasses With VR?

A: We’d love to say no, any bespectacled readers will rejoice in knowing that they can take their glasses off and enjoy the wonders of VR in crystal clear vision, but we’d be lying. Truthfully, it depends on what kind of vision you have. Farsighted VR users might be okay, whereas shortsighted user could experience a few issues. It will all come down to your prescription.

Q: How Does Virtual Reality Work?

A: Using either dual feeds or two LCD screens, the software reshapes the image for it to appear more 3D, which is where the feeling of it being so close you can touch it comes from. By blocking out external stimuli through the headset - or goggles - you’re further immersed in the VR experience. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but we’d be here all day if we dove all the way into how VR works.

Sources

1. Forget about VR in the Living Room; This Summer It’s on Waterslides and in Arcades - MIT Technology Review