It’s early 2023 and the VR market is strong! We’ve got a lot of longstanding performers in the market and upcoming new ones that are expected to bring new stuff into the world. But the thing is, it’s not just the VR headsets that are exciting in 2023.
You can now hang out in the metaverse with Meta’s Horizon Worlds, there are a lot of great games you can get right now or expect in the coming year, and if you’re a professional, movie enthusiast, or even a student obsessed with learning, 2023 is the year to get a VR/AR headset!
You can do a lot with VR and AR now that it’s surprising to see! And of course, we wouldn’t be able to set out and do things in VR if the hardware hasn’t improved so suddenly in the past 2 years, so let’s go take a look at some of the best VR headsets that we can get now or pretty soon, but of course, before all that, let’s take a crash course on what to look for when buying a VR headset.
VR Headset Buying Guide
Immersion
The point of getting a VR headset is getting immersed in the environment within the game you’re playing or the virtual world you are in, so it’s no question that the level of immersion should be considered when getting a VR headset, so what are the things that’ll affect your immersion?
Resolution and Field-of-view
Like with monitors, the higher resolution a screen has, the more lifelike your content will look, thus better immersion. The problem with most VR headsets in the past is the dreaded screen door effect, otherwise known as pixelation.
The problem lies in the fact that the display is not only close to our eyes, but also magnified by the lens, that even though the display in the headset is relatively high-res, it still shows the screen door effect.
Let’s not forget FOV or field-of-view! This determines how wide your peripheral vision would be, a larger FOV can simulate a more realistic view and bring more immersion, while a narrow FOV might feel like you’re just staring at a small rectangular screen.
Platform
The second factor of immersion is what your platform is (PC, Console, Standalone, etc…). If you use a PC or console, you might have wires or tethering which are bad for immersion especially if you need to move in a certain way.
You can also get standalone or wireless VR headsets if you want to move a bit more freely, but overall, I recommend the standalone ones.
Comfort
One of the biggest factors that ruin a headsets immersion is its comfort which is affected by weight, strap, and paddings. Lighter headsets are preferable as you can forget that they are even on your head and as things get heavier, you’ll need bulkier straps and paddings which also take down overall comfort.
Tracking and Controls
Controllers and trackers are the main ways of controlling a VR headset, and like with any other gaming device, you should consider your preferences and needs. Controllers are what they are, but the important thing to consider in a VR headset is the tracking capabilities, some can only track a portion of your body, some can track full-body, and some can even track your face.
All you need to keep in mind, for now, is the two tracking methods, outside-in or inside-out, inside-out is preferable since you don’t need to set up cameras and sensors within your room, which are great points for portability.
We’ll get more into it later, but without further ado, let’s get into our picks for the best VR headsets in early 2023!
Meta Quest 2
PROS
- Sharp and high-refresh-rate display
- Decently powerful processor
- Precise motion tracking
- Can be tethered to PC using optional accessory cable
CONS
- The battery life is short
Specs:
- Platform: Standalone/PC
- Connection: Standalone/Wired/Wireless
- Screen: 1832×1920 LCD per-eye
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- FOV: 89° (+-4°)
- Tracking Method: Inside-out
Starting with the overall best, we have the Meta Quest 2. It’s a standalone VR headset with a Snapdragon XR2 SoC, 6GB RAM, Adreno 650 GPU, and either 128GB or 256GB of storage, it basically has anything it needs to run right away.
Now, let me get one thing straight, just because I named the Meta Quest 2 the best overall, doesn’t mean it’s the best-performing one. It is the perfect headset for most people; it’s great for gamers, learners, movie watchers, and socializers, point is, if you’re thinking about doing something in VR, the Meta Quest 2 can probably do it. It’s a jack of all trades!
The best part? It comes at an affordable price and it doesn’t require a PC, Console, or any special equipment, once you get the headset, you’ll be able to use it in a few minutes, and it’s probably also the one you can use if you want to socialize in VR.
It’s great at being a standalone headset but it can also be tethered to your PC using an accessory cable so you can play your library of VR games right away.
Overall, if you want to get into VR, unless you need something specific, the Meta Quest 2 is perfect for you!
Meta Quest 2
Meta Quest Pro
PROS
- Facial and eye tracking
- Color passthrough camera
- Great controllers
- Better fit and comfort for most people
CONS
- Short battery life
- Lower refresh rate than Quest 2
Specs:
- Platform: Standalone/PC
- Connection: Standalone/Wired/Wireless
- Screen: 1920×1800 LCD per-eye with 500 local dimming zones
- Refresh Rate: 90Hz
- FOV: 103°-108°
- Tracking Method: Inside-out via 5 built-in cameras
Next up, we have Meta Quest 2’s brother, the Quest Pro, which is something that I’ll highly recommend for high-end enthusiasts and pros.
Inside the Quest Pro, we have upgraded internals with a Snapdragon XR2+ SoC with an Adreno 650 GPU and 12GB RAM (yes, double than what the Quest 2 has!), the standard storage is also 256GB on the Pro.
So, besides the better internals, why get the Pro? The controllers! It’s much better than Quest 2’s controllers, I mean, each controller has a friggin Snapdragon 662 SoC, that’s something you commonly see on smartphones, not controllers, but to take advantage of the extra power, the controller also has three cameras built-in since each controller does its own inside-out tracking. To top it off, the controller now has rechargeable batteries, but I guess that makes sense knowing this has smartphone processors.
Another feature that enthusiasts and professionals will love is the Quest Pro’s facial tracking, I mean, it doesn’t seem like much, but hey, if you want to socialize on the Metaverse, you gotta have facial expressions!
Overall, the Meta Quest Pro is indeed great, it’s more immersive with more accurate tracking, but I still won’t recommend it to beginners even if you have the moolah for it.
Meta Quest Pro
Valve Index
PROS
- Solid, light, and comfortable headset
- Great controllers with finger-tracking
- Surprisingly easy to setup despite being tethered and needing base stations
CONS
- Still expensive for a 3-year-old headset
- Needs a PC and a setup
Specs:
- Platform: PC
- Connection: Wired
- Screen: 1440×1600 per-eye
- Refresh Rate: Up to144hz
- FOV: 106°-108°
- Tracking Method: Outside-in via base stations
Do you have a powerful PC? Do you have a great space to play VR in? Do you want the best experience possible? Well, look no more than the Valve Index, a device that’s 3 years old now at the time of writing, it holds up that well!
I know someone saw the features list above and asks ‘why is this special?’ I get it, a 3-year-old device with a low-res display by today’s standards does not seem to fit in.
Here’s the thing, standalone headsets are great and all, but I still get the appeal that a PC-powered, tethered, and outside-in-tracked VR headset can bring, and that is COMFORT! Since there are no processors, batteries, and other components found on standalone headsets, this headset is light! And combined with the good padding and proper straps, you got yourself a very comfortable headset.
But that’s not all, the best thing with the Index has to do with the immersion. For instance, the speakers here are adjustable and floating near your ears and it still delivers great spatial audio. But the highlight is the controller, it’s one of the first VR controllers to have individual finger tracking, and since this has straps attached to your wrist, you can even open your hands without dropping the controller, allowing for a lifelike control for situations like grabbing items in-game.
Overall, the Valve Index might be a classic or a relic in 2023 just by how old it is, but it still is one of the best VR headsets!
Valve Index
HTC Vive Pro 2
PROS
- Extremely sharp and smooth LCD screen
- Wide field of view!
- Crisp-sounding removable stereo speakers
CONS
- The headset itself is heavy
- No facial and hand tracking
Specs:
- Platform: PC
- Connection: Wired
- Screen: 2448×2448 LCD per-eye
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- FOV: 116°
- Tracking Method: Outside-in via base stations
Do you love high-resolution displays on VR headsets? Do you want to use your VR headset for movies or show off 3D designs to clients with the highest-resolution VR headset? Well, look no further than the HTC Vive Pro 2.
Let’s talk about the controllers because, in my opinion, this has got to be the most casual VR controller in this list, doesn’t have much of a fancy control set and it also has a trackpad and a bunch of face buttons for your main controls, it seems to me this isn’t made mainly for gaming but instead for watching relaxing and immersive movies.
Overall, though, while the HTC Vive Pro 2 is a solid and safe bet for a VR headset, I would only recommend it to professionals and people who love watching movies and other content on their VR headsets.
HTC Vive Pro 2
Sony PlayStation VR 2
PROS
- Very high resolution and wide FOV display
- 120Hz refresh rate despite being an OLED
- Undeniably good haptics
- Convenient single-wire tether design
CONS
- Exclusive to PS5
- Despite having good games, it’s still limited
Specs:
- Platform: Playstation 5
- Connection: Wired
- Screen: 2000×2040 OLED Per Eye
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- FOV: 110°
- Tracking Method: Inside-out via 4 built-in cameras
To be released in February 2023, this is simply one of the best upcoming hardware this year. What’s not to like? It’s a 4K per-eye headset and it also has a 120Hz refresh rate despite being an OLED! It also has a very wide FOV and it’s much more convenient this time around compared to the 1st PlayStation VR since it doesn’t use an external hub anymore, but you still have to connect it, but at least it only uses one USB-C cable.
Besides being a great headset, it also supports great haptic feedback on the headset itself and the new controllers and judging by how great haptics are in general with the PS5, I bet it would be just as great or even better.
Overall, on paper this seems to be a great headset, I’d say enough to bring a lot of Switch, PC, and Xbox folks to PlayStation because did I mention? This headset is relatively cheap for what it does! But then again, it’s still unreleased, and I’ll make sure to update this part when the headset is released.
Sony PlayStation VR 2
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is VR Worth it?
VR is not an essential way of playing games or consuming content, but it is definitely worth it and an experience you must try at least once. -
Are VR headsets dangerous?
It's normal to think that a device strapped onto your head and isolating you from your surroundings is dangerous. But VR is only dangerous if you use it excessively, if you have eye problems, if you have epilepsy, or if you often have motion sickness.