VR Heasets – Todays Best Options!
Ok, You have decided Its time to get into VR! hat VR Headset or HMD (Head Mounted Display) should you get and how much is it going to cost? Well let look into this question and delve into the important specs that you need to know about. Yes there’s pages of specs for each headset but the important ones are:
Field of View (FOV): How wide is the view you get through the headset. Normal view range for people is around 210 degrees with our eyes. Remember this number but its not everything.
Screen Type : OLED or LED – Both these have advantages and disadvantages. Both are used on modern televisions so here its probably personal choice.
Resolution (RES) : This effects the quality of the picture you see! There is more to this though with you looking through some quite magical lenses between your eyes and your screen these make or break the clarity!
TRACKING: Head tracking in VR has to be smooth so you don’t feel motion sick. Initially the VR headsets used base stations which are great as they allow you to move around pretty much unhindered. They don’t loose track as they are placed around the room and give you accurate tracking for your game.
The most recent change has been inside out tracking with cameras mounted in the headset tracking your surroundings to work out what your doing with your head as well as your Virtual Reality controllers which allow you to interact with the virtual world.
PC Requirements – VR Headsets need power!
I am an avid flight simulator nut and VR user so I wanted to give you something of a personal point of view. People wanting to get into virtual reality gaming and productivity need to understand the computer requirements. You need a good but not necessarily top end computer to get a good experience.
If you have $2-3,000 to buy a top end PC or laptop then that’s great! What if you don’t have that money! Do you have to miss out? No you don’t! But you need to be measured in the experience your looking for and expectations in game quality settings.
You can get a good experience in Flight Sims with system specs like an AMD Ryzen 3 2600 or equivalent Intel CPU. You really need at least a GTX 1060 or AMD Equivalent. In addition you need a reasonable amount of RAM and storage for your games plus operating system. This is what I had till I upgraded to the RTX 2060 Super.
This improved my experience quite a bit in both X Plane 11.50 especially with the Vulcan API as well as DCS World. What ever you get in FPS in your game is likely to be halved or less once you put your VR headset on so you can set up your setting in 2D then have a better initial experience in VR from the get go.
Top Price – Top Quality VR Headsets
Ok Lets get to the best VR headsets you can consider currently. The list is long but not exhaustive. I am aiming at the mainstream HMD’s available. Some of the exotic will likely be in another post soon.
The top of the line most recent VR headsets are now increasing in FOV which is great. Let me say if the game is good even a narrower field of view is forgotten about in the heat of battle or the search for adventure. Its not the be all to end all fir sure. Initially they were 90 degrees FOV but now we are more normally around 100 to 110 degrees FOV (Field of View).
There are other units pushing double this but for now i’m leaving those out of this list. Lets keep it simple and straight forward in out mainstream choices.
Samsung Odyssey + (Plus) – VR Headset
The Samsung Odyssey in in the new bread of headsets bringing higher resolution OMOLED screens at 2880 * 1600 resolution offering 110 Deg FOV which is great. The refresh rates are a factor for smoothness and the Odyssey brings a solid 90 Hz to the visual table.
The unit uses inside out tracking with its inbuilt cameras which provide an amazingly smooth experience. Connecting the HMD to your PC or laptop requires a HMDI plus a USB 3 port to get started playing on your PC.
This unit is at the top of the quality and performance are also at the top of the virtual reality and windows mixed reality tree and as prices reduce a great cost to performance choice.
Check it out through the link HERE or click on the picture!
Oculus Quest – VR Headset
The Oculus Quest is an amazing option being the first non cabled headset. This is an amazing step forward in technology with the freedom of untethered game play.
The unit comes with a great resolution at 2880 * 1660 and 100 degrees FOV. The unit has a slightly lower refresh rate of 75 Hz and uses OLED screens for a crisp picture.
The freedom of not being tethered to your PC is refreshing but note now that you can only play VR games offered by OCULUS on their website and if there are any 3rd party producers. This is where it falls down in its limitations but if your happy with what’s offered then at the same price as the Oculus Rift S which you can play VR games from Steam and stand alone titles. Be aware and if its what you want then you will enjoy the unlimited movement for a long time.
Check it out through the link HERE or click on the picture!
Oculus Rift S
The Oculus Rift S Is regarded as the very best mid range VR headset. It offers great performance and price. I’m biased because I use one every day. Lets look at the specs.
The Rift S comes with slightly lower resolution than the Samsung Odyssey plus and Oculus Quest with 2560 * 1600 resolution with 110 deg FOV and a 85 hz refresh rate.
The new generation lenses have made a substantial difference to the quality and immersive experience with their great clarity. A personal favorite this unit requires a HDMI (Mini) and a USB 3.0 to run on your PC.
Check it out through the link HERE or click on the picture!
Valve Index – VR Headset
The Valve index offers the best of everything with the widest FOV at 130 degrees with the highest refresh rate at 120 Hz and an experimental 144 Hz also possible (in the future).
The valve Index main feature is the screen door effect is pretty much eliminated with some fantastic trickery of its own. This unit also leads the way with single finger tracking by its controllers making it unique in this aspect currently.
If the features like finger tracking are for you be prepared to pay the price as currently the unit it approximately double the other offerings here near a thousand dollars.
Check it out through the link HERE or click on the picture!
Conclusion
Virtual reality is an amazing experience and really impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it. I have heard so many you tubers like myself explain it but the full impact of using VR in your gaming and probably productivity and animation cannot fully be understood till you take the plunge.
There are still plenty of inexpensive VR headsets you can try with your phone and get a small taste. This may be where you want to start! Game play can be a challenge for some it has to be said. If your a person who easily gets motion sick then tread carefully. If you a have a good powerful computer and will get good FPS in game then your less likely going to experience the nausea of VR.
I find if I can get 40 FPS in in DCS World or X Plane 11, my main passions then its good! Less can be ok, but honestly not recommended. Again if your getting 60-80 FPS approx in game then its likely you will see close to 40 in game. If you can achieve this then you will be fine. Don/t be afraid to turn the game settings down then move parts up while still getting a good experience.
I wish you all the best in your Virtual Reality adventures. I feel confident saying you wont be disappointing!
Gunnie
LetsFlyVFR.com & YouTube Channel
05 May 2020