Yay or Nay: The Best VR Headsets

Virtual worlds are more accessible than ever. But what is access without a good VR Headset?

Virtual Reality was supposed to be the next big thing back in 2016, when the original Oculus Rift and HTC Vive launched. It was the tech of the century! Or so we thought. As it turned out, VR was still a little too expensive and perhaps too alienating to take over the gaming world like Oculus and HTC had hoped. But it is still a lot of fun. Nowadays, there are a lot more games to play and more headsets to choose from. Picking the right one is important, but you should keep in mind that almost all VR games are multiplatform, so your real choice isn't between Oculus or Vive, it's between tethered or wirefree.

It is one thing to buy a VR headset and other to really consider what you prefer in terms of tethered VR or wirefree? Which all depends! It gives you more graphical detail because you're hooked up to a PC but the disadvantage is that cables can be very awkward to deal with, especially when you can't really see them. You'll likely trip on them at some point, too. But if you have already shelled out for a great gaming PC or laptop, then you'll want to go with tethered.

For some wirefree VR would be a much better option. It's comfortable in a sense that you don't have to worry about getting tangled up in your own cables and it's totally portable. You can bring this kind of VR headset to any room in the house without having to lug around your PC. Plus, in the case of the Oculus Quest 2, you can plug it into a PC if you want the extra graphical horsepower. Below, we feature both kinds of headsets. Take a look.

Basic VR for PlayStation

Sony PlayStation VR is the best-selling virtual reality headset, and there's really only one reason for that: It hooks right up to a PlayStation. You don't need a high-end phone or PC to run this basic VR headset, and there are a lot of complete, quality games available on the PS Store. You can use the standard DualShock controller or buy Sony's motion controllers. It all works just fine and augments the game system you already own.

This supports limited room-scale VR, requires a PS4 (or PS5 soon), and some bundles have motion controllers.

Oculus Quest 2

Goodbye, cables! The Oculus Quest 2 is the second generation of Oculus' popular Quest. This new version boasts improved resolution, a lighter body, and a price point that's $100 cheaper.

Oculus is also doubling down on the Quest 2. It is discontinuing both the Rift S and the original Quest in favor of this wired-or-wirefree model. The Quest 2 was built to be completely wirefree, but it also excels when tethered to a PC. You can plug it into a powerful gaming rig with a single USB-C cable and experience the kind of ultra-high-def VR you can only get from dedicated PC hardware.

This jack-of-all-trades approach does have some drawbacks, though. The biggest hurdle is the new requirement that you sign in with a Facebook account. Not everyone is going to be comfortable with that, given Facebook's less-than-stellar history with managing user data (not to mention how that data is used).

If you've been waiting on the sidelines because VR just wasn't simple enough, it's time to suit up—but maybe make a burner account.

This supports room-scale VR, can operate with or without a PC, and comes with 2 controllers.

Oculus Rift S

If you're in the market for a VR headset you should probably get the Oculus Quest 2. But if you're solely interested in a tethered VR experience, and looking to save a few bucks, the Rift S may be a good option. It will be discontinued by Oculus in 2021, but it will still operate after that. You can find it on a few online stores, and it's still a solid headset for PC-tethered experiences. Just not at a full price.

The Rift S is the last PC-required, tethered headset from Oculus, and it's an enormous improvement over the previous versions. This headset takes about five minutes to set up and uses one cable—no external power or dongles needed—just a single cable. There’s just one internal display panel instead of the usual two displays (one for each eye), for a total resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, which is sharp enough to read small text and appreciate fine details. Plus, it's really comfortable and doesn't weigh your head down.

This supports room-scale VR, requires a PC, and comes with 2 controllers.