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Virtual reality is a fascinating way to travel using nothing more than the power of technology. With a headset and motion tracking, VR lets you look around a virtual space as if you’re actually there, or play a game as though you’re in it.
We’ve tested all of the major VR headsets on the market. Read on for our favorites, followed by everything you need to know about VR in order to choose the best headset for you.
The Best VR Headset Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Sony PlayStation VR2
Best for PlayStation 5 Gamers
Why We Picked It
The PlayStation VR 2 is a significant upgrade over the original that combines the PlayStation 5’s power with new eye-tracking and motion-control tech that makes VR games even more immersive. Plus, the lightweight headset has impressive specs, including a sharp OLED display that delivers a 2,000-by-2,040-pixel picture to each eye.
Who It’s For
The PS VR2 is for gamers willing to go all-in on Sony’s next-generation vision of virtual reality. After all, the headset’s not inexpensive at nearly $600 and it lacks backward compatibility with original PlayStation VR games. However, this comfortable and impressive hardware has a strong launch library that includes Horizon: Call of the Mountain and the Jurassic World Aftermath Collection.
PROS
- Excellent graphics and sound
- Strong launch library
- Useful eye-tracking tech
- Lightweight build
- Easy to set up
CONS
- Not compatible with PlayStation VR games
Meta Quest Pro
Best for Pros and High-End Enthusiasts
Why We Picked It
We love the Meta Quest 2 for presenting a powerful VR experience without any cables. It helps that it’s relatively inexpensive, but its hardware is also aging a bit. The Meta Quest Pro addresses the latter point at the literal cost of the former. Its display is better, its controllers are better, its processor is better, and it features eye and face tracking. It’s also over three times the price of the Quest 2, which is why the “Pro” part is in the name.
Who It’s For
This is for professionals who need a capable VR headset for collaboration and processing-heavy work, and for enthusiasts who want to play with eye and face tracking (and a more powerful processor than the Quest 2) before Meta releases the teased Quest 3 next year.
PROS
- Improved design with a more comfortable fit than the Quest 2
- Cool eye- and face-tracking tech
- Color pass-through camera
- Rechargeable headset and controllers
- Doesn’t require a PC to operate
CONS
- Expensive
- Meta Horizon’s metaverse is often empty and sometimes buggy
- Short battery life
Sony PlayStation VR
Best for PlayStation 4 Gamers
Why We Picked It
The PlayStation VR is aging. It came out in 2016 for the PlayStation 4, and uses motion controllers that date back to 2010, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth considering if you own a PS 4 (or PS 5 for that matter). After all, it doesn’t need any extra hardware if you already have one of those consoles (though if you want to use it with your PS5, you must request a free adapter(Opens in a new window) from Sony for the required PlayStation Camera to work).
The original PS VR has a large library of games including Five Nights at Freddie’s: Help Wanted, Moss, Rez Infinite, and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Many don’t need motion controls and can be played with the DualShock 4 or DualSense. (Though you should be aware that the aforementioned 12-year-old PlayStation Move controllers might not be included with PS VR bundles if you do want two-handed motion controls, so make sure you check product descriptions.)
Who It’s For
This is for PlayStation fans who want to play PS VR games. Yes, the powerful PS VR 2 is superior in every way, but it isn’t backward compatible with the original PS VR’s titles. As a result, you may want to keep the OG system around to play games that aren’t available for the new headset.
PROS
- Immersive VR experience.
- Works with non-VR apps and games.
- Motion control support.
- Low cost of entry compared with PC-based headsets.
CONS
- Requires PlayStation Camera, which is not included.
- Slightly less powerful than its main competitors.
- Some motion-tracking hiccups when playing in brightly lit rooms.
Valve Index VR Kit
Best Controllers
Why We Picked It
Valve’s PC-tethered VR headset is pricey, and on paper it doesn’t stand out much from the competition. The headset is just one part of the VR experience, though, and the Valve Index really impresses because of the other major component: the controllers. They’re revolutionary, able to rack individual finger movements and make games (that take advantage of the feature) much more immersive than the standard trigger grips on other controllers. It’s amazing to see your fingers wiggle in Half-Life: Alyx.
The headset itself, while not outstanding, still offers crisp, smooth graphics with a high refresh rate, too. The system integrates with Valve’s Steam store through SteamVR, so there’s an incredibly large library of VR games, even if only a tiny fraction might bother with the finger support.
Who It’s For
This is the go-to VR headset for use with PCs, thanks to its strong performance and revolutionary controllers. If you’re just starting with VR on PC, go with this one. If you already have a SteamVR-compatible headset, though, such as the HTC Vive, Vive Cosmos Elite (not the regular Cosmos), or Vive Pro 2 along with their base stations, you can buy the controllers for $280 to breathe new life into your VR experience without investing in the full Valve Index system.
PROS
- Immersive, finger-tracking controllers
- High, 120Hz refresh rate delivers smooth motion
- Lots of VR software available on PC via SteamVR
CONS
- Expensive
- Occasionally frustrating tethered design
HTC Vive Pro 2
Best for the Highest-Resolution VR
Why We Picked It
This advanced, semi-consumer VR headset targets both enthusiasts and professionals with the sharpest picture available at 2,448 by 2,448 pixels per eye. It easily offers the best visuals we’ve seen in VR so far, though at a hefty price: The headset alone is $799, and that doesn’t factor in the base stations and controllers (but on the bright side, you can use the Valve Index controllers with it).
It works with SteamVR just like the Oculus Quest 2, and has its own VR software store in the form of Viveport. The store offers the subscription-based Viveport Infinity(Opens in a new window) service that provides unlimited access to VR experiences, instead of a la carte software purchases. That’s a nice bonus outside of SteamVR.
Who It’s For
If you want the best VR experience available without diving into pro-level extremes, the Vive Pro 2 combined with Valve Index controllers is the combination to go with. It’ll cost you at least $1,300 before factoring in a PC with the specs to take advantage of the headset’s power, but you’ll enjoy amazing visuals and controls.
PROS
- The best resolution for VR gaming
- Smooth motion tracking
- Works with Valve Index controllers
CONS
- Expensive
- Doesn’t include necessary base stations or controllers
HP Reverb G2
Best for Simple, Tethered VR
Why We Picked It
Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform has been dwindling for a while, since HTC and Valve offer much larger VR games and software libraries. As a result, the previously WMR-specific HP Reverb has been reworked into the SteamVR-friendly HP Reverb G2. It’s pricey compared with the Oculus Quest 2, but it’s more affordable and easier to set up than the Valve Index for a tethered-only VR experience. It also features a high resolution for the price, at 2,160 by 2,160 for each eye.
This middle ground is appealing if you want to try PC-tethered VR gaming without spending a ton of money. It also uses camera-based tracking, so you don’t need to set up base stations like you do with the Index or Vive Pro 2.
Who It’s For
Give this one a shot if it’s on sale, and you want to experience crisp VR on your PC. The Oculus/Meta Quest 2 is a better overall pick, since it costs less money and you can also use it with a computer, but the Reverb G2 offers a slightly sharper picture.
PROS
- High resolution for the price
- Comfortable headset and controllers
- Works reliably with SteamVR
CONS
- Camera-based tracking has occasional hiccups
- Much more expensive than the Oculus Quest 2, even when factoring the optional cable for PC tethering
- Windows Mixed Reality is almost completely dead as a VR platform
Buying Guide: The Best VR Headsets for 2023
Which VR Headset Is the Best?
Modern VR headsets now fit under one of two categories: tethered or standalone. Tethered headsets, such as the HTC Vive Pro 2, PlayStation VR, and Valve Index are physically connected to PCs (or in the case of the PS VR and PS VR 2, a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5). Their cables makes them a bit unwieldy, but putting all of the video processing in a box that you don’t need to directly strap to your face means your VR experience can be a lot more complex. Either external sensors or outward-facing cameras provide full 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) movement tracking for both your head and your hands, thanks to motion-sensing controllers.
The least expensive tethered options are currently around $400, and that’s before you address the processing issue; the HP Reverb G2, Valve Index, and Vive Pro 2 need powerful PCs to run, while the PS VR requires a PlayStation 4 and the PS VR2 requires a PlayStation 5.
Standalone headsets offer the greatest physical freedom by completely removing the cables and not requiring an external device to handle processing. The Oculus/Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro both use similar outward-facing cameras to the now-discontinued Oculus Rift S to provide 6DOF motion tracking, and similar 6DOF motion controls. They lack a dedicated gaming PC’s processing power on their own, but their high-end mobile processors (especially the Quest Pro’s Snapdragon XR2+) push detailed, smooth graphics. They also support PC-tethered VR with an optional cable.
The rebranded-to-Meta Facebook is Quest 2 and Quest Pro as devices to explore their “metaverse,” which is still fairly ill-defined apart from a few specific apps under the Meta Horizon name. It’s still a vague concept, and recent shake-ups in Meta leave the metaverse’s future in question, but the Quest headsets will likely be a jumping-off point.. Our metaverse guide will help you understand what’s happening, based on the few available details.
The Best VR Headsets 2022
The Best Augmented Reality (AR) Headsets
You might have seen other headsets pop up over the last few years, including the Microsoft HoloLens and the Magic Leap One. They aren’t on this list for a few reasons, but the biggest one is that they’re augmented reality (AR) headsets, not virtual reality headsets. And yes, there’s a difference.
Basically, these AR headsets have transparent lenses that let you look at your surroundings instead of completely replacing your vision with a computer-generated image. They project images over whatever you’re looking at, but those images are designed to complement and interact with the area around you. You can make a web browser pop up in the middle of a room, for instance, or watch animals run around your coffee table. It’s fascinating technology that could hint at the future of computing.
Recommended by Our Editors
The emphasis here is on the future, as in several years away. That brings us to the second biggest reason the HoloLens and Magic Leap One aren’t in this list: They aren’t consumer products. Both devices are purely intended as development hardware, so AR software can be made for their platforms. Considering each headset costs several thousand dollars, you shouldn’t expect a large library of AR experiences for a while. Outside of specific enterprise and education uses, AR headsets are an early adopter playground at best, and not for most people.
With that in mind, we’ll continue to track the best new VR headsets as they are released, so make sure to check back soon for updates. And after you find the right headset, check out our best VR games list.
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