tough call given you have a ps5 as well. with $1200 you could buy both a quest 3 and psvr2 (thats what I did)..... that would give you access to all the exclusives.

for pc wired sims psvr2. (star wars squadrons, elite dangerous)

for wireless movement games quest 3.

as for exclusives

ps5+psvr2 exclusives

• Resident evil 8vr
• resident evil 4 remake vr
• horizon call of the mountian
• gt7 vr
• hitman vr (its on other platforms, but the ps5+psvr2 version is the best
• synapse vr

occulus pcvr+ quest 3 exclusives (for wireless there is also PrismXR Puppis), note there is a "re-vive mod" that lets you play these games on steam with any headset, but its finnicky

• Lone echo 1
• Lone echo 2
• Asgards wrath 1
• Stormland vr

quest 3 only exclusives

• batman shadows vr
• assasins creed nexus vr
• asgards wrath 2 vr
• resident evil 4 original vr
• deadpool vr

steam Vr exclusive (works with either psvr2 or quest 3)

• half life alyx

I have probably missed some. so a quest 3 and psvr2 gives you access to the most games. having said ALL that, if you dont mind a wire, the bigscreen beyond 2 is the headset that interest me most. due to how light it is, but it is pricey for the full kit and you do miss out on a lot of exclusives listed here

edit: if I could only chose one I would say quest 3 (with the elite battery strap, prismxr puppis wifi, and carry case). as it gives you a really nice put together package

He’s just getting in to VR so he’d also need base stations and controllers, which probably puts it well outside the budget. It seems inappropriately risky to suggest high-end gear for something he may just not end up enjoying or using much.

Yep, everything else is basically a niche device that comes with questionable support. Quest 3 was years ahead of its time proven by still nothing of a higher production quality surpassing it yet. That’s what you get when a tech giant pours billions into something.

All these threads basically have one answer unless you’re an enthusiast who wants to roll the dice and deal with the headaches of using a HMD from a two bit player.

Since you have a PS5, I would say PSVR2. I have one and love it.

Interest piqued…. Please elaborate?

Works with SteamVR?

There is no standard alone unit that will compete with pcvr. I also don’t know any vr user that would rather watch Netflix or YouTube on their vr set vs their tv or computer.

I will use it for sim flying.

The small factor and the quality plus eye tracking made it the VR of choice.

Waiting patiently for it. Mines is the November batch.

Your VRIK rig looks solid and probably the best I've seen in ages.

So basically this is strides with Portal assets? At least its not another copy-pasta gtag.

If you want to get traction. Focus on multiplayer aspect (which strides missed unfortunately even though they added a leaderboard)

Would be fun to compete 1 vs 1 or more to see who is the fastest.

pretty cool

this makes me think, it would be fun to have a Fall Guys type of game in VR

the platforms would need to be much bigger though for the race of multi people trying to get to the next platform

or maybe a race for the best time, and could have these courses duplicated next to each other, so each player gets there own course

It looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it

Looks fun

I'd say for best budget a quest 2 and a link cable (assuming you have a decent pc already). I'd say hold on for a bit longer as the rumour mill is going about valves new project and cambria, no point spending upwards of a grand on something thatll be out of date in a year or less

Buttt it depends on if you really want high end pc vr or not, if so I'd say the valve index kit, try see if anyone local is selling thairs for cheap. Second hand is worth it if you get 50% or so off even with a few scuffs here and there

I would recommend a valve index over any htc as the htc controllers aren’t as good as the valve index ones. That and the valve index has a better mic better audio. I also just think the index feels more premium in its materials. As of lately I find myself using my quest more and more with airlink so you should at least consider wether or not you even wanna upgrade headset or maybe just buy some accessories for the quest.

Other guy said it perfectly. Plus If you want full body tracking it works great with the quest and base stations :)

Depends on what games you like playing a bit too. If I were you I would wait for this year's new headsets with OLED panels that might come out. If you need it now now, and aren't using a super beefed up PC, I would go for a second hand Vive pro with index controllers. Seems the best combo for price/image quality, until you can upgrade to a new headset. I'm all about dark blacks/space games /watching movies though.

The Index has a lower resolution than the Quest 2, but a higher field of view.

I own both and personally I cannot tell any difference in sharpness between the two - both headsets produce a nice, crisp image. But the wider field of view on the Index is definitely noticeable.

I have a quest 2 that I cable and my husband has an index. I'd sell an organ to be able to get one. My motion sickness cut in half, the headset fit better, and I just enjoyed it more. That might not be the experience for everyone but it's on my wish list.

Index has worse resolution but better field of view, color and blacks.

Yeah. It’s a bit of a setup process and there’s some jank, but I’ve got a friend who only runs it and works great.

It's not a PC VR headset without displayport or losses wireless like wigig or nofio's. How did this answer get so many up votes? It's blatant misinformation.

PCVR is currently the most stale it's ever been. All new headsets either have no displayport or cost $1500+.

the top 3, in no particular order, for me are:

• reverb g2
• pimax 8k / 12k
• varjo aero.

HP Reverb G2 has tracked and played most everything great with excellent sharp visuals. If you have the horsepower to run it, try a G2.

It's only good at 3 things and that's visual clarity, brightness and colours. Now those are important things but even in the visuals it isn't the king in anything but those 3 aspects and falls short in SO many other places.

• Worst binocular overlap on the market
• Standard FOV at best, quite poor vertical FOV
• Pupil swim
• Distortion at edges (improved a lot but still there for many)
• No audio, not even a mic
• Okayish software (4090 owners currently can try a beta firmware but need to sign an NDA)
• Poor quality control (dead pixels, some users on 3 or 4 RMAs)

Build quality is very good, that should also be noted.

That said, I think for the price it's bonkers. Tbf it was the only headset that could achieve such PPD in the consumer space but that is soon going to change (Pimax Crystal, Shiftall Meganex, Arpara and whatever else is coming soon but yet to be announced). If you got it a year ago near launch then it may have made sense but by now I think it's just a mental purchase decision for the money.

Meanwhile back in 2015... expectations where VR should be today have tanked to an insane degree. People are happy if just anything gets released at all.

It's in the same range as a Vive Pro eye and doesn't require a PC. Vive Pro 2 with all the accessories (face tracking, wifi, Tracker 2.0) that makes it competitive with Quest Pro is well north of $2k and it isn't standalone. Index is still $1k minus the PC. Pico 4 is the subsidized outlier here. People were mad that Meta subsidized the previous headsets.

$1500 and it's not comfortable? That's unacceptable. That's my problem with the quest 2. It is so uncomfortable to me (yes I upgraded the strap and face cover). I can wear my OG Vive all day. An hour on the quest and I'm ready to rip it off my face.

Damn. This is tempting!

If I didn't already own all these this would be an instant buy

I got the same package years ago for about 40 and it was a good deal. 20 is really good just for Skyrim and Fallout with the others a free bonus

DOOM VFR has broken controls for quest users, but there are guides out there to fix it. Once fixed, the game is really awesome

FYI Skyrim and Fallout VR can use most normal mods. Skyrim (idk about Fallout) also has amazing immersion mods that add a full body, add holsters, let you force grab things, let you slap Nazeem around, etc. truly a next level experience as there are very few full length VR games

MeganeX 8K is where its at. I'm using it right now while writing this post.

Best image quality HMD in the market color/contrast wise. High resolution 3.5x3.8k pixels per eye. Ridiculously comfortable because its under 200g. With average brightness and low-ish FOV (slightly under 100)

Rumors are Valve will release the deckard toward the end of the year for $1200. Best VR headset is subjective, but its hard not to bring that up.

might check out the Shiftall MeganeX SL. it's $2000 for just the headset, but it seems good and quite unique. you'll need Lighthouse base stations, and whatever controllers (Index, Shiftall Grip, etc).

Just an fyi , a lot of the top end / bleeding edge stuff have a fair amount of issues , and are a niche for a reason.

Most people would be best suited for a psvr 2 or a quest 3 , it you have a gaming arcade / gaming /vr cafe near you , try the two headsets

rumors were always around but not about confirmed date

we also know plenty now about status of the software and that actually headset is for quite some time in production according to leaks. The leak about end of the year was first trustworthy leak we got about the actual release date. Since then there was an update and it is unclear but unless nothing changes, the headset should be at least announced this year, if they start selling, or do pre-order or something, that only Gabe knows

Varjo XR-4

You will need to buy the Meganex headset directly from Shiftall and the controllers and base stations on Steam. Shiftall is coming out with flip controllers but the Valve Knuckles are probably the best VR controllers on the market right now and the Valve lighthouse stations provide the most stable tracking available for VR right now.

I have had many VR headsets and my daily driver for the last couple years has been the Varjo Aero. I am now waiting on a Meganex 8K because it is an upgrade in a lot of ways to the Aero, mostly comfort and resolution.

There are a lot of tradeoffs on these headsets and I think it is really dependent on what the user finds important for immersion. If FOV is more important than size and comfort, it might be worth holding out for the Pimax Crystal Super which will have eye tracking and large FOV. The Somnium VR1 also looks like a great HMD although it is also more bulky than the Meganex 8K.

I've been using the PSVR2 on the PC with the adaptor. Honestly. It's been a good experience. The controllers connect well through bluetooth and the battery lasts a while. The nice OLED display in the headset makes everything look so good. It's worth considering in my opinion.

Supposedly, Valve is going to announce their new headset this month. That will for sure be the best PCVR headset available, and you won't have to support one of the worst and most immoral companies on Earth to boot. So my suggestion is to wait out this month and see if the announcement happens. If it doesn't, then get any of the existing options.

Like others have said, wait a while and see if Valve announces their new VR headset. Leaks are looking very promising.

Unless you want to wait or get a more expensive headset, there are 2 main options:

1. PSVR2 with PC Adapter: This i a wired headset, with OLED screens that provide great color, darker blacks, and better greys. The better color gives it a little better sense of depth. It also works on PS5 for VR games, so if you have a PS5, this is a good choice. Cons are that the resolution is lower than Quest 3 (but still high resolution), and it has a smaller sweet spot (but the sweet spot can be easily found once you're used to using it, and the Globular Cluster add-on helps a lot with this). Because it's wired, you'll have less compression.

2. Quest 3: This is a wireless headset that also works stand-alone, which you said you didn't care about, but it's still a plus. It has higher resolution and better clarity across the lenses than the PSVR2. Cons are that it doesn't have nearly the color depth of the PSVR2 and that if you use it wirelessly with PCVR, you'll have to buy a battery pack to extend playtime if that's something you think you'll need.

Both are great for different reasons, you just need to decide what's more important to you.

wait for valves headset, its supposedly comming this month. then decide. if its good, id get that one, you dont have to support one of the worst companies this way.

I have a Vive. I think it's still one of the best options becauase you can get the wireless adapter for it. So far there is no wireless option for the index.

The wireless option along with a headset that uses the power of a ful PC is the best of both worlds, IMO.

Having cables run from your headset back to the PC sucks if you wanna do a nice room-scale VR.

Well if you have literally no budget then get the valve: index. But if you have a budget then get the rift s. If you dont have a gaming pc then get the oculus quest

It really depends on how much money you have to throw around and what the specs on your PC are. Without that information, it's a little difficult to pick a headset for your setup

There no point getting room scale if you don’t have the space, I own a vive but I’ve played with the PlayStation one, to be honest it felt far too novelty for the price tag ( you’ll play with it for for a month then put it down to gather dust).

I still didn’t think the are any games worth getting it for, the markets so starved for a good game everything get labled as a master piece when it comes out... looking at you half life. But if you work with creative software (tilt brush and the like) the feeling of being able to paint or model in thin air is profound.

Assuming you have a PC capable of running VR:

High-End: Valve Index

Mid-Range: Oculus Rift S

Budget: Samsung Odyssey +

Also be sure to look into your IPD. Some headsets have limited adjustment ranges or even no adjustment capabilities at all (Rift S).

If you don't have a VR capable PC, get the Oculus Quest.

If you're a gambling man, don't mind tinkering with expensive equipment, like doing your own repairs, and don't mind having an expensive bit of kit sat unused for extended periods of time, then consider a Pimax product.

If you just want something that works, get a Quest 3 and pair it with Virtual Desktop. Depending on your router, you may need to buy a WiFi 6 router too, to get the best bitrates possible.

I'm just commenting on Pimax vs Quest 3. Up to OP to decide, plus I don't have the PSVR2 so can't comment on any improvement over that headset, again, up for OP to decide.

I had the Vive Pro 2 and upgraded to the Crystal light almost a year ago.

The Crystal light is really better. The vive pro 2 has really bad lenses. The sweet spot is very small.

The Crystal light can have good lenses. The problem is quality control. I don't know if they have got the problem under control in the meantime. I had to get three replacements before I received lenses that were as they should be. If the lenses are not faulty, it is a very good headset.

Here is a review of the Big Beyond 2 VR headset https://youtu.be/oOGtnfLgYkw?si=vOLI2jtdKVcr77dE

If you’re using a PSVR2, honestly I’d wait for next year. I think we’ll see some next gen headsets.

I have a BSB1 and love it for sim racing. The glare is a bit annoying, but the lightness felt way better than a big headset like a Quest. You’d think that weight and form factor wouldn’t make THAT much of a difference, but it was a game changer for me. Seems like BSB2 has reduced or fixed many of the issues on the BSB1. Cant recommend it enough if it’s within your budget.

LOL, I'd rather have a "compressed image" than deal with Pimax. Besides, if you are pixel-counting and noticing the small differences between compressed and wired, I don't think you're going fast enough and last time I checked, this was a sim racing sub.

If you want to sight-see, then yeah, maybe the Quest 3 + VD isn't for you. If it's zero-compression-artefacts or nothing, then the Quest 3 + VD isn't for you.

>it’s part of the reason why vr is viewed in a negative way

VR gaming isn't just PCVR, y'know? For standalone games, there's a lot of fun to be had in VR too!

i’d go for the pimax, the lenses are far better my friend owns one and i own a pro 2 the lenses on the pro 2 are not great u have to run it at very high resolutions to make it even compare to the clarity of the pimax😂

and the clarity sweet spot to my knowledge is far far better then the big screen i believe its also like $2k cheaper (in australia anyway)

I do not own it, i just like to follow the VR space. From what ive read the resolution and field of view are incredible, and its small form factor makes it very nice for long time uses. definitely the lightest headset available on the market. The only downside is the cost. afaik it works with vive and index controllers, but youll have to verify that yourself.