Let’s find out in this guide which are the best VR headsets for PCs currently on the market, and who should buy them based on price and functionality
The virtual reality market is constantly expanding, and especially on PC the announcement and release of Half Life: Alyx have given a huge boost to the sales of VR headsets. As with any new technology, the prices of headsets are getting lower and lower, and even if the best performing ones are still too high for most people, they can be bought. viewers of excellent quality even at a relatively low cost. So let’s see in this guide which are the best VR viewers for PC currently on the market and which one to choose based on your needs!
Which features to consider when choosing the viewer
In addition to the price, of course, the most important feature to consider when choosing a VR headset for PC is space at your disposal. You will therefore have to consider if you can only use the viewer while seated, if you have a minimum of space to move, or if you have an entire room to dedicate to your gaming station. Always concerning the space it is important to know if you have a place to place any bases for tracking movements and controllers or if you have to focus on viewers that do not need them. For each viewer it is then essential to check that your PC falls within the recommended or at least minimum requirements indicated by the manufacturer.
Unfortunately, the choice of PC viewers in our market is quite limited, given that there are many they are not yet officially on sale in Italy or Europe, and it is unknown if they ever will. This is why viewers such as the excellent Samsung Odyssey Plus will be missing in this guide, the cost of which by importing it from abroad would increase greatly. This would obviously cancel the convenience compared to the other more expensive viewers in this guide.
Oculus Rift S | Best VR viewers for PC
Current flagship of Oculus, one of the most important companies in the VR market, the Rift S is hands down the best PC headset in its price range. The viewer has in fact a very high resolution of 2560 x 1600 and refresh rate of 80 Hz, and does not require any external base for the tracking of controllers and movements. Costing practically the same price, at around € 450 the Rift S makes buying the original Rift totally senseless.
Valve Index | Best VR headsets for PC
For those with no budget limits, Valve’s Index is currently at just over € 1000 the best VR headset on the market. The resolution of the screens is 2880 x 1600, plus a refresh rate of 120 Hz, all with a FOV (Field of View) of 130 °. The “Screen Door” effect is practically imperceptible, and the excellent weight distribution and quality of the materials help make it even better than the competition. The excellent controllers also allow tracking of the movements of every single finger, but external bases are required for tracking the player’s movements.
By purchasing the viewer you will also have as a gift Half Life: Alyx, a title that manages to make the most of all the strengths of the viewer. However, remember that the game will still be compatible with all PC viewers, even if the quality of the experience may vary.
Honorable Mention: Oculus Quest | Best VR viewers for PC
The Quest is a VR headset stand alone which for its convenience and competitive price (about 450 €) was immediately a huge success. Despite essentially having the hardware of a smartphone, the viewer still offers excellent visual quality and several ports of complete VR games. In fact, there is no shortage of Superhot VR or the hugely popular Beat Saber, which are among the best-selling games in the VR market in general.
Quest is therefore not a real PC VR headset, but what earned it an honorable mention in this guide is a recently added feature: Oculus Link. Thanks to this feature, it will be enough to use a high quality USB 3 cable to be able to connect the viewer to a gaming PC and play any VR title from Big Brother Rift’s library (Alyx included). Obviously the difference with a traditional PC viewer can be felt, but it is absolutely negligible considering the convenience of being able to simply disconnect the viewer and use it without any additional devices.
Have a good trip into the world of virtual reality!
We hope this guide has been helpful to you, and we obviously wish you a pleasant journey into the wonderful world of virtual reality! We remind you that you can also find on our site a guide on the best VR viewers not only for PC. For other guides, news, reviews and specials on the gaming world, go to the dedicated section on our site!