The best VR headsets
Oculus Rift, Project Morpheus, Gear VR, HTC Vive...virtual reality is back baby
Virtual reality is back baby and, with some incredible VR headsets in development, the best is yet to come.
Virtual reality is an immersive experience in which your head movements are tracked in a three dimensional world, making it suited to games and even movies.
While VR was a non-starter back in the 90s, developers are now creating mind-blowing experiences, which look set to revolutionise gaming. The most incredible thing is that the latest and greatest VR experiences don't require mind-bending technology.
But what are the best VR headsets and which one should you choose? Here is the list of 10 most awesome devices just waiting to be strapped.
Oculus Rift
Oculus Rift is the virtual reality headset that started the current hysteria. Developed by 21-year-old engineer Palmer Luckey, funded via Kickstarter and snapped by by Facebook for a cool $2bn, the Rift plugs into your computer's DVI and USB ports and tracks your head movements to provide 3D imagery to its stereo screens.
$TBC, oculus.com
Sony Project Morpheus
At last we have a launch date for Sony's Project Morpheus, the PlayStation 4 powered VR headset: the first half of 2016.
A new version was announced at GDC 2015 and gone is the 5-inch LCD display of the original prototype; in its place a 5.7-inch OLED one that will improve motion blur and enable low persistence. The display's refresh rate has been ramped up to 120hz, making 120fps gaming a real possibility.
$TBC, sony.com
HTC Vive
The Vive plugs into PCs and work with Valve's mammoth gaming ecosystem and has a design that's reminiscent of Oculus Rift's Crescent Bay edition.
It packs 70 sensors and 360 degree head-tracking and offers a 90Hz refresh rate; the stat that's key to keeping down latency. Elsewhere, there's an accompanying "context aware controller", so you can shoot, move and interact with elements in the virtual world.
$TBC, htcvr.com
Samsung Gear VR
Samsung's entry into VR has delivered one of the best all-round and consumer friendly headsets on the market, albeit, with a restrictive walled garden that we're becoming accustomed to with its wearable offerings.
The Gear VR is an Oculus Rift powered device that uses a Samsung Galaxy smartphone (Note 4 or Galaxy S6 depending on the version you choose) as its processor and display. The Galaxy handset simply slots in front of the lenses, into a Micro USB dock, and uses its Super AMOLED display as your screen.
Microsoft HoloLens
The device that took everyone off guard, Microsoft HoloLens is half virtual and half augmented reality. The device merges real world elements with virtual 'holographic' images, meaning you can look at your Minecraft world on your kitchen table, or walk around the surface of Mars in your living room.
Using Kinect-style tech to recognise gestures and voice commands, the headset has a 120 degree field of vision on both axis, and is capable of 'high definition' visuals. What's more, there's no connection to a PC – a full Windows 10 system is built into the headset and runs off a battery. Yes, we can't wait to see how long that lasts either.
There's no word on a release date, and it's unlikely to be a reality until 2016.
$TBC, microsoft.com
FOVE VR
FOVE VR differs from the likes of Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus because it offers interactive eye-tracking. Inside the headset is an infrared sensor that monitors a wearer's eyes; offering both a new control method and an edge on its competitors when it comes to realism.
With FOVE, simulated depth-of-field is possible, due to the system knowing exactly what you're looking at and, as a result, the virtual should appear more real.
FOVE makes use of the Wear VR software platform and is compatible with Unity, Unreal, and Cryengine game engines.
From $349, getfove.com
Zeiss VR One
Like the Samsung Gear VR, the hardware power for this Zeiss branded headset comes from your smartphone. Unlike Sammy's effort, however, you're not tied to just one mobile with the Zeiss VR One; it will play ball with any iOS or Android handset between 4.7 and 5.2 inches.
It packs a media player for the likes of pictures and YouTube videos and an AR app for augmented experiences, open source Unity3D SDK (iOS and Android) mean there's plenty of scope for development.
What's more, with lens mater Zeiss doing the optics, there's plenty of promise.
$120, zeissvrone.tumblr.com
Avegant Glyph
The majority of these headsets are large and heavy, but Avegant's Glyph is far sleeker and smaller. Its svelte size is due to its display technology: rather than using conventional smartphone-like screens to present imagery, it uses an array of micro mirrors to reflect an image directly into your retina.
It can be worn like a pair of headphones until you pull the screen down over your eyes, where you can enjoy 1,280 x 720 for each eyeball. While it's limited to a 45 degrees field of view, the micro mirror array is said to reduce motion sickness and eye fatigue.
$499, avegant.com
Razer OSVR
Razer's OSVR isn't a rival to the likes of Oculus Rift, Project Morpheus and Samsung Gear VR – and again, there's little chance of it making into living rooms any time soon. It's intended to make life easier for developers to make applications VR hardware – without technical (software and hardware) limitations getting in their way.
Open source is the big buzz word, breaking down limitations that hinder development even on Oculus Rift. Don't expect to see a consumer version until 2016 at the earliest.
$199.99, razerzone.com
Google Cardboard
Not to be outdone, Google announced its Cardboard virtual reality headset at I/O 2014 and unveiled version 2 at the 2015 conference. Popping a smartphone into a cardboard container and then strapping it to your head may sound like a joke, but it actually works and it could become a low-cost way to experience virtual reality.
After all, your smartphone contains all the necessary gyroscopic sensors and positioning systems to accurately track your head movements. Related is Durovis' Dive, which is essentially the same thing made of higher quality and more sweat-resistant materials.
Archos VR Headset
Essentially Google cardboard but, er, not cardboard, Archos' attempt at bringing mobile VR experiences to the masses is a sub-£25 device that was announced in October.
The Archos VR Headset works with any smartphone with a screen sized 6-inches or less, and the French company claims it will work with iOS, Android and Windows Phone - although you'll be hard pressed finding any developers knocking out VR apps and demos for Microsoft's mobile platform.
$29.99, archos.com
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