What hardware should I get?

Welcome to Virtual Reality! There are a lot of available VR headsets to pick from to jump into / upgrade your VR experience. This is a non-exhaustive list explaining what headsets would be good for what usecase.

Before choosing a headset, its important to consider what is important for you:

• How much money are you willing to spend? Are you comfortable buying used products?
• Are you new to VR? How much custom tinkering are you willing to do to get experiences to work, or do you want something that works out of the box?
• Do you have a gaming computer?
• Are you playing racing sims? Motion intensive games? Shooters? Social VR?
• Do you want to prioritize comfort over feature set?
  
• Do you wear VR headsets for long hours? Do you sleep in VR?
  
• Do you want to do work in your headset?
  
• Do you want extra features like eye tracking, mouth tracking?
  
• If using a PC, are you on windows (10 or 11?), or are you planning on using Linux?

Overview between common VR headsets

The following is a general overview of common VR headsets, and the general pros, cons, and general target audience of each. If you wish to get more technical details for various VR headsets, I suggest VR-Compare.com.

Quest 1

Severely outdated, which also means it can be found used for very cheap (aim for about 50-100 USD for the headset + controllers). Too old to run most stand alone applications, but still capable of functional PC VR streaming.

- Very Cheap.
- Oled screen has great colors
- Can still do PCVR streaming

- Old, OS updates haven't come in years. Most stand alone software for meta will not run
- Low resolution
- Not particularly comfortable with its default strap
- Built in audio solution for speakers and microphone are pretty bad
- Passthrough is black and white
- Hand tracking is lackluster
- Fabric body can be difficult to clean, be cautious if buying used
- Meta headset, Meta software, Meta privacy policies. Agree to sell your soul and digital data to the Zuck

This headset is for people who have a gaming capable PC but want to spend the least possible money on a VR headset that actually works, even if it means a small amount of tinkering to get things working well, and don't care for standalone at all.

Quest 2

An extremely common headset even today. While now slowly becoming dated due to its old SOC, they still can be great for new VR users, both for standalone meta software and for PC VR streaming. They can be found used cheaply as well (I would pay no more than 150 dollars used for the headset + controllers).

- Cheap, popular
- Can run the vast majority of stand alone software well
- Can do PCVR streaming
- Resolution is decent

- Will eventually soon lose support
- Not particularly comfortable with its default strap
- IPD is limited to 3 specific settings
- Passthrough is black and white
- Mic audio is meh
- Meta headset, Meta software, Meta privacy policies. Agree to sell your soul and digital data to the Zuck

This headset is for VR newbies who have a gaming capable PC and want to a cheap VR headset with decent visuals, and / or people want a cheap headset that can play a vast majority of Meta's stand-alone titles without needing a PC at all.

Quest 3

Meta's current top of the line headset. Has their newest SOC which has a large performance jump over the Quest 2, pancake lenses that have near edge-to-edge clarity on the lenses, and Wifi 6E for better PC wireless streaming. Generally a great all around headset if you are welling to put up with Meta software shenanigans. Hard to beat feature-wise at its price point.

- Runs essentially the entire standalone library and is set to do so for years
- Resolution is good, with really good optics that are clear throughout and wider FOV
- Wifi 6E can be of great aid for better wireless VR streaming from your PC
- Good color passthrough, you can just barely use your phone or PC monitors through it
- Thinner compared to other Meta headsets

- Not particularly comfortable with its default strap (though its better weight distribution helps)
- Battery life is relatively short even compared to a quest 2 and has high current charging requirements, so be sure to buy trusted battery extenders only!
- Built in mics are still "eh"
- Particularly sensitive to low light environments, ensure your room is well lit!
- Meta headset, Meta software, Meta privacy policies. Agree to sell your soul and digital data to the Zuck
- The most expensive of Meta's headsets to buy new

This headset both caters to newbies who are willing to spend a bit more dosh, but also is a viable upgrade option for those on low end / cheap headsets to something that is all around good, though not necessarily great at any one thing.

Quest 3s

Essentially just the Quest 3 SOC shoved into a Quest 2 shell with many of the same limitations of the quest 2 optics and display. It's passthrough and handtracking however is still good, and in some situations may even surpass the pricier and higher tier Quest 3....

- Runs essentially the entire standalone library and is set to do so for years at a cheaper price
- Wifi 6E can be of great aid for better wireless VR streaming from your PC
- Very good color passthrough, hand tracking is arguably better than the Quest 3 due to the built in IR emitters

- Not particularly comfortable with its default strap
- Battery life is relatively short even compared to a quest 2 and has high current charging requirements, so be sure to buy trusted battery extenders only!
- Built in mics are still "eh"
- IPD is limited to 3 specific settings
- at this point, the older (blurrier) frensel lenses and screen from the quest 2 are a harder pill to swallow
- Meta headset, Meta software, Meta privacy policies. Agree to sell your soul and digital data to the Zuck

This headset is for those who want the latest SOC to play the latest Meta standalone exclusive titles but want to save a buck. I would argue this isn't a good upgrade path from someone on a quest 2 for PCVR streaming use since the optics are largely the same. However for new VR users, especially those interested in standalone titles, this may be a good purchase.

Quest Pro

DO NOT BUY THIS HEADSET UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE GETTING YOURSELF INTO! This headset has face and eye tracking, but also a slew of issues related to its controllers overheating and breaking after failed updates, as well as other random issues related to headset tracking, and its terrible color passthrough. Still, one of the few headsets that have quite good face tracking for both the eyes, eyebrows (this is a bit unique actually). and the mouth. In addition, the optics are actually pretty good too (and is what the quest 3 essentially copied for its own optical stack).

- Face and Eye tracking! And good tracking at that!
- You can stick you tongue out at people
- Pancake lenses with near edge-to-edge clarity
- Optional Local dimming to improve blacks (though not all users like this)
- Can technically run the vast majority of stand alone software well
- Despite being on (mostly) the same Quest 2 SOC, has WiFi 6E for better PCVR streaming performance
- Controllers are rechargeable instead of using AA batteries
- Some users really like the open gasket mode of this headset

- Infamous for having problems caused by Meta firmware updates breaking things. Broken features include passthrough lagging terribly, controllers overheating / powering off constantly, or just bricking permanently. Controllers are also expensive to replace.
- Should you have an issue, Meta support is infamously unhelpful
- STRAP IS NOT REPLACEABLE, which is very unfortunate since its often not comfortable. You can order replacement padding and headphones to make it better, however. However, the headset may feel like a helmet that could fall off with fast movements or user turns their head over 90 degrees
- Nonremovable headstrap make the headset essentially impossible to sleep in if laying down
- Even a little bit of sweat can permanently destroy the face tracking sensors!
- Battery life is not the best, especially with face tracking turned on
- Built in mics are not the best, which is funny given this was Metas attempt at specifically a social VR headset
- Passthrough is technically color, but projected onto a black and white image, and this looks terrible
- Meta headset, Meta software, Meta privacy policies. Agree to sell your soul and digital data to the Zuck

You know who you are. This headset is for  rich furry ERPer social VR aficionados who wants to make silly faces in games like VRChat (for PC, since face tracking isn't supported on VRC on Quest standalone). This headset is for those willing to put in the effort to get it to work and deal with various software shenanigans caused by Meta never QA'ing their updates. You are experienced in the field of PCVR and know what you are getting yourself into, and if so can have quite a lot of fun with this headset as it provides great all-in-one face tracking with good optics. However if you are a newbie, you should look for a different headset instead,

Rift S

The successor to the original Oculus Rift, this abandoned headset is similar to a quest 1, but is PC only. It being a native PC meta headset does mean it can play the older PC oculus VR games.

- Can be used to natively play Oculus PC games
- Can often be found very cheap used
- PCVR headset but doesn't need any external base stations of any sort

- Abandoned by Meta, meaning software is becoming out of date as its no longer maintained
- Refresh rate caps at 80 Hz
- Known microphone bug causes mic to occasionally fail, making it frustrating to use in social VR situation

Similar to the Quest 1, this headset isn't really for anyone unless you are aware of the down falls and are willing to deal with them because you got this used on a very good deal. However it being PC only and using older software may make it a bit more challenging for some newbies compared to the Quest 1.

Vive (2016)

The oldest headset on this list. Developed by Valve and manufactured by HTC, the first VR headset that popularized room-scale tracking, This dated headset has very noticeable screen door effect by today's standards, but they can be found cheap, are built like tanks, and generally just work for PCVR applications.

- One of the VR headsets of all time
- Can often be found very cheap used
- Cheap way to enter lighthouse tracked PCVR, which many users prefer for its better tracking, especially for full body tracking
- Low resolution makes it easier for lower end PCs to drive
- OLED screen has great color contrast
- Headset and controller are built like tanks
- Vive wand controllers have triggers that players of shooter style games often prefer
- Able to swap to other lighthouse tracked controllers and trackers, notably Index controllers
- Easy support on linux

- Dated, the resolution is particularly low and screen door effect is extremely noticeable
- Passthrough camera can be finicky to enable and even if it works, its pretty bad (even though its color)
- Vive wands have a control scheme that is awkward to use in many games that prefer finger tracking or Oculus style button layout (though you can swap to other controllers, most commonly index controllers)
- You must install 2 1.0 base stations in your play space for this headset to be trackable
- Only compatible with 1.0 base stations, which can only be found used and will eventually fail

This headset is for people who are on a budget today but intend to upgrade in the future to other base station tracked devices, most notably full body tracking trackers. You are fine with the screen door effect at least for now, and are intended to stay firmly in the PCVR ecosystem.

Valve Index

Likely the most common PCVR headset. Overpriced when bought new given how dated it is, yet it still holds the reputation in the community for just being so good in various areas, such as comfort, and audio quality. Not the most exciting headset anymore, but theres a reason that people are willing to RMA this device 5 times. This headset does so many "little" things right that it's not easy to compare on spec sheets alone.

- Considered very comfortable as a headset
- Great microphone and off ear earphones
- Can use Base station 1.0's or 2.0's
- Index controllers have finger tracking and button layout that works with many games
- Can be found used (or refurbished from Tundra) for a cheap price
- Valve's RMA policy is legendary, often even allowing RMAs when your warranty has long been expired
- Optics, FOV, and other specifications factors are decent
- Easy to use on Linux

- A bit dated
- Passthrough is only OK
- Requires base stations
- Arguably overpriced new by today's metrics, may be worth getting refurbished or used
- Very high failure rate (particularly for controllers and cable issue). Yes Valve has very good RMA policies but this is still frustrating

This is the headset many PCVR people have, and are happy with. Not overly expensive like newer offerings, and while you miss out on the latest optical display developments, its still around decent. Given that it requires base stations, you can get full body tracking, and the controllers with finger tracking are also great. All of these factors makes it great for VRChat and other social VR players, but this headset is plenty versatile for other PCVR uses too.

Big Screen Beyond

For comfort customized for you (as in they 3D scan your face to 3D print a custom face gasket), straight forward SteamVR compatibility, and great mic quality. In its efforts to become the ultimate comfy headset, however in doing so, it is expensive, and is missing features such as passthrough and adjustable IPD.

- Small, light and comfortable
- 3D printed custom interface for your face specifically
- Relatively high resolution, MicroOled means excellent color contrast
- Excellent microphone (some users even use this headset mic as a desktop mic as well)
- "Just Works" SteamVR compatibility

- Expensive
- Notable glare issues in very dark scenes
- FOV isn't the best, further marred by poor edge clarity.
- No speakers are included (either bring your own dac + earbuds, or spend extra on the audio strap)
- Fixed IPD significantly lowers resell value
- Face scan required using an iphone (you can borrow one as they use a webpage) to purchase
- Needs a relatively beefy PC to push at its full resolution
- FPS caps at 75 Hz on certain settings (but can go up to 90 Hz if you decrease resolution / enable compression)
- No passthrough of any sort. This can be a bit annoying when trying to pick up something IRL, like a drink
- Needs some additional work to work in most Linux distros

You are willing to drop 1k on a VR headset that you will spend most of your time sleeping in. You are a VR enthusiast who doesnt care about frills like "standalone" or "passthrough" or "adjustable IPD." You are willing to spend a lot of money on customized headset with low resell value because you are going to spend a ton of hours in it, whether awake or asleep, and want something comfortable and light to wear as you "chat" for hours with others in social VR.