5 High Level Reviews of VR Headsets
Virtual reality can be referred to as immersive multimedia. It replicates an environment created by computers. It allows people to interact in that world with sensory experience. Virtual Reality headset is one of the most popular wearable recent technologies after the CES 2016. You can play games, watch videos and Facetime with people through the headset. Let’s discover what are the best user experience VR headsets and which one should you choose?
1. Samsung Gear VR
User experience: ★★★★★
Luxury: ★★ Samsung’s Gear VR has the best reviews in the market so far. The new version was just officially released lately. The Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg even posted a photo of himself at the VR headset press event of Samsung on his Facebook page. The Samsung Gear VR is an Oculus Rift-powered device uses a Samsung Galaxy smartphone as its processor and display. The weight is only from 318g to 393g, depending on the option with and without a smartphone inside. The new version is also designed to allow easier viewing for glasses wearers. Most importantly, there are games and short films and TV shows for the Gear VR that you can watch and play right now and right away as soon as you have one. $99, samsung.com |
2. Oculus Rift
User experience: ★★★
Luxury: ★★★ The Oculus Rift is the brand that started the virtual reality trend. The Dev Kit 2 uses a display from a Galaxy Note 3 which works out as 960 x 1080 per eye. The high resolution would definitely get you lost in the virtual worlds. The Oculus also has the touch controllers that you can hold around your wrists like Wii remotes. You can use all your fingers to control it. Picking up and manipulating objects with the Touch controllers can be really fun. It’s available to order now. $599, oculus.com |
3. Sony PlayStation VR
User experience: ★★★★
Luxury: ★★★ First demoed at the GDC 2015 as Sony’s Project Morpheus, it is now officially called the PlayStation VR. In a blog post, Shuhei Yoshida, president of SCE Worldwide Studios, said, “Our goal with VR is to deliver a sense of presence, making the player feel as though they’ve stepped inside the world of a game. The new Project Morpheus prototype brings us closer to that goal, as it improves the visual experience and tracking accuracy, both of which are critical to achieving sense of presence.” The important upgrade from the Project Morpheus includesthe refresh rate runs at a 120Hz instead of 60Hz, the number of head-tracking LEDs on the unit from six to nine, and a hook up to the Sony PlayStation 4. PlayStation VR demos at the Tokyo Game Show included Final Fantasy XIV from Square Enix, HatsuneMiku, Summer Lesson and Danganronpa VR. $TBC, sony.com |
4. HTC Vive
User experience: ★★★
Luxury: ★★★★ The HTC Vive is a steam VR headset made in collaboration with Valve at the MWC 2015. The Vive features two 1080 x 1200 screens with 90fps refresh rates and a taller than usual 9: 5 ratio that expands how far up and down you can look without moving your head. It has 37 sensors on the headset and 70 in total, including each controller, being tracked by two updated wireless infrared emitters in two corners of the room. Another big new feature is the front facing pass through camera. This isn’t used like on the Gear VR where you hit a button and just see a feed of what’s in front of you. This is much cleverer. For now, gaming content partners include Vertigo Games, Bossa Studios, Fireproof Games, Dovetail Games, WEVR Labs, Steel Wool Games, Owlchemy Labs, Cloudhead Games, Skillman & Hackett and Xunee. $799, htcvr.com |
5. Microsoft HoloLens
User experience: ★★★★★
Luxury: ★★★★★ Attention! This is a smart move! Microsoft is using the VR trend to develop something completely different from Virtual Reality. The Microsoft Hololens is half virtual and half augmented reality. It might remind you of the Google Glass, but it’s definitely not the same thing. The set up consists of holographic lenses, a depth camera, speakers, and on board processing via a CPU, GPU and HPU (holographic processing unit). It means you can look at your Minecraft world on your kitchen table, or walk around the surface of Mars in your living room. This is really getting exciting for game lovers. Microsoft is taking AR to the next level. Of course, the sky-high price would also get you excited or shocked. $3,000, microsoft.com |
To choose a good virtual reality headset, don’t forget to compare design, build, display, sound, lenses, set up and UI, etc. Of course, the market reviews are one of the most important reference to check out. The five VR headsets in the list are just part of good headsets in the market. There are more to explore in the future.