What is the best VR headset to get?

[xearow]

Hey guys, this is probably a common question on here, but after doing a lot of searching I still have inconclusive results on which vr headset is the best.

I do not really care about price (Kinda expecting the whole thing to be in the $1k range) so my main limiting factors are power plugs (though obviously i can get power strips), space ( about 9ft x 7ft), and my graphics card i suppose (1070).

Also to note, my dad has an oculus quest and when I used that for like 20 minutes my eyes started to hurt so if that is something that is avoidable I would love to know which headsets don't cause that (or cause that the least).

[Uptivuptiz]

By far the best VR headset for consumers is the Valve Index.

[Rybo]

I don't think there are clear winners.  It all depends on your priorities (plus, things are constantly changing).  

For motion tracking, having cool controllers, and display refresh rate, Valve Index is the current front runner.  

I believe HTC has a higher resolution display, plus they have the wireless attachment, which is a huge selling point for many.  

I'm sure the Oculus wins something as well.  

 

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, Rybo said:

I'm sure the Oculus wins something as well. 

they lost a lot of points when they made FB account linking mandatory a few days ago

 

sad that other VR headsets cost so much

[Fasauceome]

8 minutes ago, xearow said:

Kinda expecting the whole thing to be in the $1k range

Oculus Rift S is only $400, while the Valve Index is $1000.

 

The valve Index is the highest resolution headset with the best tracking quality and accessories, but the Rift S is far from a bad headset, and generally if you're not going for the ultra premium experience I recommend it.

[xearow]

10 minutes ago, Uptivuptiz said:

By far the best VR headset for consumers is the Valve Index.

it looks like as though they are short on base stations (8+ weeks to ship), are those required to set up the "walking area"?

[Rybo]

1 minute ago, Fasauceome said:

The valve Index is the highest resolution headset 

The VIVE Cosmos Elite™ has a slightly higher resolution -- 2880 x 1700 vs 2880 x 1600 on the Index.  The Index still has a better FOV at 130 degrees vs. pretty much everyone else's 110.  

[Rybo]

Just now, xearow said:

it looks like as though they are short on base stations (8+ weeks to ship), are those required to set up the "walking area"?

They're required for everything.  The system cannot work without them.  

[Uptivuptiz]

Just now, xearow said:

it looks like as though they are short on base stations (8+ weeks to ship), are those required to set up the "walking area"?

Base stations are required for any operation so they are essential.

[xearow]

1 minute ago, Rybo said:

They're required for everything.  The system cannot work without them.  

Oh wow, so kinda dead in the water till they come up with more of those then.

[Rybo]

1 minute ago, xearow said:

Oh wow, so kinda dead in the water till they come up with more of those then.

Yeah.  Though you should be able to buy second hand base stations.  I think any IR blasting base stations will work, though you'll obviously want to do some research on that!

Also: if they're only short on base stations, they're improving.  When I got mine, the whole system was back ordered 8 weeks.  

[xearow]

2 minutes ago, Rybo said:

Yeah.  Though you should be able to buy second hand base stations.  I think any IR blasting base stations will work, though you'll obviously want to do some research on that!

Also: if they're only short on base stations, they're improving.  When I got mine, the whole system was back ordered 8 weeks.  

Yeah, it says 8+ weeks so...if i were to get the base stations from VIVE, would that affect how well the index does tracking?

[Rybo]

Just now, xearow said:

Yeah, it says 8+ weeks so...if i were to get the base stations from VIVE, would that affect how well the index does tracking?

Probably.  I'm getting my info from an old video Linus did on the topic, so I might be misremembering.  I think he had some VIVE base stations in his home and he said they'd work, but not as well.  The Index base stations are an improvement over the VIVE's.  

[xearow]

1 minute ago, Rybo said:

Probably.  I'm getting my info from an old video Linus did on the topic, so I might be misremembering.  I think he had some VIVE base stations in his home and he said they'd work, but not as well.  The Index base stations are an improvement over the VIVE's.  

Gochya, kinda sucks to have to slap down $1k for something you won't have for 2 months AT LEAST though.

[Rybo]

Just now, xearow said:

Gochya, kinda sucks to have to slap down $1k for something you won't have for 2 months AT LEAST though.

They didn't charge me until they shipped the unit.  Unless they've changed things, all you have to do is place the order to get in line.  

[SolarNova]

Currently , not an Oculus. steer clear for the time being due to the forced facebook integration and data gathering.

 

one of the Vive units would be a good choice, or u can take a shot at the StarVR.

[Uptivuptiz]

26 minutes ago, xearow said:

Yeah, it says 8+ weeks so...if i were to get the base stations from VIVE, would that affect how well the index does tracking?

My setup is the Index with Vive base stations. So far after 7 months, no complaints from me.

[centurion_08]

PSVR. Simple, easy to setup, reliable, FUN. Assuming you have a ps4.

[tikker]

3 hours ago, xearow said:

Yeah, it says 8+ weeks so...if i were to get the base stations from VIVE, would that affect how well the index does tracking?

 

3 hours ago, Rybo said:

Probably.  I'm getting my info from an old video Linus did on the topic, so I might be misremembering.  I think he had some VIVE base stations in his home and he said they'd work, but not as well.  The Index base stations are an improvement over the VIVE's.  

The Index is compatible with the old light houses. Vive light houses can track Index gear, but Index lighthouses work a little differently and cannot track Vive gear. Directly from Steam:

Quote

Base Station compatibility?

• 1.0 (HTC-branded) and 2.0 (Valve-branded) Base Stations will not work with each other in the same VR setup.
• Index will work with both 1.0 and 2.0 Base Stations.
• 2.0 Base Stations will not work with the original Vive headset or Wand controllers, but will work with the Vive Pro product family.

Unless you can get them for dirt cheap I would just wait for the Valve 2.0 light houses though.

[Warin]

I bought a Quest and I am absolutely loving it, both in stand alone mode as well as tethered using the Oculus Link software.  I get that people are ticked at needing a facebook account, but then again, it isn't like we haven't all had to create accounts to use some software or another.  Don't want to use your real facebook account or don't have one? Create something generic and just use it.  Perhaps I am more fatalistic, but I always assume that everyone is tracking everything their users so online and monetizing it, so the furor over Facebook makes me go meah.

[Sarcus]

You may want to check out the HP Reverb G2 that's supposed to be released this fall. It's been developed with the help of Valve and has similar lenses and off-ear headphones to the Index, both of which are supposed to be great. At the same time it has a really good resolution at 2160 x 2160, decent refresh rate and FOV. 

 

It does use inside out tracking so it won't be as precise as the lighthouse based headsets, but apparently the tracking does work very well and it saves a lot of upfront cost and setup time.

 

It can also be entirely powered through the computer if you have a USB-C port capable of supplying enough power.

 

I haven't tested the headset personally so I'd advise you to do your own research on the headset if it sounds interesting.