Why We Picked It

The Oculus Rift was the first big name in the current VR wave, arguably because it made VR remotely affordable. Although Facebook bought Oculus and has been phasing the name out in favor of Meta for both its VR platform and the entire company's name, the Oculus roots run deep.

The Meta Quest 2 (formerly the Oculus Quest 2) is a $300 standalone VR headset as of June 4; Meta bumped the price by $100 last year, but has since cut it back down with the announcement of the upcoming Meta Quest 3. It's still inexpensive for a VR platform, though, and you don't need any additional hardware attached or cables running out of the headset. It's powered by mobile components, specifically the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, and that's enough to run compelling VR experiences. It also has an incredibly robust library of those experiences, so you'll find something that entertaining.

The Quest 2 can be used as a tethered headset if you buy the right accessory (and have a powerful PC). The $79 Link Cable is a five-meter USB-C cord that lets you connect the Quest 2 to your computer and use it just like the Rift S to play PC-specific VR games like Half-Life: Alyx. The cable is expensive, but considering most tethered-only PC headsets are still more expensive than the Quest 2 with the cable, it comes out ahead in value even after adding the accessory.

Who It's For

Simply put, the Quest 2 is for anyone interested in playing in virtual reality. It's relatively affordable, has plenty of games and software, and you don't need to plug it into anything except to charge its battery. It's easily the most accessible VR headset, so it's one we can readily recommend to almost anyone. If you want the most advanced graphics and are willing to spend two, three, or four times as much on a headset, and at least that much again on a powerful PC, this might not satisfy you. For everyone else, though, it's an ideal entry point into VR.

The Meta Quest Pro is a more advanced standalone VR headset in every way, but for the price of that you can get three Quest 2's and a Nintendo Switch on top, so it's not nearly as feasible a choice for most consumers.

Meta has also teased the headset's follow-up, Meta Quest 3 , which comes out this fall. The new headset will retail for $499, and feature a slimmer design and better processor and display. Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman reportedly got hands-on with the new headset . The upgraded hardware might be worth the wait and larger price tag, but we'll have to see for ourselves. If the Meta Quest 2 remains available after its launch, that headset might remain our recommendation just for its still-lower price.

Why We Picked It

The PlayStation VR 2 is a significant upgrade over the original that combines the PlayStation 5's power with new eye-tracking and motion-control tech that makes VR games even more immersive. Plus, the lightweight headset has impressive specs, including a sharp OLED display that delivers a 2,000-by-2,040-pixel picture to each eye.

Who It's For

The PS VR2 is for gamers willing to go all-in on Sony's next-generation vision of virtual reality. After all, the headset's not inexpensive at nearly $600 and it lacks backward compatibility with original PlayStation VR games (which is why that model is still on this list). However, this comfortable and impressive hardware has a strong launch library that includes Horizon: Call of the Mountain and the Jurassic World Aftermath Collection.

Why We Picked It

Valve's PC-tethered VR headset is pricey, and on paper it doesn't stand out much from the competition. The headset is just one part of the VR experience, though, and the Valve Index really impresses because of the other major component: the controllers. They're revolutionary, able to rack individual finger movements and make games (that take advantage of the feature) much more immersive than the standard trigger grips on other controllers. It's amazing to see your fingers wiggle in Half-Life: Alyx.

The headset itself, while not outstanding, still offers crisp, smooth graphics with a high refresh rate, too. The system integrates with Valve's Steam store through SteamVR, so there's an incredibly large library of VR games, even if only a tiny fraction might bother with the finger support.

Who It's For

This is the go-to VR headset for use with PCs, thanks to its strong performance and revolutionary controllers. If you're just starting with VR on PC, go with this one. If you already have a SteamVR-compatible headset, though, such as the HTC Vive, Vive Cosmos Elite (not the regular Cosmos), or Vive Pro 2 along with their base stations, you can buy the controllers for $280 to breathe new life into your VR experience without investing in the full Valve Index system.

Why We Picked It

This advanced, semi-consumer VR headset targets both enthusiasts and professionals with the sharpest picture available at 2,448 by 2,448 pixels per eye. It easily offers the best visuals we've seen in VR so far, though at a hefty price: The headset alone is $799, and that doesn't factor in the base stations and controllers (but on the bright side, you can use the Valve Index controllers with it).

It works with SteamVR just like the Oculus Quest 2, and has its own VR software store in the form of Viveport. The store offers the subscription-based Viveport Infinity service that provides unlimited access to VR experiences, instead of a la carte software purchases. That's a nice bonus outside of SteamVR.

Who It's For

If you want the best VR experience available without diving into pro-level extremes, the Vive Pro 2 combined with Valve Index controllers is the combination to go with. It'll cost you at least $1,300 before factoring in a PC with the specs to take advantage of the headset's power, but you'll enjoy amazing visuals and controls.

Why We Picked It

We love the Meta Quest 2 for presenting a powerful VR experience without any cables. It helps that it's relatively inexpensive, but its hardware is also aging a bit. The Meta Quest Pro addresses the latter point at the literal cost of the former. Its display is better, its controllers are better, its processor is better, and it features eye and face tracking. It's also over three times the price of the Quest 2, which is why the "Pro" part is in the name.

Who It's For

This is for professionals who need a capable VR headset for collaboration and processing-heavy work, and for enthusiasts who want to play with eye and face tracking (and a more powerful processor than the Quest 2) before Meta releases the teased Quest 3 next year.

Why We Picked It

Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality platform has been dwindling for a while, since HTC and Valve offer much larger VR games and software libraries. As a result, the previously WMR-specific HP Reverb has been reworked into the SteamVR-friendly HP Reverb G2. It's pricey compared with the Oculus Quest 2, but it's more affordable and easier to set up than the Valve Index for a tethered-only VR experience. It also features a high resolution for the price, at 2,160 by 2,160 for each eye.

This middle ground is appealing if you want to try PC-tethered VR gaming without spending a ton of money. It also uses camera-based tracking, so you don't need to set up base stations like you do with the Index or Vive Pro 2.

Who It's For

Give this one a shot if it's on sale, and you want to experience crisp VR on your PC. The Oculus/Meta Quest 2 is a better overall pick, since it costs less money and you can also use it with a computer, but the Reverb G2 offers a slightly sharper picture.

Much more expensive than the Oculus Quest 2, even when factoring the optional cable for PC tethering Windows Mixed Reality is almost completely dead as a VR platform

---

Which VR Headset Is the Best?

Modern VR headsets now fit under one of two categories: tethered or standalone. Tethered headsets, such as the HTC Vive Pro 2, PlayStation VR, and Valve Index are physically connected to PCs (or in the case of the PS VR and PS VR 2, a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 ). Their cables makes them a bit unwieldy, but putting all of the video processing in a box that you don't need to directly strap to your face means your VR experience can be a lot more complex. Either external sensors or outward-facing cameras provide full 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) movement tracking for both your head and your hands, thanks to motion-sensing controllers.

The least expensive tethered options are currently around $400, and that's before you address the processing issue; the HP Reverb G2, Valve Index, and Vive Pro 2 need powerful PCs to run, while the PS VR requires a PlayStation 4 and the PS VR2 requires a PlayStation 5.

Standalone headsets offer the greatest physical freedom by completely removing the cables and not requiring an external device to handle processing. The Oculus/Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro both use similar outward-facing cameras to the now-discontinued Oculus Rift S to provide 6DOF motion tracking, and similar 6DOF motion controls. They lack a dedicated gaming PC's processing power on their own, but their high-end mobile processors (especially the Quest Pro's Snapdragon XR2+) push detailed, smooth graphics. They also support PC-tethered VR with an optional cable.

Apple Vision Pro (Credit: Apple)

There are two more major headsets to look forward to further down the line. Apple just announced the Vision Pro , a $3,500 AR/VR headset scheduled to come out early next year. It seems technically impressive, with at least iPad Pro-level hardware and features like eye-tracking and iris-scanning. It's really expensive, though, and whether or not developers support it is a big question mark.

Meta has also teased the Meta Quest 3 , which is a $500 standalone headset with better specs than the Meta Quest 2. Not many hard details have been released, but we'll find out more this fall.

If you aren't sure whether the PS VR2 or the Meta Quest 2 is a better pick for you, check out Sony PlayStation VR2 vs. Meta Quest 2: Which Virtual Reality Headset Is the Best?

---

Which VR Headset Is Best for the Metaverse?

The rebranded-to-Meta Facebook is Quest 2 and Quest Pro has devices to explore their "metaverse," which is still fairly ill-defined apart from a few specific apps under the Meta Horizon name. It's still a vague concept, and recent shake-ups in Meta leave the metaverse's future in question, but the Quest headsets will likely be a jumping-off point. Our metaverse guide will help you understand what's happening, based on the few available details.

---

The Best Augmented Reality (AR) Headsets

You might have seen other headsets pop up over the last few years, including the Microsoft HoloLens and the Magic Leap One . They aren't on this list for a few reasons, but the biggest one is that they're augmented reality (AR) headsets, not virtual reality headsets. And yes, there's a difference .

Basically, these AR headsets have transparent lenses that let you look at your surroundings instead of completely replacing your vision with a computer-generated image. They project images over whatever you're looking at, but those images are designed to complement and interact with the area around you. You can make a web browser pop up in the middle of a room, for instance, or watch animals run around your coffee table. It's fascinating technology that could hint at the future of computing .

The emphasis here is on the future, as in several years away. That brings us to the second biggest reason the HoloLens and Magic Leap One aren't in this list: They aren't consumer products. Both devices are purely intended as development hardware, so AR software can be made for their platforms. Considering each headset costs several thousand dollars, you shouldn't expect a large library of AR experiences for a while. Outside of specific enterprise and education uses, AR headsets are an early adopter playground at best, and not for most people.

With that in mind, we'll continue to track the best new VR headsets as they are released, so make sure to check back soon for updates. And after you find the right headset, check out our best VR games list.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.