Dec 14, 2021 8:00 AM

The Best VR Headsets

Dipping into virtual reality is easier than ever—in fact, this might be the perfect time to invest.

Virtual reality was supposed to be the next big thing back in 2016 when the original Oculus Rift and HTC Vive launched. It was the tech whose time had finally arrived. Or so we thought. As it turned out, VR was still a little too expensive and perhaps too alienating to take over the gaming world. But now that everyone is talking about the metaverse, there's a spotlight on the VR scene. There are new apps and games, new hardware, and even new use cases. The Meta Quest 2 (née Oculus) is now just as useful as a work device as it is for recreation, and Vive's Focus 3 headset is targeted squarely at businesses.

It's an exciting time to be getting into VR. But before we dive deep, there's one question you need to answer: Do you want a tethered or wireless headset?

Tethered or Wireless VR?

Tethered VR gives you more graphical detail because you're hooked up to a PC. The disadvantage is that you're, well, hooked up to a PC. There's no getting around the fact that cables are awkward to deal with, especially when you can't really see them. You'll likely trip on them at some point, too. But if you're looking for absolutely top-of-the-line graphics, and you already shelled out for a great gaming PC or laptop, then you'll want to go tethered.

For most people, myself included, wirefree VR is a much better option. It's more comfortable, you don't have to worry about getting tangled up in your own cables, and it's totally portable. You can bring this kind of VR headset to any room in the house without having to lug around a PC. Plus, in the case of the Meta Quest 2, you can plug it into a PC if you want the extra graphical horsepower. Below, we feature both kinds of headsets. Take a look.

Updated December 2021: Refreshed information for the rebranded Meta Quest 2 and added Vive Focus 3, Logitech G333 Earbuds for VR, and Horizon Workrooms.

Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED

Photograph: Oculus
Best Overall
Meta (Oculus) Quest 2
Goodbye, cables. The Meta Quest 2—originally called the Oculus Quest 2 and successor to the Oculus Quest—delivers better resolution, a lighter body, and a price point that's $100 cheaper. It's such a hit that Oculus is doubling down on the Quest 2. The company's discontinuing both the Oculus Rift S and the original Quest in favor of this wired-or-wirefree model. The Quest 2 was built to be completely wirefree, but you can plug it into a powerful gaming rig with a single USB-C cable and experience the kind of ultra-high-definition VR you can only get from dedicated PC hardware.
It's also great for work. With Horizon Workrooms, you can set up your own little office space away from the office and even invite coworkers to hang out and collaborate. Plus, it still has the best-in-class app store, full of games and apps purpose-built for the Quest 2. This jack-of-all-trades approach does have some drawbacks, though. The biggest hurdle is the requirement that you sign in with a Facebook account. Not everyone is going to be comfortable with that, given Facebook's less-than-stellar history managing user data (not to mention how that data is used). If you've been waiting on the sidelines because VR wasn't simple enough, it's time to suit up—just maybe make a burner account.
Supports room-scale VR, can operate with or without a PC, and comes with two controllers
$299 at Amazon
$299 at Oculus
$299 at Walmart
Photograph: Vive
Best for Stationary VR
HTC Vive Cosmos Elite
The Vive used to be our top pick in this guide, but HTC has been slow to add new features to its headsets that make them simpler to use. Its latest headset is evidence. We don't recommend the Vive Cosmos Elite as a general-use VR headset. It offers up a high-quality VR experience, but setup with the base stations is tedious; it uses dated ports and controllers; and it's very expensive. That said, if you're setting up an entire room for VR and don't plan on moving it around, it's a good choice.
Supports room-scale VR, requires a PC, and comes with two controllers and two base stations
$899 at Amazon
Photograph: Vive
Best for Virtual Work
HTC Vive Focus 3
The Vive Focus 3 is first and foremost designed for business use. It's important to say that because it costs a whopping $1,300. It uses inside-out tracking like the Quest, so you don't need to set up external sensors or anything. It's well-built and feels comfy on the head, though it's quite bulky compared to the Quest, likely to accommodate the bigger battery that allows for 12 to 15 hours of continuous use. You can even swap the batteries out when they die.
However—and this is a big however—it's not for gaming. Not really. You can use it for gaming, with a link cable and SteamVR, but it doesn't simultaneously charge, so it's still relying on the battery. I wasn't able to get games to render at the Focus 3's full 5K resolution. This is mostly for commercial and business VR applications—conference rooms, presentations, previewing 3D models in real space, that kind of thing. We included it in this list because it is a really good headset. It's great at all the things it sets out to do. If you need a headset for 3D or AR work, this is the one.
Supports room-scale VR, can operate with or without a PC, and comes with two controllers
$1,300 at Amazon
$1,300 at Vive Store

Photograph: Logitech
Earbuds for VR
Logitech G333 Earbuds
VR gets pretty sweaty. You have a tiny computer box stuck to your head with two screens inside, all of it generating its own heat, and then there's the heat your body generates while you're exploring ancient ruins. It builds up pretty quickly, especially once you throw some headphones on for immersive audio. That's why I've come to appreciate the Logitech G333 VR earbuds. They're just regular earbuds, but the cord is extra short on one side (where it plugs into the headset) so you're not covered in loose cables. They plug into the headset and you just pop them in your ears. They provide great audio and keep your ears free and able to breathe.
$50 at Amazon
$49 at Walmart
Photograph: Steam
Other VR Headsets
Alternatives and Upcoming Gadgets
There are a few other options to know about when shopping for a VR headset.
PlayStation VR 2: We don't know that much about it, but it is expected to be announced and potentially hit store shelves this holiday season. Check back soon for more info as we hear it.
Valve Index for $999: We haven't tried the first VR headset from Valve, but the Index is another high-end option with resolution comparable to the Cosmos Elite. Unlike HTC's headset, the Index does support inside-out tracking right out of the box and uses USB-C. It supports room-scale VR, requires a PC, and comes with two controllers and two base stations.
Photograph: Polyarc
Great Games and Apps to Try
Great VR Games to Try
Now that you have a headset in mind, all you need are some games to check out. In my experience, the best VR games are the ones built around short sessions—the kind of game it's easy to pick up and put down, since everyone has different tolerances for VR. Some people can play for more than an hour, while others need a break after 15 minutes. Not every game is flexible in that way, but these are.
Vader Immortal: This game takes you on a multi-episode adventure in the Star Wars universe as a smuggler captured by the Empire. It's immersive, full of memorable characters, and the environments are absolutely gorgeous. It's available on all VR platforms.
Moss: Moss puts you in the shoes of a kindly forest spirit guiding an adorable mouse knight through her dangerous adventures. Unlike most VR games, this one is designed to be played while stationary, standing, or sitting. Moss is available on all VR platforms.
Superhot: Stylish, with a pulse-pounding soundtrack, Superhot plays like a cyberpunk action movie. You go from stage to stage, fighting faceless polygon men in slow motion. Time only moves when you move, so you can control the flow of the action and dance out of the way of bullets and projectiles. Superhot is available on all VR platforms.
Beat Saber: There's not much to say about this game. It's Guitar Hero with lightsabers, and I mean that in the best way. Beat Saber is a rhythm game, but instead of pushing buttons to match the notes, you slice them in half with glowing laser swords, and it's one hell of a workout. It is available on all VR platforms.
Half-Life: Alyx: If you're looking for a slower, more story-oriented game, then Half-Life: Alyx is worth a try. And no, it's not Half-Life 3. This game takes place between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, and it puts you in the shoes of Alyx Vance as she tries to keep the alien Combine from acquiring a superweapon. It plays a bit like a survival horror game, with scarce weapons and ammunition, but there are plenty of puzzles to keep things from being too monotonous. Half-Life: Alyx is available on desktop-based VR platforms only.
Horizon Workrooms: It's not as fun as helping a cartoon mouse navigate ancient ruins in a haunted forest, but Horizon Workrooms is a surprisingly pleasant VR workspace. It syncs with your desktop, so you can have your PC screen right there in VR; you can even have a little window through VR and into the real world in order to see your keyboard and mouse. It can be a fun way to mix things up if you're working from home, and it's a pretty enjoyable workspace if you want to hang out with your coworkers remotely for a while.

Photograph: Sonny Costin/Oculus
Finding Room for VR
Space Exploration
One of the limiting factors for VR has always been space. Where do you set it up? How much room do you need? Early on, you saw photos of room-scale virtual reality setups, or people pushing their furniture to the edge of their living room. But with headsets like the Oculus Quest 2, you can do VR in basically any room of your home.
The key to making space for VR is finding somewhere comfy and familiar. For me, that's usually my living room. I just put the headset on and find an area where I can stretch my arms out without hitting anything and go from there. Sometimes it's helpful to lay out a yoga mat, so I can keep track of where I am in space. You could say that VR only requires as much space as you'd need for a yoga routine.
Finding room for VR isn't so much about physical space as it is about finding how it fits into your life. For me, that's as a game console. I've tried keeping my VR headset plugged in beside my PC, but that usually just means I forget about it and never use it. I prefer hanging it off the back of my TV stand, plugged in, charging, and just as easy to hop in and out of as any other game console. In particular, the Meta Quest 2 is a lot like the Nintendo Switch: a great home console, but also something you can easily take over to a friend's place and set up without having to wrestle with any wires.

Jess Grey is a product reviewer at WIRED, covering all those devices that make your life easier—and sometimes much more difficult. Since her first byline in Dragon Magazine to her more recent work at Digital Trends, she’s covered a little bit of everything from crime, courts, and patent filings to... Read more

Writer and Reviewer