Komsomolskaya Pravda tested expensive immersive headsets and more budget options from China and brings to your attention an overview of the best virtual reality glasses for a computer in 2022
The best virtual reality glasses for the computer. Photo: pixabay.com
Virtual reality, or rather headsets for interacting with it, are becoming cheaper, and their capabilities are expanding. If earlier the technology was available only to geeks and rich people, today an increasing number of ordinary people are buying virtual reality devices for themselves. How to choose virtual reality glasses? What else needs to be considered? Which devices are right for you? We have compiled our own rating of virtual reality glasses based on performance, functionality and price.
Top 10 rating according to KP
1. HTC Vive
HTC Vive. Photo: market.yandex.ru
The best device for virtual reality at the moment.
The HTC Vive is a comprehensive device package that includes a headset, two motion controllers, and two base stations to define an entire room’s VR area. The mechanism is technically impressive, as it can track movements over a large area, not just at the user’s location. The HTC Vive also includes a set of motion controllers that are more advanced than the classic PlayStation Move, for example. The pluses include its own screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz and a total resolution of 2160 by 1080 pixels. The viewing angle is 110 degrees.
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The buyer of the headset needs to remember that the Vive needs really powerful hardware to work. HTC at least recommends an Intel Core i5-4590 processor and a GeForce GTX 970 GPU.
Oculus Rift was the first big name in the current wave of virtual reality headsets. From a technical standpoint, the helmet is almost identical to the Vive. It also includes excellent Oculus Touch motion controllers, a native screen with a refresh rate of 60–75 Hz, and a viewing angle of 110 degrees. One of the main and beneficial features of the Oculus Rift is the huge number of graphically complex 3D games. True, to run them you will also need a fairly powerful computer.
3. HTC Vive Pro
HTC Vive Pro. Photo: market.yandex.ru
For those willing to pay.
An improved version of the leader of our rating. The Pro version differs from a simple HTC Vive helmet by a larger screen resolution (2880 by 1600 versus 2160 by 1200 pixels), built-in headphones and an improved mounting system. Yes, the headset has really become more convenient than the old one, but the user must decide whether it is worth paying more than 20 thousand rubles for these innovations.
4. HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset
HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset. Photo: market.yandex.ru
Good price and reputable manufacturer.
Like most other models in the ranking, the helmet includes two LCD displays with a resolution of 1440 by 1440 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz, built-in audio output and microphone support via a 3.5 mm jack. On the plus side, you can also note the built-in tracking system, a folding display (that is, you can quickly raise the glasses above your eyes) and a horizontal field of view of 105 degrees.
5. Pimax 4K VR
Pimax 4K VR. Photo: market.yandex.ru
Budget option from China.
Despite the relatively low price, Pimax has twice the resolution of the competition. Two screens with a resolution of 1920 by 2160 pixels create a stereoscopic 4K resolution that is updated 60 times per second. Vision turns the picture into a single wide-angle (110 degrees) stereo image with a density of 806 PPI. Among the shortcomings — there is not enough external tracking system to track the movements of the whole body.
A solid middle peasant with everything you need.
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Lenovo Explorer is equipped with two LCD screens with a resolution of 1440 by 1440 pixels. The viewing angle is 110 degrees. Lenovo Explorer does not require any external sensors to track position in space. A set of integrated sensors and two built-in cameras are responsible for this. There are no built-in headphones in the device, but thanks to the 3.5mm jack, the user can use their own.
The mixed reality helmet allows you to track movements with six degrees of freedom (tracks forward / backward, up / down, left / right and turns in each of the three axes, providing a “presence effect” in virtual space). The headset is equipped with its own cameras, a pair of displays with a resolution of 1440 by 1440 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer and a P‑sensor. And the aspherical Fresnel lenses used in it have viewing angles of 95 and 105 degrees for one and the other eye, respectively.
8. HTC Vive Pro 2.0
HTC Vive Pro 2.0. Photo: market.yandex.ru
Cool, but expensive.
The main component of the set of the company’s most expensive headset is the Vive Pro helmet. It is equipped with two 3.5‑inch diagonal AMOLED screens. The resolution of each of the displays is 1440 by 1600 pixels, which provides a total resolution of 2880 by 1600 pixels. The field of view angle is 110 degrees. The HTC Vive Pro 2.0 bundle also includes two controllers and two SteamVR Base Stations 2.0. It is claimed that the system is capable of tracking user actions in rooms up to 10 by 10 meters in size.
9. Sony HMZ-T3W
Sony HMZ-T3W. Photo: market.yandex.ru
For lovers of great sound.
The main advantage of the device is that it weighs only 320 grams. To form a picture that is equivalent to a 750-inch screen from a distance of 20 meters, HMZ-T3W uses two OLED panels with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels. Another plus is that the device supports 7.1‑channel sound, while headphones with 16 mm speakers and a sensitivity of 106 dB / mW are included.
10Royole Moon
Royole Moon. Photo: market.yandex.ru
Great option for watching movies.
What distinguishes Moon from most headsets produced by other companies is its high pixel density — the specifications indicate three thousand pixels per inch. The picture is provided by two Full HD AMOLED displays with a resolution of 1080 pixels each. The set includes headphones combined with a headset, full-size, with active noise cancellation. Royole Moon automatically detects whether the movie is in 2D or 3D. In addition, headset owners will be able to watch any three Sony Pictures films from the service’s library for free.
How to choose virtual reality glasses for a computer
First of all, when buying a virtual reality helmet, you need to pay attention to the capabilities of a personal computer. It is important to understand that VR headsets work best when paired with a powerful processor and gaming graphics card with the VR-Ready badge. These helmets differ from mobile virtual reality devices in response speed and level of detail. Here are some more indicators of a powerful computer that is able to “pull” the capabilities of VR.
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video card
The video card of a computer is perhaps the key component in assembling a device under a VR helmet. In this situation, the problem of stable 90 frames per second becomes quite acute. Traditionally, 3D graphics on a computer has rather mild hardware requirements, and a figure of 30–60 frames per second is quite adequate. Therefore, first of all, the user should check the video card.
The best VR glasses for smartphones
Budget options for an initial immersion in VR, as well as more expensive options for fans of new technologies
CPU
If the user has a more or less recent quad-core processor released in the last four years, he does not need to do anything. In other cases, it is recommended to pay attention to the specific hardware requirements that the manufacturer of the VR headset makes.
Motherboard
The choice of motherboard must be approached thoroughly: it does not affect the number of frames per second in VR games, but is the basis for all other equipment. First of all, the user needs to pay attention to the quality of the motherboard being purchased, as well as the availability of the functions you need in it (for example, USB 3.1 or E‑SATA, Crossfire/SLI).