9 Best VR Headsets for 2023

Straight out of the box you will notice how stylish the Oculus Quest looks. It has one of the best designs on the market and it’s durable too. At just 12 x 11 x 9cm the Oculus VR headset is also small and lightweight, making it comfortable for longer sessions.

The materials are a mixture of matte plastic, tough fabric, and comfortable foam padding. You also get Velcro straps to secure yourself. There’s no slipping or wobbling here. 

You get a 3.5mm headphone jack if you want immersive directional audio, which we recommend you use because the built-in speakers are not the best quality. 

Next, there’s the power button, volume wheel, and a focus slider all on the headset. The latter is on the underside of the device and helps you fine-tune the display to your own eyesight for optimum performance.

In the box you’ll find the hand controllers, charging cable and adapter, all the required batteries, and a glasses spacer. 

The 2 touch controllers are smooth and dare we say ‘ergonomic’. We had no trouble with the way they fit in our hands.

Setting up was straightforward and even if there’s a slight learning curve, that’s the norm for VR. As long as you take some time with the instructions and tutorials, you’ll get the hang of it quickly.

The good news is you’re not tethered by wiring and get a minimum of 2 meters x 2 meters or 6.5 feet x 6.5 feet of playing space. 

Another stand out feature is the super HD 1440 x 1600 per-eye resolution. It’s not quite a 4K VR headset but beats a lot of the competition. The display is sharp and clear and you’ll rarely experience the screen door effect.

The headset does not use the latest Qualcomm, but its Snapdragon 835 processor is still a step up from what Oculus uses in the Go. You will not have any trouble playing compatible games, apps, and videos, even if it’s not as powerful as the Oculus Rift on paper. The main downside is it only has about 2 hours of battery life.

Setting up is simple enough, requiring you to pair the app and headset. You also need to connect to a strong Wi-Fi ne2rk and calibrate the controllers, but this is all walked through for you.

Having good tracking (i.e. how the VR devices relate to your body movements in-game), is one of the most important things. After many hours of play, we found the Quest to be one of the best out there. It’s all thanks to its wide-angle sensors on the side and new ‘inside out’ technology for precise movement replication. 

You also get a fair field of view of 95 degrees horizontally and around 92 degrees vertically/up and down. 

Overall, it’s the best standalone VR headset in the UK at this price point.

At around £919, the Valve Index came out in late 2020 and is a leader in its class with great tracking, audio, and display features. It’s easily the best VR headset for PC users in the UK right now.

Looks-wise, it does not particularly stand out. You get a nice glossy finish and 2 front-facing cameras for extra tracking. On the inside is ample padding to support your head, and you can turn a dial to tighten the headband. 

There’s another dial that changes the distance of each lens to suit the distance between your pupils. In effect, this creates a sharper and more focused picture and prevents motion sickness.

The display itself is a high-quality LCD that jumps past HD to an impressive 1440 x 1600 resolution per eye. Where the Index really stands out is with its responsive and crisp 80Hz to 144Hz display. This puts it on a par with many gaming monitors. You’ll experience no lag and fast virtual reality.

Inside the box, you get the 2 ‘knuckle controllers’ for hand tracking and control. You’ll also find the base stations, which are the other sensors for tracking your movements. Place them around your playing area. 

Although we found these to work well, they’re a little dated when you consider the Oculus Rift doesn’t require any external sensors.

Meanwhile, for those with slightly older PCs, the Valve VR headset works fine on older graphics cards, including the likes of the Nvidia GTX 980. You won’t need to purchase a new GPU when you’ve just spent upwards of £1,000 on the headset. 

Of course, in the future, you probably will need that upgrade, but right now the Steam library for the Valve Index is easily handled by the hardware.

For a device with a built-in sound, it performs excellently, offering distortion-free directional audio without the need to use headphones. This is particularly beneficial when playing with friends who probably don’t want to be constantly sharing earbuds. 

We found the Index to work almost perfectly out of the box, which will give those who had older models a sigh of relief. The only real annoyance is if you move any of the base stations you will need to recalibrate.

All-in-all if you’re looking for the best VR headset for gaming on PC it’s hard to argue against the Valve Index. While it’s not perfect, neither is VR itself and the technology is still developing.

For £299 at many online shops, the Oculus Rift S is a great entry-level into PC-based virtual reality. Of course, when we say entry-level, we don’t mean the device itself is lacking. Far from it, it’s one of the best on the market. You don’t have to mess about with external tracking sensor stations, the visuals have improved this generation, and it’s backward compatible.

The Rift S connects to your PC via USB and DisplayPort, but the lengthy cable means you aren’t restricted any more than the required playing area. Alternatively, you can go completely wireless, but the poor battery life means it’s not always worthwhile.

The fit is different from the original S. We wouldn’t say it’s any more or less comfortable, rather the plastic band curves around the base of your skull and forehead this time, with padding but no Velcro. 

Now that it has gotten rid of the base stations, you get 2 front-facing cameras, 2 on the side and 1 on the top for optimum tracking. You also get handheld controllers that double as trackers. Both of these elements make for a responsive and precise VR experience. 

The controllers also have thumb buttons and joysticks which allow you to effectively replicate thumb and finger grip in-game. There is also a trigger button for your index finger, and everything is light, intuitive, and responsive.

For audio, you get directional in-built speakers to give a surround sound experience and no earpiece swapping with friends. However, the quality could be better and lacks bass. 

The display is slightly different from the older models, using a Fast-switch LCD. While you cannot change the pupillary distance manually, the software version of this setting is adequate for most people.

Combined, the display resolution is 2K 2560 x 1440 with a refresh rate of up to 80Hz, which is acceptable at this price point. It is worth noting, however, that a small portion of people will get motion sickness at this rate. We ourselves did not experience this.

We liked the fact that the Rift S is more-or-less plug-and-play. All you have to do is calibrate the sensors by drawing out the physical space you have room to play in with your controllers. Then the device will keep you within this area while playing. It took us no more than 5 minutes to set up.

Although the Rift S is technically ‘second generation’ it’s almost fully backward compatible and will play most games from the original Rift, as well as the Oculus Quest. It’s also compatible with Steam, which offers some of the best VR headset games.

Overall, the Oculus Rift S is the best VR headset in terms of value for money.

A relatively cheap VR headset for PC gaming, Oculus’ budget-level GO can be picked up for less than £200. Performance-wise it’s not too different from its older brother the Rift and it’s wireless, so you don’t have to worry about being ‘tethered’. 

In effect, it runs all by itself. There’s no need to be directly connected to a PC and you don’t need a smartphone to slot inside. This is perfect for those on a budget who want to casually experience high-quality VR without any extra messing about.

It can also lay claim to being the best VR headset for movies because it’s one of the few that supports 3D video. This adds a pop and depth perception that’s not possible with regular 360 video.

The all-gray design features soft elastic straps that fit across the top, middle, and back of your head, though that still doesn’t always prevent it from slipping down. The worst part is light can get through if you’re one of the unlucky people who cannot get it to fit properly. 

This is one of the few design flaws that has been corrected by the other Oculus models and competitor VR devices, so we’re forced to knock off half a star here.

However, we give some allowances here because everything that makes the device tick is inside the headset, so it was always going to be heavy.

Speakers sit either side of your head and are surprisingly high quality, considering how hit-and-miss implementation has been on other headsets.

You get one point and click/trigger-remote control that tracks through the virtual space. It’s not quite on par with the dual controllers you get with the Rift. It’s more apt at selecting or shooting than gripping and picking up objects.

It’s also worth emphasizing that while you can experience a 360 world and interact with things in the distance. I.e. shooting something. Unlike the more expensive devices, you cannot actually move closer to the object yourself by walking or reaching in real life. Your position is stationary or better known as ‘orientation only’.

This is great for video and simple games where the world can move around you but there aren’t any top-flight VR compatible titles. This is more for the casual user to experience VR for the first time.

However, that’s not to say the tracking you do get is off or that the games aren’t immersive and fun. You also get an impressive combined 2560 x 1440 2K display. This is 5.5 inches and has 538 pixels per inch, so the screen door effect is not very noticeable. The FOV is 101 degrees.

In the box, you get a glasses spacer so spectacle wearers can have a comfortable experience. This is accompanied by the controller, all required batteries, and a Micro USB cable for charging.

With a library of over 1,000 compatible titles that’s growing every day, the Oculus Go is the best VR headset UK consumers can buy for their first VR experience. 

You better make it quick as unfortunately the device is set to be discontinued. It’s the best budget VR headset for PC games currently.

If you’re a PlayStation console gamer, then PlayStation VR is a must-have. It’s also more affordable than many of its PC counterparts despite similar performance. It has been outselling them all since 2017. 

You can pick the headset up for £249.99 for the starter pack. There are also numerous other packs and accessories to take your PS4 VR gaming to the next level.

What immediately stands out is its excellent lineup of over 500 games. From challenging puzzle titles like Statik to first-person shooters like Farpoint to topflight games like Resident Evil 7 – there’s no lacking in quality content.

The starter pack is made up of the headset, PlayStation camera and adapter, all the required cabling (including an extra HDMI), and a set of headphones. Note, the headset doesn’t have its own speakers, so you’d need to use your own or the sound from your monitor/TV.

You’re tracked by the camera that would typically sit on top of your monitor or TV and it’s compatible with the regular DualShock 4 gaming controllers. However, if you’re serious about VR you’ll want to buy the PlayStation Move or dedicated VR controller, which comes separately from the starter pack.  

To get the most out of the device, you will need at least a 6ft by 10 ft area to play. This will allow you to move around physically in games that support it.

The headset itself is one of the more comfortable, with an adjustable and stretchable padded headband, and an ‘optical scope’. This finely tunes the display to your eyes. The in-built mic also allows you to easily chat with friends or foes.

While it doesn’t look wildly different from other VR headsets, it gives off a premium vibe and the build quality is good. 

As far as the display, it handles 1080p games and has a refresh rate of 90Hz or 120Hz depending on the game or content you’re using. It’s a 5.7-inch OLED with a 100-degree field of vision. It also boasts a locked 18ms response rate, which means you won’t notice any latency.

The headphones support digital surround sound so you can hear directional sounds and distinguish where noises are coming from in the distance. Likewise, you can hook up your own surround sound speakers for a similar experience.  

The only real downside to the PlayStation VR is it’s prone to light leakage, especially if you wear glasses.

Other than that, the PS VR headset is an excellent addition by Sony and easily rivals PC products. It also beats the lack of an Xbox VR headset.

At the higher end of the scale comes the second-generation HTC Vive, now called the Vive Cosmos. For under £700 you get a cool looking and high performing VR headset that doesn’t need external sensors.

You’ll immediately notice the more striking and colorful vibe given off by the Cosmo, with its blue patterning and logo. It fits comfortably with faux leather, foam padding, and elasticated straps. Plus, it comes with its own on-ear headphones.

Its display is a per eye, 1700 x 1440 resolution, besting the Oculus Quest and its cousin the HTC Vive Pro. Forget about the screen door effect, the image is sharp and one of the best we’ve seen. You also get a good 110-degree field of view.

Meanwhile, don’t worry about lag as it manages a 90Hz refresh rate, which is fairly standard across VR headsets right now.

The Vive cosmos does not require any external stations/sensors to track movement, it makes use of 6 cameras on the headset itself. This effectively maps your playing area and is accompanied by a set of motion controllers for hand movements and triggers.

This all connects to your PC via a small ‘link box’ that plugs into your computer via USB and mini DisplayPort. You also have to remain tethered, but you get 15 meters of cable, so you aren’t going to overstep any boundaries. 

Gamers have a good selection of content to choose from, as Vive has partnered with Steam. So, although you’ll get Vive’s own interface and store, the Steam VR library is available to you. You can buy individual games, but it might be more cost-effective to take out a monthly or yearly subscription.

The best VR headset for your phone if it’s a Samsung, the Gear VR is designed specifically for the popular Galaxy range. It uses the simple principle of blocking out the exterior world with the headset while using your phone display for 360-degree video and VR mobile games.

At less than £100, it’s one of the cheapest VR headsets on the market, but it also has its limitations. There are obviously no top-flight PC or console games and you are locked under the Samsung and Android umbrella. Nonetheless, if you have such a phone it is an affordable entry into the world of virtual reality content.

The device fits well with a familiar Velcro strap and foam padding. Your phone locks into place and connects via USB, and there are numerous buttons on the side of the headset. The focus wheel is particularly useful if you need to adjust for pupillary distance.

You also get a Bluetooth connected hand controller, so you don’t have to use the annoying buttons on the side to select things and interact with your content. This is either purchased separately or comes as part of a slightly more expensive package.

Although there’s no dedicated glasses spacer, our tester found the device large enough to accommodate their glasses anyway.

Regardless of which phone you use (Galaxy S6, S7, S8, and Note 5), the Samsung VR headset gives you a respectable 101-degree field of view at any given angle. The resolution is dependent on what smartphone you are using.

While the device is orientation-only and you cannot physically walk around and get tracked in the virtual world, it still works well for mobile games and 360-degree video. We found it comfortable and didn’t get much light leakage during an hour-long test.

In the end, the Samsung Gear VR is not for the hardcore gamer or virtual reality enthusiast. It’s aimed at casual users who already own a Samsung and want to experience a bit of 360-degree video.

That’s certainly not a bad thing, especially at less than £100 and sometimes completely free as part of various Samsung phone contract deals.

If you’re looking for the best VR headset for Android, the Gear is a worthy contender.

At £600 the HP Reverb is a strong attempt at entering the higher end of PC VR headsets, but it’s not without its faults. It can be difficult to set up, has an unusually thick cable, and tracking can be finicky. 

But.

It still might be worth your time if you have a little patience.

The headset itself is one of the comfier on the market. This is in part because of soft high-quality materials and padding, and because it weighs less than most.

It has a really sharp premium LCD screen with an impressive 2160 x 2160 per-eye resolution. Couple that with a respectable 90Hz refresh rate and 110 to 114-degree FOV, and you get a brilliant foundation for virtual reality. It also makes it one of the best for playing video and dare we say, it could be the best VR headset for porn for the same reason.

There are also inbuilt retractable headphones, a separate headphone jack to plug in your own, and 2 microphones that support basic voice commands. 

As far as the library, you have access to Windows titles and SteamVR, so HP is clearly aiming to be the best VR headset for PC. Where it begins to falter is with the tracking; particularly when moving from side to side or taking steps. You’ll notice stuttering and lag that isn’t present with rotational movements.

The device also runs on Windows Mixed Reality, which has inconsistent calibration. In one game you’ll be perfectly orientated and then in another, you’ll be way off position. This forces you to go through the settings again or to restart the game entirely. 

Once you are calibrated, it’s still a fun experience and works well 90% of the time. There are no external sensors and you can map up to 5m x 5m of playing space. However, we’re not sure the tracking performance fits the price.