Since kicking off the current VR revolution Oculus have released a range of headsets and each have their pros and cons. You may be wondering which VR headset you should get and what you’ll need to get it to work. Thanks to the range of headsets available VR is now accessible for pretty much anyone, whether you be a hard core gamer or a VR virgin. In this post I’m going to take you through every Oculus VR headset so you can decide which is the best one for you.
Oculus VR Headsets Comparison Table
Specs | Oculus Quest | Oculus Rift S | Oculus Go | Oculus Rift |
---|---|---|---|---|
Image | ||||
Max Field of View | 100° | 115° | 100° | 110° |
Max Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 2560×1440 | 2560 x 1440 | 2160×1200 |
Screen Type | OLED | Fast-switch LCD | Fast-Switch LCD | Dual AMOLED |
Pixel Density | 538ppi | 456ppi | ||
Refresh Rate | 72Hz | 80 Hz | 60Hz | 90Hz |
Sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope, 5 x Internal Cameras | Accelerometer, gyroscope, 5 x Internal Cameras | Gyroscope | Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer |
Tracking | 6DOF Inside Out Tracking (wireless) | 6DOF Inside Out Tracking (wireless) | 3DOF Orientation Tracking | 6 DOF Constellation camera optical 360- degree IR LED tracking |
Controllers | Second Gen Oculus Touch x 2 | Second Gen Oculus Touch x 2 | Go Pointer | Oculus Touch x 2 |
Wireless | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Weight | 570g | 610g | 468g | 470g |
Sound | Internal Speakers & Headphone Jack | Internal Speakers & Headphone Jack | Internal Speakers & Headphone Jack | Internal Speakers & Headphone Jack |
Extra Requirements | None | 8GB RAM, Nvidia GTX 1050Ti or AMD Radeon RX 470 | None | 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti / Radeon RX 470 or greater. |
Price | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price | Check Price on Amazon |
What Makes a Good VR Headset
If you are new to the world of VR you may not be aware of what makes a good headset. Let’s take a look at what the common features are and what you should be looking for.
3DOF or 6DOF
Probably the most importing acronym you should learn when looking to buy a VR headset is the difference between 3DOF and 6DOF. the “DOF” refers to “degrees of freedom” and indicated how much you can interact with the VR world. 6DOF headsets are usually considered the full VR experience as you can interact in every sense with the world by moving in any direction. 3DOF headsets are usually limited to tracking just head movements and a single controller and offer a less immersive experience. 6DOF headsets are much more expensive and are primarily designed for gaming whereas a 3DOF headset is best for watching video.
Screen Type
Many headsets utilize AMOLED screens which are considered superior to LCD screens thanks to their ability to display darker blacks, however LCD screens usually have higher pixel density. In reality you shouldn’t worry too much about the screen type as other features like pixel density and resolution have more of an impact on the visuals.
Pixel Density and Resolution
The resolution of the screen will largely determine how sharp the image displayed is. A higher resolution headset will result in a more immersive experience as the VR world will look more realistic; lower resolution headsets will reveal pixelation which may break immersion.
Refresh Rate
The refresh rate of a headset will impact how smooth moving objects appear on screen. This is more important when playing high action games with fast moving players.
Other features will depend on the headset, but in terms of quality of experience the above features are probably the most important. Let’s take a closer look at each Oculus headset, their strengths, weaknesses and what they are primarily designed for.
Oculus Quest
The Quest is the latest headset from Oculus and the first to allow full wireless 6DOF VR experience. As I mentioned previously, 6DOF allows the user to fully interact with the VR world and offers what most consider to be the true VR experience. The Quest’s lack of wires is thanks to a new tracking ststem developed by Oculus which features 6 internal cameras and a mobile processor within the headset itself.
While the Quest’s wireless credentials make it the most accessible VR experience ever, the lack of computing power means that it cannot display the more complex textures available for wires headsets. For some games the graphics are reduced and there are a few not available at all to Quest users.
Thankfully the vast majority of the most popular VR games, like beatsaber for example, are available on the Quest and a huge library of VR experiences continues to grow rapidly. The Quest features a high resolution OLED screen which easily competes with more expensive headsets, with the only downside being a rather low refresh rate which may result in some blurriness when viewing fast moving objects.
The Quest comes with two second generation Oculus controllers which allow for more accurate tracking and easy interaction with the VR world. Oculus have prices the Quest at the lowest point possible (likely making a loss on each headset sold) because they want as many people to try it as possible. If you are looking for your first full VR headset it’s hard to recommend anything else. You won’t be getting the absolute highest image quality, but you will get a very easy to use VR headset that doesn’t require anything else to work.
- Wireless
- High Resolution Screen
- Second Gen Controllers
- Huge Library of Games and Experiences
- Limited Memory
- Some Games Feature Reduced Textures
- Low Refresh Rate
Oculus Rift S
The Rift S is the most powerful VR headset developed by Oculus. The Rift S represents an upgrade from the original Rift, however it’s a modest improvement rather than a complete overhaul. The Rift S features the widest field of view, joint highest resolution screen and highest quality screen of any Oculus headset. One thing to note is the Rift S oddly features a lower refresh rate than the original. Oculus claims that this is compensated for with overall improvements to the screen. You also get the second generation Oculus controllers and no memory limit.
The Rift requires a wired tether to a laptop or desktop to work which itself will need a reasonably powerful graphics card and 8GB or RAM to work. If you have all of this then you’ll be able to experience all the VR games at their highest graphical setting. There’s no doubt that the Rift S provides the most immersive VR experience of any Oculus headset. While the price and requirements for the Rift S are higher than other Oculus options, the reward is the best VR experience Oculus has to offer.
- Best Overall VR Experience
- High Quality Screen
- Access to All Oculus VR Games
- Second Generation Controllers
- Requires Wired Connection
- Requires Powerful Desktop/Laptop
- Most Expensive Option
Oculus Go
The Oculus Go is the cheapest and easiest to use of the headsets we are looking at today. Developed by Oculus as a gateway into VR for those not sure if it’s worth the time and expense, the Go has proved to be a popular choice. The Go is a 3DOF headset which means you don’t have the same ability to interact with the VR world as with 6DOF headsets. The headset can’t detect movement other than the turn of your head. The headset can also track the Go controller which allows you to point and select.
While this limits the type of VR games available to Go users you still have a surprisingly larger amount of VR experiences to choose from. The Go is best when viewing 360 videos, watching YouTube, Netflix or playing more basic games. The screen is reasonably right quality considering the price of the headset with only the 60hz refresh rate being the low point. You Go is completely wireless so you can easily pick up and play without a laptop or desktop.
The Go is perfect for anyone who wants a taste of the VR experience, particularly if you are mostly interested in watching videos in a VR space. For anything more advanced you’ll need to look at the other Oculus options which all feature much more advanced tracking and games.
- Great Quality Screen
- Cheap and Easy To Use
- Internal Speakers
- Huge Library of VR Experiences
- Only 3DOF
- Can’t Play Many VR Games
Oculus Rift
The headset that kicked off the current VR craze. It wasn’t perfect but it still to this day provides a pretty mind blowing VR experience when used with the right software. The Rift can usually be found at quite a low price as it’s been available for a few years now. You’ll find a lower resolution screen compared to the newer Rift S and Quest and slightly less accurate tracking, but most other features remain the same. The Rift has access to the entire Oculus store and you can play anything from Skyrim to Beatsaber.
This 6DOF headset requires the same wired desktop connection as the Rift S and uses the first generation controllers, but this is justified by the lower price. While the rift is showing its age it’s certainly still worth a look if you don’t want to break the bank with the latest headsets.
- Highest Refresh Rate
- Reduced Price
- Access to All Oculus VR Games
- Lower Resolution Screen
- First Generation Tracking and Controllers
See Also: Ultimate VR Headset Comparison Table