VR hasn’t changed much this year, but next year there will be a bunch of new devices
to shake things up. This video will cover both, with thanks to Kippenoma for his expert
knowledge and interest in the scene.
The best budget device is still the Quest 2. Yes, it’s Facebook. Yes, you’ll moan
about that, but it’s still undeniably the best budget Virtual Reality device, and for
just $300. Its hardware, software and tracking is all good, and is getting better. Firmware
updates have seen its refresh rate upped from 90 to 120 hz, and it now ships with 128 GB
storage which is double what it used to be. And it can be used with or without a PC, wired
or wirelessly. So yeah, moan about it being facebook, but it’s a damn good device.
But say you don’t want a Quest 2! For more money, you can get the HP Reverb G2. It’s
perhaps not such a good all-rounder, but is one of the best choices for racing and flying
simulators, thanks to its high resolution, its comfortable design, and the same audio
implementation as the Valve Index, which is excellent. A newer revision of this device
has an improved cable and tracking coverage, which remedies some of the original’s greatest
shortcomings. So this might not be the best choice for everybody, but it will be for some.
The Valve Index is still the best all-round device to get, but is more expensive than
the ones I’ve already mentioned. You get a high refresh rate, immersive field of view
and brilliant controllers, as well as the best audio out there thanks to those floating
speaker designs which I can vouch for; they produce the most convincing directional sound
I’ve heard from a computer system. However, the Valve Index requires external “lighthouses”
to be set up in your room to track your position. And it doesn’t have the highest resolution
display any more, getting beaten in that regard by the G2 and even the budget Quest 2. So
just be aware of these things if you’re considering the Index.
So these are the best options at each price segment, but there are alternatives.
The Vive Pro 2 is basically HTC’s attempt at making a Valve Index, but it doesn’t
get it all right. The display is a higher resolution, and while its horizontal view
is similar to the Index’s, its vertical view is smaller! There are also issues with
the headset’s binocular overlap, the microphones are terrible and the controllers are dated.
All that at a higher cost than the Index! Its saving grace is its resolution, its somewhat
better availability and its compatibility with Vive’s wireless adapter (Although using
that does come with a trade-off to its resolution and refresh rate).
The HTC Vive Flow is standalone, and can’t be used with PCs. However, it’s interesting
because it uses pancake lenses, which enable smaller and less bulky designs and better
quality displays. The Vive Flow is lightweight, and is adjustable so you won’t need to wear
glasses. The headset is flawed in other ways, but is a sneak-peek at the future of VR where
we won’t require such bulky or heavy designs.
The Varjo Aero prioritises visual clarity above everything else, with excellent lenses
and displays. However, it has poor field-of-view, and no audio or microphone integrated into
the device itself which is an oversight, given its price, and the device is inconvenient
to use because it’s hard to take off and lacks pass-through cameras to let you see
where you are, even when you have the headset on. At $2,000, It’s a niche product, from
a company that primarily provides VR for businesses, but you’ll know if it’s for you.
And a very recent new headset is the Arpara 5K, which comes in both a PC and standalone
variety. These are based on the compact ‘pancake’ lenses and have excellent image quality. However,
it’s too early to tell how good these devices are. They’re currently being sent out to
Youtubers to test - but there have been some questions about build quality and display
quality, so check reviews for it first.
And now we look forward to the future. Some of these may be released in 2022, others might
be later still. So treat this as a glimpse to the future instead of a roadmap of the
coming year.
The Lynx R1 is from a company that entered the VR arena to provide an alternative to
Oculus’ dominant position and closed platform. The R1 can switch between VR and AR, meaning
that you can wear it as you’re walking about, and still see where you’re going thanks
to the front cameras. The AR aspect to it means it can overlay information and 3D objects
into your surroundings as you’re travelling about. It’s one of those technologies that’s
so new that I’m struggling to imagine the possibilities of it, and how exactly all of
it’s going to be implemented in reality. There are no cables, and the compact speaker
system all makes this headset extremely small. As for how it will function as a VR headset,
its specifications look competitive with the Quest 2, and it is priced at $500.
The PSVR 2 is -finally- a second generation of VR for consoles! So far, little is known
about the headset itself, but the controllers have been shown, and look exciting. They do
away with the awkward PSVR design, and instead look like THIS, which makes them more like
conventional PC VR controllers that we’re used to. They may have adaptive triggers,
like on the PS5 controller, which means the trigger will stiffen & loosen up depending
on what you’re doing in the game to boost immersion. Also, shame on Xbox for neglecting
the VR space, after Microsoft’s fleeting foray into Mixed Reality a few years ago.
The vice president of Microsoft’s gaming division claimed that nobody’s waiting on
VR, which is odd because the Quest 2 has already shipped more units than the Xbox Series S
and X combined.
The resolution of the headset looks to be 4x that of first gen console VR, putting it
up there with the best VR devices of 2021. Sadly, not a lot else is known about the panel.
Sony recently showcased themselves testing a VERY high-resolution OLED microdisplay.
These were 8K in resolution though, so it’s unlikely these will be featured in a VR device.
But similar tech might be used, likely in conjunction with a more compact design using
the new pancake lenses. The refresh rate is currently unknown, but the first gen supported
120 hz. But obviously never reached it, because consoles.
Valve’s next gen VR headset is still unknown. But the company filed a LOT of patents before
and after the Index’s release, all of which hint at another VR device. The Youtube channel,
SadlyItsBradley, has covered a lot of these and speculates that it will have interchangeable
headstraps that serve different purposes, for example: standalone or wireless modes-
and that the screen should be using OLED microdisplays, making the device significantly smaller and
better.
And Facebook isn’t sitting still, either- as they gear up for Meta, there’s talk of
‘Project Cambria’, which will be a higher-end VR headset that’s smaller and may even do
AR. The controllers appear to be using cameras instead of physical rings for tracking, and
a patent suggests that a mirror may be used for full body tracking. More will be shown
in 2022.
Pimax is promising another VR headset, this time with a 12K model, with support for things
like face and full-body tracking, high-fov, high resolution, a new lens type, and wireless,
standalone functionality. However, Pimax has a tendency to overpromise and to underdeliver,
so wait for reviews.
And I’ll briefly mention the others:
The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, announced two VR headsets a while ago. They haven’t
come out yet, but their specs are impressive and supposedly have good field of view displays.
But we haven’t heard anything new about this for a while, so these devices might no
longer be things.
The Diver-X: HalfDive is a VR device that you use lying down, in bed! It comes in several
price tiers, but the big selling point is that you use it lying down, in bed! This means
it isn’t constrained by the same form factors as portable devices, allowing for it to be
bigger, heavier, and to provide stuff like a proper speaker setup. And it’s great news
for the physically impaired, who may be unable to use VR in a standing position.
The Huawei Glass VR headset is a very small device with a high resolution and pancake
lenses. Their first headset only had 3 DOF, but this time around it support a full 6 DOF,
making it suitable for general VR content and gaming.
Body tracking is also advancing, and a few new names and products have rolled onto the
scene. Vive 3.0 and Tundra trackers are already out, and next year StonxVR and SlimeVR should
be joining them as cheaper alternatives.
In conclusion: when it comes to VR, most of 2021 has been kind of boring, but in recent
months we’ve seen companies gearing up to release a new generation of tech, with new
lenses and display types, all of which will become more prevalent in 2022. It looks like
the coming year will be full of next-gen VR tech, and should be exciting to follow. But
if you’re looking to buy right now, Oculus remains the dominant VR company in the West,
but we may see competition from Pico Neo, a VR device that’s big in Asia. So here’s
hoping for better technology, more options, and more accessible VR for everybody.