2016 could very well be the year that virtual reality takes off. We’ve seen preorders sell out in a matter of minutes. We’ve seen big game developers and entertainment companies show interest in the technology. But perhaps most importantly, we haven’t seen a major critical backlash from the average consumer.
Whether it changes the industry or not, we’re ready to give virtual reality a fair shake.
READ MORE: Microsoft reveals the first HoloLens apps and games as preorders officially open
Unfortunately, deciding how to go about buying your first virtual reality or augmented reality headset can be surprisingly complicated. If you want a game console, you pretty much know what you’re in for: PS4, Xbox One or Wii U. To make the choice even easier, many of the best third-party games are available on both PS4 and Xbox One.
On the other hand, when it comes to buying a VR headset, there’s a great deal more to consider. Does the headset work with my phone? Does it need to be connected to a computer? Can my computer even handle it?
These are just a few of the dozen or so questions you’ll need to ask yourself before you buy or preorder a headset. In order to make the journey a little bit smoother, we’ve collected all the best headsets on the market with price and release date information, as well as links to help you figure out whether the device will suit your needs:
Oculus Rift
- Price: $599 from the Oculus Store
- Availability: Preorders open now, begins shipping on March 28th
- Requirements: Windows 7, 8 or 10; Oculus recommends an Nvidia GTX 970 graphics card or better and at least 8GB of RAM
- Find out more: https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/
HTC Vive
- Price: $799 from HTC’s store
- Availability: Preorders open now, begins shipping on April 5th
- Requirements: Windows 7, 8 or 10; HTC recommends an Nvidia GTX 970 graphics card or better and at least 4GB of RAM
- Find out more: https://www.htcvive.com/us/product/
Samsung Gear VR
- Price: $99 from Amazon
- Availability: Available now
- Requirements: Samsung Galaxy flagship smartphones
- Find out more: https://www.oculus.com/en-us/gear-vr/
Microsoft HoloLens
- Price: $3,000 from the Microsoft Store
- Availability: Preorders open now for developers, begins shipping on March 30th
- Requirements: Internal hardware powers the device
- Find out more: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us
Google Cardboard
- Price: $15 from Google’s store
- Availability: Available now
- Requirements: Any Android or iOS smartphone
- Find out more: https://www.google.com/get/cardboard/
Razer OSVR
- Price: $300 from the Razer Store
- Availability: Hacker Development Kit available now
- Requirements: Can be run on a mid-tier gaming PC
- Find out more: http://www.osvr.org/hardware.html
ZEISS VR One
- Price: $120 from VR One’s store
- Availability: Available now
- Requirements: Any Android or iOS phone between 4.7 – 5.2 inches
- Find out more: http://zeissvrone.tumblr.com/
