If smartphone-based VR comes back, it will more likely be in the form of small headsets that plug into phones via USB-C for VR content, VR gaming and other uses.

A good number of the current iPhone, Android and VR app options don't even work with the old mobile VR goggles. Meanwhile, the mobile phone-based VR headset - like the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream - is basically dead. The more expensive and business-targeted Vive Focus 3 shows where more premium standalone VR headsets could evolve. Companies such as Qualcomm (which makes the chips inside most self-contained VR headsets, including the new Quest 2) are building new chips that point to a wave of better stand-alone headsets at lower prices - including ones that plug into your phone. The Oculus Quest 2 is the best VR headset right now, but you may want another option if you have a PC or PlayStation 4/5. But you still have to decide whether you want a headset that plugs into your PC or console, or choose a standalone option like the Quest (which can double as a PC headset, too). We've been impressed by Valve's VR masterpiece Half-Life: Alyx, Star Wars: Squadrons on PC, and plenty of Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR games, too. The Quest 2 also remains a strong entry point to VR that doesn't look like it will become obsolete next year.Įven better is that VR games are the best they've ever been. If you're a gamer looking to enter the VR space, the Quest 2 remains our top pick, especially with a recent increase in storage to 128GB on the $299 model, even though you need a Facebook account to use it.

In fact, the Oculus Quest 2, which is an excellent home VR console, is one of my favorite places to play games.

That's right, this incredible technology is currently best used to play video games. Sure, VR technology is advancing rapidly, but right now, perhaps its firmest foothold is in the gaming market. Meanwhile, phone-connected headsets like the HTC Vive Flow may start to pop up as well.Īll that said, VR doesn't have many practical business uses quite yet. Apple is expected to have some sort of VR/AR headset by the end of next year, too, but what it will cost or do remains a mystery. The newly renamed Meta (formerly Facebook) has a new VR headset coming next year that will enable mixed reality and face tracking (but be more expensive), and Sony is releasing its PS5-connected PlayStation VR 2, which will have its own new controllers and possibly have eye-tracking. Virtual reality tech is in a bit of a transition point.

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