The Best VR Headsets of 2020

What the best VR headset is, of course, largely depends on your gaming setup. Do you have a powerful VR-PC? Then it's smart to choose a VR PC-headset. But if you don't have a computer at all, you might be better off choosing a standalone VR headset, like the Oculus Quest. The space also determines the choice of the best VR headset. A headset that uses external sensors, like the Valve Index, generally needs more free play space than a VR headset with built-in sensors (inside-out tracking). On this page, we highlight all VR headsets that are on the market in 2020 and mention the pros and cons of each headset.

The HTC Vive Pro is still seen in 2020 as the gold standard of what virtual reality is capable of. The high image resolution of 2880 x 1600 pixels combined with the clear color display of the dual-OLED screen provide a beautiful and smooth display of virtual reality images. Using SteamVR base stations, you can accurately track a room up to 10m x 10m.

The HTC Vive Pro Eye is an upgrade of the HTC Vive Pro mainly intended for business VR users. The Vive Pro Eye uses new eye-tracking technology, allowing the direction of your eyes in the VR headset to be tracked. This has the advantage that the headset can display the part you're looking at extra sharp, while the image you're not looking at can remain somewhat blurred. This results in a sharper and better display of the image, which you particularly notice when you specifically look at details in a VR environment.

The HP Reverb G2 was developed from a collaboration between HP and Steam. These two parties combine the best of both in this new headset. With a crystal-clear screen of as much as 2160 x 2160 pixels per eye (as is also the case with the original HP Reverb), renewed touch controllers, and an improved design, the HP Reverb G2 is the top in the field of VR hardware.

Due to the close collaboration between HP and Valve, you can seamlessly switch between Windows Mixed Reality and SteamVR applications with the HP Reverb G2. This is a dream come true for both VR developers and avid gamers. The HP Reverb G2 also received an upgrade in terms of inside-out tracking. With the 4 built-in cameras, you can enjoy reliable tracking without the hassle of setting up external sensors.

The HTC Vive Cosmos offers a high image resolution of 2880 x 1700 pixels. The built-in LCD screen ensures that the distance between individual pixels is reduced. This minimizes the 'screen-door-effect', providing a very pleasant viewing experience. The Vive Cosmos uses inside-out tracking. This means that the cameras are already built into the VR headset. These cameras ensure that the headset knows exactly where the glasses and the controllers are in the room.

The Vive Cosmos Elite offers the same hardware specifications as the Vive Cosmos, but uses external sensors. This gives the Vive Cosmos Elite a more accurate way of tracking and offers the possibility to use the headset wirelessly. The Vive Cosmos Elite comes as a complete package with SteamVR base stations and HTC Vive controllers.

The PSVR is already an older VR headset, but offers a very nice addition to the PlayStation 4. The resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels looks good, and VR games play beautifully and smoothly in front of your eyes. A big advantage of the PSVR is that there are a number of exclusive VR games to play, such as Resident Evil 7 VR and Farpoint. Also, well-known Steam games such as Beat Saber and Superhot VR are playable on the PlayStation VR. The headset is therefore definitely recommended if you already own a PlayStation 4.

Pimax VR is bringing a number of new models of VR headsets to the market in 2020 that could be interesting for every VR enthusiast. The VR glasses from Pimax distinguish themselves from other VR glasses by the very high image resolution and spectacularly large field of view (FoV). From the entry-level model (Pimax Artisan) to the high-end model (Pimax Vision 8K X), the field of view goes from 140º to 200º. This is significantly larger than comparable VR glasses on the market. This huge field of view comes into its own especially when playing simulation games, such as Assetto Corsa or X-Plane 11.

Oculus Rift S offers a high-end VR experience for a relatively low purchase price. This makes the Oculus Rift S a very good VR headset for beginning VR enthusiasts. The Rift S fits comfortably on the head and offers good accessibility for users. You put the headset on and can start playing right away, without having to set up a complicated setup with sensors. The image resolution of 1280 x 1440 pixels per eye is good, but not special. The Rift S is characterized by its high user convenience for mainly new players.

The Valve Index has a high image quality of 1440 x 1600 pixels per eye, a good built-in headphone, and a very comfortable fit. But what really sets the Valve Index apart from the competition are the new Index knuckle controllers. These controllers offer the possibility to track each finger individually. This creates very fun effects in certain games, such as physically grabbing an object. The Valve Index uses external SteamVR base stations. With these base stations, you can accurately track a room up to 10m x 10m. All Valve hardware can be used with the hardware of the HTC Vive Pro, so it is quite possible to swap certain hardware with each other.

The HP Reverb offers the highest image resolution of any PC VR headset on this list. With a resolution of as much as 2160 x 2160 pixels per eye, the screen-door-effect is kept to an absolute minimum. HP Reverb uses inside-out tracking and is therefore very easy to use. The headset only needs to be connected to a computer with two cables, and comes with an extra short cable for direct connection to a VR Backpack PC. Due to the very high image resolution, the HP Reverb is recommended for playing simulation games and for use in business environments.

The Oculus Quest has a built-in Snapdragon 835 processor. Thanks to this powerful processor, VR games can be played completely wirelessly and without the help of a computer. The built-in inside-out tracking ensures that you can put on the VR glasses anywhere and start playing immediately. The headset and controllers have 6 degrees of freedom (DoF), allowing you to walk, turn and jump around in a VR game without any problems.

The HTC Vive Focus Plus is a standalone headset intended for the business VR market. The headset has the powerful Snapdragon 835 processor and has an image resolution of 1440 x 1600 pixels. The 6 DoF controllers make the headset good for playing VR games, but the headset is also very suitable for walking around in self-created VR applications. The Vive Focus Plus comes standard with Vive Wave software. With this software, HTC offers the possibility to easily get started with VR software development.

The Vive Focus Plus comes standard with the Vive Advantage Service. This is a license that allows the headset to be used in a commercial environment, and with which HTC offers an extended warranty for business use.

Oculus Go offers the perfect entry level for anyone looking for a first VR experience. The Oculus Go has a Snapdragon 821 processor, which is less powerful than its competitors. But what makes the Oculus Go very nice, is the very small dimensions and light weight. This makes the Oculus Go perfect for watching VR videos or giving a short VR demonstration. For this reason, the Oculus Go is widely used in business environments where no VR games are played, but where users want to look at an image or video in virtual reality.