PC VR Headset in 2020

[Mantorok]

I'm looking into a VR headset for PC, my specs are:

Ryzen 3700X
GTX 1660 Super (6Gb)
32GB RAM

Whilst I can say money isn't too much of a factor the Valve Index (with everything) woudl only be considered if it's worth it. I've looked at the following but I'll be honest I'm still a little confused by what to go with:

• Oculus Rift S
• Oculus Quest
• HTC Vive
• Valve Index
• Others?

I've been advised that the Rift S is a very good choice and affordable, but when you could get an Index with Controllers for around £200 more it's making me reconsider. Ideally I don't want something that's going to become obsolete in a couple of years.

 

[shaneo632]

Rift S is really, really good. The setup is super fast which is a major + for me.

 

[@TheFriendlyBro]

I've got both the Rift S and Quest, I'd say go for the Quest.

When you need it to be tethered it can be with a link cable (or whatever third party one works) and you can experience completely tether free VR gaming. Best of both worlds.

 

[Nyrad]

I wouldn't invest in something with Outside-In tracking if you can avoid it. The Rift S seems like a good choice if you are in the right IPD range. I'm still using a CV1 and i'm ready to upgrade to the next Generation whenever that maybe (maybe the rumored new Headset from Oculus?).

 

[ghostcrew]

Rift S is a beauty but if you can get hold of a Quest you're gonna have the advantage of having it fully wireless to use away from your PC but also acting like a normal Rift when you plug it in.

It's what I'd go for if I didn't already have a Rift.

 

[DFElias]

I'd go with the Rift S. Valve Index is nice but the upgrades aren't worth the increase in price if you ask me. (I have a Rift S and I know someone who has an Index). While the Quest can be used wirelessly, it's not nearly as comfortable as the Rift S.

 

[Samiya]

Samsung Odyssey Plus is a quarter of the price and has top-of-the-line image quality with an amazing reduction of the screendoor effect. It also doesn't need lighthouses to set up.

 

[Marcus Aurelius]

For you, Rift S every day of the week

 

[Chivalry]

Index isn't worth the premium. It's great, but Rift S or Quest are the better value. But honestly, just wait for now. New headsets should come out soon enough.

 

[defaltoption]

I'm looking into a VR headset for PC, my specs are:

Ryzen 3700X
GTX 1660 Super (6Gb)
32GB RAM

Whilst I can say money isn't too much of a factor the Valve Index (with everything) woudl only be considered if it's worth it. I've looked at the following but I'll be honest I'm still a little confused by what to go with:

• Oculus Rift S
• Oculus Quest
• HTC Vive
• Valve Index
• Others?

I've been advised that the Rift S is a very good choice and affordable, but when you could get an Index with Controllers for around £200 more it's making me reconsider. Ideally I don't want something that's going to become obsolete in a couple of years.

Click to shrink...

Imo the only two options you should be looking at is the quest or the valve index. The quest if you're looking for the most value and pretty good experience. The index is you're goal is a no compromise best of the best experience. What I would personally buy is the quest because while it's not as good in any single area the price difference means that in a couple years I won't feel as bad that my headset isn't the latest and greatest on the market since new headsets will always be light years better since the tech is so new and fast moving and with the savings I could put towards the new headset when that comes out. But if money is no object or you're not worried about the future improvements then the index is better in every way but wires.

 

[RedShift]

I got the RIft S and it's been great, would definitely recommend if you don't want to spend loads on the Index and the portability of the Quest isn't a big pull for you.

 

[Charpunk]

I'm really digging the Quest now that a lot more cables work for Oculus Link.

 

[DuppoloGAF]

wait till end of this year

 

[OtisSpunkmeijer]

I got a Rift S for Half-Life Alyx and aside from some early issues (completely unrelated to the Rift S and entirely related to my AMD drivers) I can confidently say the Rift S is an awesome, straight forward choice.

I tried some of the HTC devices before buying anything and found they do not compare in terms of comfort both controller wise and head set.

I would have got the Index if Valve sold it in my country, but honestly after getting the Rift S I can't imagine upgrading to an Index even if Valve did start selling here.

 

[VAD]

I bought a Quest last year after already having a regular Rift. The ability to quickly set up your headset with inside out tracking and the flexibility of Oculus link mean you can get the best of both worlds. Word of warning, the Quest can be uncomfortable after a while due to its weight.

 

[Mendrox]

Get the Quest. Without a doubt it's not the technically best headset, but you can play anything wirelessly without having to buy anything else and it almost works out of the box immediately. This is the game changer for many and was for me even though I loved my PSVR.

 

[Defect]

I still love my Vive but I bought the Index controllers in December because of Half Life. I'd say that's a good combo but maybe the Index headset is more comfortable?

 

[Zor]

I've got both the Rift S and Quest, I'd say go for the Quest.

When you need it to be tethered it can be with a link cable (or whatever third party one works) and you can experience completely tether free VR gaming. Best of both worlds.

Click to shrink...

I second this, I bought the Quest back in November and it's been awesome ever since. And you don't have to shell out the £89 on the official Oculus Link cable to get Link to work either.

 

[Mantorok]

wait till end of this year

Click to shrink...

I think that might be wise, if there are new revisions coming out I can definitely wait, and tbh I prefer to buy indoor tech during the winter months.

 

[Mantorok]

Those that are suggesting Quest, there's 2 versions (64 or 128Gb) - I don't know what the average size of a VR game but for $100 is it worth the extra?

 

[Zor]

Those that are suggesting Quest, there's 2 versions (64 or 128Gb) - I don't know what the average size of a VR game but for $100 is it worth the extra?

Click to shrink...

I went for the 64gig version and haven't had any issues. The dedicated Quest games haven't been that huge and anything you buy to use with Oculus Link (say Asgard's Wrath or Half-Life: ALYX) will be downloaded onto your PC rather than the headset.

 

[1-D_FE]

I'm looking into a VR headset for PC, my specs are:

Ryzen 3700X
GTX 1660 Super (6Gb)
32GB RAM

Whilst I can say money isn't too much of a factor the Valve Index (with everything) woudl only be considered if it's worth it. I've looked at the following but I'll be honest I'm still a little confused by what to go with:

• Oculus Rift S
• Oculus Quest
• HTC Vive
• Valve Index
• Others?

I've been advised that the Rift S is a very good choice and affordable, but when you could get an Index with Controllers for around £200 more it's making me reconsider. Ideally I don't want something that's going to become obsolete in a couple of years.

Click to shrink...

£200 difference how? Unless you already own a Vive, it's a whole lot more expensive than that. The Valve Index doesn't work without base stations. And you need two for anything that isn't seated. The HMD/Controller bundle is only for people who already own basestations from their Vive purchase.

Those that are suggesting Quest, there's 2 versions (64 or 128Gb) - I don't know what the average size of a VR game but for $100 is it worth the extra?

Click to shrink...

Not unless 100 dollars is meaningless to you. The game sizes are small. You can store a ton on it. As for media, it's a lot easier to just stream media from your PC to your Quest. The only compelling reason was if you traveled a lot and wanted to store a ton of media on the headset itself. But, you know, 2020 happened and that's not much of a selling point these days.

 

[Alaxend0l]

It depends on what you're looking to use it for. If you plan to use the quest wirelessly untethered to a pc more often, then get the quest. If you plan to use the rig you already have more often, the Rift S is for sure the better buy as it's way more comfortable (imo). Or if you can wait there'll be more VR headsets coming soon enough.

As for the index, I haven't tried it yet, but I'd be surprised if it's worth the extra $600 over the rift s. Then again, I only really play beat saber in vr nowadays, so I dunno.

 

[gothmog]

Get the Quest. It gives you the most flexibility and the wireless aspects are game changing IMO.

 

[Mantorok]

£200 difference how? Unless you already own a Vive, it's a whole lot more expensive than that. The Valve Index doesn't work without base stations. And you need two for anything that isn't seated. The HMD/Controller bundle is only for people who already own basestations from their Vive purchase.

Click to shrink...

Ok, then it's £500 more, thanks for clearing that up.

 

[PS9]

Rift S.

 

[jimboton]

Unless you really want the standalone functionality, I'd get a Rift S over a Quest. Way more comfortable over extended periods of play, better image quality, less input lag, one more camera for better tracking and usually cheaper.

 

[1-D_FE]

Unless you really want the standalone functionality, I'd get a Rift S over a Quest. Way more comfortable over extended periods of play, better image quality, less input lag, one more camera for better tracking and usually cheaper.

Click to shrink...

It's really what you prioritize. In Quest's favor are better screens for contrast and IQ. And while virtual desktop may have some lag added to it, wireless VR >>>>>>>>> leashed VR for many people. The comfort can also be easily modded out. It's not like being stuck with LCD screens and just having to learn to live with it. This is an easy solution (for it's biggest con).

 

[Beer Monkey]

Unless you really want the standalone functionality, I'd get a Rift S over a Quest. Way more comfortable over extended periods of play, better image quality, less input lag, one more camera for better tracking and usually cheaper.

Click to shrink...

Gives me headaches. I have a 69mm IPD.

 

[Wollan]

If you can afford to buy both a Quest + HTC Deluxe Audio Strap then that's the best option.
Otherwise the Quest is just too uncomfortable for long term play (30+ minutes) and I would recommend a Rift S.

 

[Vlodril]

I got the rift s a couple of months ago. The Index wasn't available and alyx was coming out. I got it for 550 so half the price of the Index and it got here the next day. I would definitely recommend it. A nice piece of kit, its comfortable and the few games i have played made me a believer in VR. After a couple of years if there are enough advancements i can jump into another headset but for now its relatively cheap and pretty good in specs.

 

[Failburger]

Quest! Cordless is life! Now if they only made it more comfortable to wear without having to hand weights off of it.

 

[Mantorok]

When everyone says Quest is no good for longer sessions, what is uncomfortable about it? Is it the weight of the headset that starts to become painful on the head/neck etc.?

 

[LuckyLactose]

Gives me headaches. I have a 69mm IPD.

Click to shrink...

How does one go about measuring this?

 

[Synth]

When everyone says Quest is no good for longer sessions, what is uncomfortable about it? Is it the weight of the headset that starts to become painful on the head/neck etc.?

Click to shrink...

It's VERY front heavy, so the weight sits pressing against your face (forehead and around the nose area). It makes it very fatiguing to use for longer stretches of time.

 

[cakely]

Valve Index is worth every penny.

 

[1-D_FE]

It's VERY front heavy, so the weight sits pressing against your face (forehead and around the nose area). It makes it very fatiguing to use for longer stretches of time.

Click to shrink...

This. It's the weight on your face. This is what the comfort mods do (my favorite is the DAS and 200gram counter weight). It pulls the weight off your face. If you do that, it becomes very comfortable to wear.

 

[hydro94530]

Had to get rid of the Quest myself. It's way too front heavy and gave me a headache very quickly. Couldn't play more than 45 minutes without feeling the pain. The pain was evidenced by the severe goggle face I had after taking them off lol. They need to distribute the weight better somehow in the future but otherwise would have loved to have kept it.

 

[Scuffed]

A Quest or a Rift S are the best value and they aren't so expensive that when the crazier shit comes out in a year you can entertain getting it.

 

[sirap]

Quest + Counterweight + Virtual Desktop

 

[Midnight Train]

The Valve headsets really are the cream of the crop. The Oculus headsets are great, can't go wrong. But the Index is the premium experience atm.

 

[medyej]

If you only care about PCVR then the Rift S is the way to go. Measure your IPD first though to make sure you fit within it's range, as it doesn't have a physical IPD adjustment.

The Quest with Link is a great choice as well, but only if you are going to be doing standalone VR like showing off stuff to friends and more exercise oriented games like Beat Saber. The thing about the Quest is it's an amazing device but like others have said it's not comfortable for long sessions unless you do some mods like the Frankenquest and counterweight. It's got a great oled screen and physical IPD adjustment though.

 

[jimboton]

It's really what you prioritize. In Quest's favor are better screens for contrast and IQ. And while virtual desktop may have some lag added to it, wireless VR >>>>>>>>> leashed VR for many people. The comfort can also be easily modded out. It's not like being stuck with LCD screens and just having to learn to live with it. This is an easy solution (for it's biggest con).

Click to shrink...

tbh I've never seen anyone argue that Quest's IQ overall is better than Rift's when using it with a pc, being that there's video compression involved and all, but I guess screen contrast is indeed higher.

Fair enough if wire-less is more important than lag-less for you, for me personally it is not. With a decent cable suspension setup cable management is a non issue for my modest 2.8 * 2.2 m play area. Maybe if I had a huge ass space for vr (I wish).

Gives me headaches. I have a 69mm IPD.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I forgot about that. If you don't have an IPD in the 61-65 range or so it's probably not the right headset for you.

 

[Dreamwriter]

I'm a big fan of Pimax headsets, though they are extremely pricey and not quite as "polished" as something from Valve or Oculus. Pimax gives the biggest field of view by far of any consumer headset, up to 200 degrees diagonal/170 degrees (compared to around 100-110 for most other headsets, up to 130 for Index if you are able to get your eyes mashed up as close to the lenses as possible). It really immerses you, after using Pimax headsets, going back to others is like looking through binoculars. Pimax headsets also have huge "sweet spots", the part of the lens where the image is sharpest.

The best Pimax "bang for your buck" is the Pimax Artisan, which is roughly the same price as a Valve Index once you include sensors and Index controllers (Pimax headsets use Vive tracking and controllers). For a higher resolution with no "screendoor effect", the Pimax 8k+ is great, though pricey ($1400 with Index controllers and base stations). For truly top of the line, the Pimax Vision 8K-X is $1300 without controllers/base stations, but is a true 4k resolution per eye - which is pretty much the best you can get for things like Virtual Desktop.

The lowest-end/easiest to obtain of the modern Pimax units is the Pimax 5k+, which is still really good, but as it is their older model it isn't as comfortable to wear, and the plastic casing isn't quite as robust.

 

[1-D_FE]

tbh I've never seen anyone argue that Quest's IQ overall is better than Rift's when using it with a pc, being that there's video compression involved and all, but I guess screen contrast is indeed higher.

Fair enough if wire-less is more important than lag-less for you, for me personally it is not. With a decent cable suspension setup cable management is a non issue for my modest 2.8 * 2.2 m play area. Maybe if I had a huge ass space for vr (I wish).


Yeah, I forgot about that. If you don't have an IPD in the 61-65 range or so it's probably not the right headset for you.

Click to shrink...

I actually watch quite a few movies on it (3D in particular), and yeah, I'll take pentile OLED over the RGB Go/RiftS every time. I can tune out the pixel structure after 5 seconds. It's only an issue if I want it to be. The contrast, however, is amazing. Especially movies that aren't always brightly lit. Dark movies in 3D tend to be an awful combo, but it's amazing with OLED VR.

There's also quite a bit of stuff in VR that's dark in nature. Some of it's native, some of it's PCVR. But the screens are definitely a huge benefit. The drawbacks for Quest and PCVR, at the moment, is the limited bandwidth the Quest can decode in real time. This isn't a result of the screens, though. IQ would be even worse with the RiftS/Go screen (IMO).

I had the Vive for three years (plus DK2 for even longer) and always loved the concept of VR more than VR itself. Quest changed that for me. Having a cord constantly dragging against my neck is the ultimate presence destroyer for me. It just feels like I'm constantly being fucked with and can never totally buy in with it.

 

[Mantorok]

So I'm gettting a good idea here of pros and cons here, but when people say Index is the best, is it resolution? comfort? controllers? I guess I need to know if the differences are going to wasted on me or not (although as a first timer to all this I'm leaning towards the Rift).

 

[cakely]

So I'm gettting a good idea here of pros and cons here, but when people say Index is the best, is it resolution? comfort? controllers? I guess I need to know if the differences are going to wasted on me or not (although as a first timer to all this I'm leaning towards the Rift).

Click to shrink...

Resolution, comfort, audio, tracking, Ipd adjustment and the best VR controllers.

 

[MaLDo]

Index is much better. I'm in awe everytime I use it.

 

[Synth]

So I'm gettting a good idea here of pros and cons here, but when people say Index is the best, is it resolution? comfort? controllers? I guess I need to know if the differences are going to wasted on me or not (although as a first timer to all this I'm leaning towards the Rift).

Click to shrink...

The Index's main advantages over a Rift S would be:

Higher FOV
Higher refresh rates / fps
Impressive built in audio solution

I honestly wouldn't recommend it given the price delta however. Whilst it's the best headset of this generation of devices, it is still clearly part of the same generation of headset as the Rift S, and is nowhere near justifying more than twice the price. Also, based on the GPU you have, you would likely struggle to run much of the biggest VR titles at a level that actually complements the headsets advantages. Rendering a wider view at higher framerates obviously has the same performance considerations you'd have to consider with buying a higher res and higher refresh monitor.

 

[SimpleCRIPPLE]

Get the Quest - it's just so flexible.

1. Native Quest games are surprisingly good and you can't beat the freedom of wireless
2. PC VR games using a USB cable and Link works really well (it now works with the cable that's included with the Quest)
3. PC VR wirelessly works shockingly well considering it's a third party solution. Not as well as tethered + Link, but good enough for most. I've been playing through HL: Alyx this way.
4. Facebook / Oculus seem focused on the Quest. Since launch, the Quest software has received a ton of new features and updates, while the Rift S is just kinda there and cruising along.

The Rift S is definitely more comfortable without any mods, but I bought both and returned the Rift S after comparing the LCD to the Quest's OLED. The better colors / contrast, plus full wireless freedom, was just too good.

Also, at least in the US, the Rift S is $200 and a full Index system with Headset, controllers, and Lighthouses is like $1000. It's a pretty big jump.