VR

Standalone Headsets

• under $300: Quest 3S ($299)
• over $300: Pico 4 (€389, or about $420) / Pico 4 Ultra (€599, or about $650) / Quest 3 ($499)

Bytedance or Meta, pick your poison. The Quest headsets has larger games library, while the Pico ones have better specs for the money.

Note that the Pico 4 uses pancake lenses compared to the fresnel lenses of the Quest 3S.

The Pico headsets are not readily available in North America

PCVR

• headset
  • standard: Vive Pro 1 ($799) w/ GearVR lens mod
  • ultralight upgrade: Bigscreen Beyond 2 ($1019, $1219 w/ eye-tracking)
  • high resolution upgrade: Pimax Crystal ($1599)

The Bigscreen Beyond 2 is even lighter with much higher quality lenses compared to the original, meaning a wider FOV, less lens glare, and reduced chromatic aberration.

It also has an interchangeable face plate (Carbon Black, Nuclear Orange, or Crystal Clear), an adjustable IPD, and an option for a universal light seal.

Resolution and refresh rate seem to be the same.

• controllers
  • under $200: HTC Vive Wand ($129 $89 for V1, $199 for V2)
  • upgrade: Valve Knuckles ($280)
• base stations: HTC Vive Base Station 1.0 ($134) or 2.0 ($199)

The Base Station 2.0s have less moving parts, have better tracking (esp. for larger rooms), and support up to 4 base stations compared to only 2 for the 1.0s.