Virtual Reality: What’s the headset for you?

We regularly receive VR briefs and undertake VR projects with an ever increasing regularity. However, our clients often ask us what headset options are available to them and what benefits and drawbacks each one has for any given experiential campaign or event.

So we’ve put together a brief overview of the four most popular and widely used headsets on the market.

New virtual reality headsets are popping up left, right and centre, and their developers are revolutionising the gaming and entertainment industries with their astonishing technological experiences. There are now two fully featured VR headsets on the market, and a number of others that turn the average smartphone into a virtual reality experience.

If you are yet to be enlightened, VR is an immersive experience which tracks your head movements in a three-dimensional world. This computer generated environment is viewed, explored and manipulated through a headset.

With so many VR headsets hitting the mainstream in 2016, it can be a confusing choice. We’ve cut to the chase and put together a selection of the best devices for varying budgets to help make the decision a little easier.

Oculus Rift
The headset that kicked off the eruption of virtual reality technology. The Rift is a remarkable piece of kit which uses an immense 2160 x 1200 resolution, works at 233 million pixels per second, and matches the HTC Vive with a 90Hz refresh rate.

It plugs into your computer’s DVI and USB ports and tracks your head movements to provide 3D imagery on its stereo screens. It’s ability to access the power of the latest PCs, rather than appropriating those of a smartphone, means it will have access to a lot more pixels and therefore the visual display is a much higher quality.

Your computer, however, needs to be high spec with a lot of processing power. Sorry, no laptops or Macs for now! To be guaranteed the best experience, you’re going to need to spend at least ￡750 on a new desktop. If you are a big-budget gamer or video editor, or already have a good computer, then the Oculus Rift could be the headset for you.

Oculus has very thorough experiences alongside gaming features, but it can only let you move a few feet in any direction, and this requires multiple tracking cameras. The Vive wins in this category, however the Rift does come in at ￡150 less.

*￡450
oculus.com

HTC Vive
Similarly to the Oculus Rift, this headset runs off of an external computer or game console. The best-quality VR experiences just can’t be powered by a mobile phone. The experience is created with two 1080p screens and 70 sensors which produce 360-degree head-tracking. Latency, which is the technical term for the effect that causes motion sickness, is kept down with a 90Hz refresh rate.

The headsets on the more expensive end of the scale are more comfortable than their more economical counterparts, and they are also much better at blocking out light. HTC’s software partnership with Valve means you have access to their extensive gaming library, so you’ll have plenty to play with on your new headset.

One controversial downfall, is the need to mount some sensors in your home to allow the Lighthouse room tracking to work. This, however, allows you to move around with the headset on and the effect is beyond belief. It is definitely the most freedom available from any headset. It even has a “chaperone” system that turns to a camera to show you when you’re getting close to a real-world object.

The Vive is an expensive high-end option, and is intended mostly for early adopters. The Vive is the most complete VR experience on the market. The price will come down over time, but that won’t be in the near future. However, if you’ve got a space ￡600 burning a hole in your pocket or just can’t wait, in our opinion it’s worth every penny.

*￡600
htcvive.com

Samsung Gear VR
This is the most sophisticated mid-range headset on the market. The Gear VR is a case that uses a Samsung Galaxy smartphone as its processor and display. It’s as simple as slotting the handset in front of the lenses, into a Micro USB dock, and it uses its super AMOLED display as your screen.

The visuals are good but aren’t a patch on the Vive or Oculus; you can tell that you are looking at your phone with a huge magnifying glass, and by offering experiences that are too interactive for Google Cardboard, they do open the door to motion sickness. But the benefits do outweigh the experiential shortcomings…

Coming in at just ￡80, the value of this headset is one of its biggest selling points. It’s a big step up from Google Cardboard, with a better control system and a lot of attention to detail. In terms of content it’s one of the best platforms around. There are a huge number of games and VR video content already available for it. Unfortunately, you do need to have a Samsung handset to access this content. But if you’re planning to trade in your old smartphone, it’s worth considering the Gear VR.

*￡80
Samsung.com

Google Cardboard
This headset works by placing your smartphone into the cardboard container and strapping it in front of your eyes. It may sound like the Google Cardboard is the runt of the virtual reality litter, but it really works and is an incredibly low-cost way to experience VR.

Today’s smartphones already contain all of the required sensors and positioning systems to accurately track your head movements. However, if your phone is a couple of years old, there’s no guarantee it can handle Google Cardboard apps well. Generally, you’ll get a lower-quality, laggier performance than on one of the high-end headsets.

Google Cardboard is the most portable option; folding into a stackable box and the smallest design being only just larger than a pair of glasses. Obviously as a result, it is likely to be less comfortable, and significantly worse at shutting out the rest of the world. In any event, it is still the cheapest VR headset by some margin, and also the most widely available. They have a limited lifespan, but are easily replaceable.

*￡4.99
Amazon

Essentially there is no right or wrong way to experience VR, so why note take the plunge with one of the low cost options and once you're sure it's for you, take the plunge and invest in the Rift or the Vive.

If you'd like Bamboo Creative to produce your next mind blowing VR experience, please contact [email protected] or +44 (0)1329 800 820.

*Costs were correct at the time of writing.