All you need is your head.
You can spend as much or as little as you like. Here are our recommendations for the headsets we love.
All you need is a smart phone:
Google Cardboard with headstrap, $7.99
This is about as low-cost as you can get a headset without making it yourself (and it still might be cheaper than the parts). The classic Google Cardboard doesn’t come with a head strap; this one does and is still the cheapest of the cheap.
Stimuli VR
These glasses are cool looking — people have literally stopped me on the street to ask what they are and where I got them – and work well for their cost+size combination. They easily fit in a purse or bookbag, though you probably want a find hard case for them just to be safe. While they do rest on your ears, with your phone inside, they become heavy enough that you’ll want to hold your phone while you watch. Also there’s a spikey thing on the top of the arms of the glasses that, if you’re a lady or long-haired dude, will pretty much always catch on your hair and mess up your ponytail. They were on sale on Amazon for $13.99 but no longer.
Bobo VR
Comes with remote control and free shipping. This is the headset our CEO discovered it the British countryside while viewing VR art in a horse box. Really. It generally elicits impressed reactions from other VR professionals who haven’t found such a functional phone-agnostic headset at such a low cost. We used it for demos all the time, until it outgrew our phones. (To be fair, we got new phones.) If your phone fits, it’s a good choice. Also, we’re betting their newer models are pretty good, too, though we haven’t tested them yet.
All you need is a smart phone and your hands:
VEER Mini Foldable 3D VR Glasses – pocket sized!
Want VR in your pocket? This is the choice for you. For only $7.99 you can unfold a whole new world, right in front of your eyes. These glasses have a narrower field of vision than the Stimuli VR but the picture is surprisingly sharp and you can easily move the glasses closer or farther away for some some do-it-yourself focal length adjustment.
I Am Cardboard VR Cardboard Kit, $7.99
Pocket 360 by I Am Cardboard, $9.99
Pocket-sized!
Starlight VR, $12.95
Pocket-sized!
DSCVR Viewer from I Am Cardboard, $14.99
Homido Glasses, $16.59 (sale $9.99)
Pocket-sized!
All you need is an Android phone:
Google Daydream, $79
All you need is a Samsung phone:
Samsung Gear VR 2016, Amazon’s Choice, $39.50 (down from $99.99)
Samsung Gear VR 2017, Latest Edition, comes with warranty, $89.99
The Samsung Gear VR may still be available in some places but has officially been discontinued.
All you need is a this headset:
Oculus Go, $199
This headset is was the first to be tetherless and not require a phone. You also get 3 degrees of freedom and fully tracked controllers. Mark Zuckerberg announced the Oculus Go at OC4 in October 2017. The Oculus Go was officially discontinued in 2020, though headsets may still be available.
Oculus Quest, $299
This headset is tetherless and doesn’t require a phone. You also get 6 degrees of freedom and fully tracked controllers.
Oculus Quest 2, $299
This headset is tetherless and doesn’t require a phone. You also get 6 degrees of freedom and fully tracked controllers.
All you need is a gaming computer:
Oculus Rift, $399
HTC Vive, $599
We receive no kickbacks or sponsorship from any headset manufacturer.