---TL;DR ---

Quest 3 is probably your best bet if you don't know what you're looking for.
Beyond 2 is shaping up to be a decent but expensive upgrade path for Index owners with most of the first gen issues resolved.
Index is still the easiest way to get a full kit with FBT and lighthouse tracking, but it's dated in a lot of ways for the price.
Quest 3S is likely to be your best budget option at this point.
Quest Pro is somehow still the best common option for people that want face/eye tracking at this point, but it has been discontinued. Software support may become an issue in the future, so keep that in mind if you're considering it.

Expect to spend extra money on a better headstrap if you pick up a Quest 3 or 3S, and a dedicated router for wireless at some point if you pick up any of the Quest headsets.

--- PC REQUIREMENTS ---

Aside from just looking bad, not being able to maintain a smooth framerate in VR can actually make you feel sick, so it's important to make sure your PC is up to par.

The SteamVR Performance Test is pretty out of date, but it's a good way to see if your PC is way too weak for VR.
There's a similar check for the Index here, but that's also a bit out of date at this point.

The SteamVR Performance Test has been delisted, and the Index test just checks to see if your hardware meets the listed requirements. For now, checking requirements on the games you're interested in and asking around in the thread are going to be better options. Keep in mind that higher resolution headsets will require higher GPU performance.

If you're looking to upgrade or build a new PC for VR, Logical Increments is a good place to start since they have a guide specifically for VR builds.
There are some VRChat specific details available here as well.

If you've got any questions, post in the thread, and we'll try to help.

--- CURRENT HEADSETS ---

Quest 3 is smaller and lighter than the Quest 2, with pancake lenses and a higher resolution screen. Resolution is higher than the Index, but loses out to the Beyond. The sweet spot is much larger than either of those, and the the FoV is about on par with the Beyond. Updated SoC gives better performance in standalone games and allows for AV1 decoding when using it as a PCVR headset assuming your GPU supports that. Passthrough cameras are much clearer than the Quest 2 and Quest Pro and give you a color view of your surroundings, they're good enough to be usable for some AR/MR applications. Controllers aren't self-tracked like the Quest Pro, although it's possible to use Quest Pro controllers with it. The controllers are similar to the Quest 2 ones without the rings, which makes it slightly easier to occlude a controller and temporarily lose tracking. Tracking cameras have been moved, so tracking volume is better below the headset and worse everywhere else. Built-in audio is mediocre, built-in mic is worse than the Quest 2 and significantly worse than the Index or Beyond. Stock head strap is uncomfortable, although this can be fixed with the official Elite strap or a number of 3rd party ones. Can be used as a PCVR headset either wired through Link or wirelessly through Air Link, Steam Link, or the Quest native version of Virtual Desktop. If you're autistic about latency/compression, be aware that any method for using a Quest with a PC will have at least a little bit of both, although it's not generally noticeable on an ideal setup. Also worth mentioning that Quest headsets give you access to a few exclusives that currently aren't playable any other way, although they do have to be played standalone. Still requires a smartphone and a Meta account to set up, and telemetry is harder to block now.

Bigscreen Beyond 2/2e is a lightweight, high resolution SteamVR headset with custom molded face gaskets. Uses lighthouse tracking, so you can reuse any compatible controllers and base stations if you're upgrading. Much smaller and more comfortable than the other options out there right now. Great resolution and great colors/contrast with the microOLED screen. Custom face gaskets (which require an iPhone face scan) are still an option like the first Beyond, although one size fits all gaskets are now available along with a halo mount option. Lens distortion, glare, and edge to edge clarity are significantly improved over the first gen headset, although it does still have a lower FoV than Index, with a lower refresh rate (75Hz/90Hz). No built-in audio, but the built-in mic is on par with the Index mic. Worth mentioning as well that full resolution can only be used at 75Hz, which depending on your usecase may or may not be an issue. The 2e version comes with eyetracking, although at the time of launch, the software for it is a bit rough around the edges, so if that's a priority for you, you should probably wait and see how much software updates improve it before pulling the trigger. Not generally recommended for someone new to VR because of headset price plus separate controllers and base stations, but it's a good upgrade from another SteamVR headset if you're fine with the tradeoffs.
Full review for the original Beyond from an anon here, although keep in mind that some of the issues have been resolved in the 2: https://rentry.org/6stwcu

The Valve Index is still the easiest way to get a full plug and play PCVR headset kit out of the box, however, it's increasingly hard to recommend for the full asking price assuming you can even find the full kit in stock. Depending on your use case and willingness to mod or piece together a hybrid setup, there are better options. Unlike most of the current alternatives, it still uses lighthouse tracking instead of relying on headset cameras and allows for easy integration of full body tracking. Still has the best built-in audio and microphone, and the FoV and refresh rate are still good. Visuals aren't as good as more recent headsets, with resolution, color, black levels, and sweet spot being much better on the Bigscreen Beyond 2 and sweet spot and resolution being better on Quest 3. Comfort is better than what the Quest headsets are out of the box, but loses out to the Beyond headsets. Controllers and cables also tend to have some durability issues, although the controllers are currently much better than the launch version.

Quest 3S is basically a Quest 3 with the Quest 2 displays and lenses that's basically targeting standalone users on a budget. Standalone performance is improved, so games that require or are improved on a Quest 3 will see the same benefits here, which could help over a Quest 2 if your PC sucks or you want to play more exclusives. For PCVR users, the only real benefit is WiFi 6E support for more consistent streaming quality, which isn't as big a factor as it would be with the updated Quest 3 displays. Given the visual improvements with the 3, you're generally better off getting a Quest 3 if you can justify the extra price.

Pico 4 can also be a good budget option if it's easily available in your country. Loses out to the Quest 3 a little in displays/lenses, but it beats out the Quest 2/3S in that respect, so if the price is low enough, it's a good alternative to that. Like a Quest, it can be used as a standalone headset or connected to a PC either wired and wireless through Streaming Assistant or Virtual Desktop to play PCVR games. Same latency/compression disclaimer as the Quest applies here too. Has pancake lenses like the Quest 3 and Pro, which are an improvement over what's available in the Quest 2, but has a significantly worse game selection if you're using it as a standalone headset. Built-in audio is disappointing, so you'll probably want to rig up some kind of external audio setup, which is slightly more difficult than a Quest since there's no 3.5mm audio jack.

Pico 4 Pro adds face and eye tracking to the regular Pico 4, but is otherwise basically the same headset. Face and eye tracking also require you to use the Chinese firmware instead of global, which means you're stuck with Pico's official Streaming Assistant instead of Virtual Desktop. Notable mostly for being the cheapest way to get face and eye tracking if it's available in your country, but hard to recommend for most people.
Review from an anon here: https://rentry.org/tsewbomu
Setup guide here: https://rentry.org/2h3edfdp

PSVR 2, while better than the original, still has a fairly limited selection compared to PCVR or a standalone Quest and is pretty hard to recommend if you're using it with a PS5. It will work on a PC now though, but you'll need an adapter and not all of the functionality works (no eye tracking, adaptive triggers, or headset haptics). Some things like eye tracking can be unofficially enabled through stuff like PSVR2Toolkit, although expect things to be a little rough around the edges. The OLED displays are nice, but while the lenses are good for fresnel lenses, they still don't have as big a sweet spot as the Quest 3 pancakes. Wired, so you don't have to deal with compression, but unfortunately cable replacements aren't available.

--- UPCOMING HEADSETS ---

Pimax has announced the Dream Air, which sounds great on paper (which it should be for roughly $2000), but as usual for Pimax, expect some issues when it actually releases.

Valve Frame (formerly known as Deckard) is supposedly fairly close to an announcement.

Meta hasn't officially announced anything, but rumors point to a Quest 4 coming out no earlier than 2026. Additional rumors claim some kind of Quest Pro successor based on Quest 3 hardware may also be in the works, although no rough dates are known for this.

Additional headsets based on Meta's Horizon OS are supposedly in the works, with Asus being one of the confirmed companies making one. No real concrete details are available about headset specs at this time.

Depending on which rumors you believe, Pico 5 has either been cancelled or completely reworked, and Bytedance is also supposedly working on a Vision Pro competitor.

Quest Pro 2 is supposedly coming in the first half of 2025 has been delayed due to disagreements between LG and Meta, and may be as far out as 2027.

--- DISCONTINUED HEADSETS ---

Bigscreen Beyond is a lightweight, high resolution SteamVR headset with custom molded face gaskets. Uses lighthouse tracking, so you can reuse any compatible controllers and base stations if you're upgrading. Much smaller and more comfortable than the other options out there right now. Great resolution and great colors/contrast with the microOLED screen. Slightly lower FoV than Index, with a lower refresh rate (75Hz/90Hz) and smaller sweet spot. No built-in audio, but the built-in mic is on par with the Index mic. Would originally have required a face scan from an iPhone for the face gasket, but if you're buying used at this point, you'd need to do a bit of research and DIY your way around that. If you can get your hands on a cheaper one, know it'll fit your IPD, and you're willing to put in DIY work, it could still be a decent option for the right price. At anything remotely near the Beyond 2 price though, you'd be better off with that, and like that headset, it's not generally recommended for someone new to VR because of the additional cost of controllers and base stations.
Full review from an anon here: https://rentry.org/6stwcu

Discontinued Quest headsets

As of September 25th, 2024 both the Quest 2 and Quest Pro have been discontinued. We still don't have details about ongoing software support, but the original Quest was supported for about 5 years (4 of those after it was no longer being sold). Quest 2 released in 2020 and Quest Pro in 2022, but they share an SoC, so expect support to drop off around the same time for both. Some standalone games have already been announced as Quest 3 (and 3S) only, but if you're looking for a PCVR only headset, it's still well supported for now.

Quest Pro falls into a weird middle ground between the Quest 2 and Quest 3 in most ways with a few unique features that you can't get on either. Weight and screen resolution both fall between the Quest 2 and Quest 3, although it does have pancake lenses like the Quest 3 that allow for a better sweet spot. The SoC is shared with the Quest 2, but clocked slightly higher which helps a little with standalone games, although it's still far behind the Quest 3. The mini LED screen on the Quest Pro allows for better color and uses local dimming to improve black levels, although it still loses out on clarity to the Quest 3 due to lower resolution. Comfort is better than the Quest 3 out of the box. It also has face and eye tracking that can be used in VRChat and in some cases for foveated rendering. Includes self tracked controllers that can be bought separately to use with other Quest headsets, and a dock that's a separate purchase with the Quest 3. It's not generally better for games than a Quest 2, and loses out in clarity and weight to a Quest 3. However if face and eye tracking are a must have for you or you really want the Pro controllers, it can be worth the extra money, especially if you can find it for cheaper than MSRP.

The Quest 2 can still be a decent budget option if you can find a good enough deal on one. Without knowing what Meta plans about ongoing support, don't expect it to last you long term. Quest 3 has a significant advantage in visuals and the updated SoC in both the 3 and 3S will be much better for standalone if you care about that, but it'll still work fine for PCVR and most standalone use. It has been discontinued as of Sept 25th, 2024, so expect to see support phased out over time like it was for the original Quest.

End of WMR Support

Microsoft announced in December 2023 that WMR is being deprecated and will be removed from new versions of Windows starting with Windows 11 24H2. Although official support has been dropped, unofficial support through the Oasis driver means you can still use it through SteamVR on Windows 11, although support is currently limited to Nvidia cards for now due to missing features in AMD and Intel drivers.

Reverb G2 is still decent for sims if you can find it cheap enough, although with WMR no longer being officially supported, you're better off looking into other options. Headset resolution is high, but the controller tracking, while still usable, is subpar compared to other headsets. Playing some heavier SteamVR games through the WMR software can add some overhead, OpenComposite can help if you're running into performance issues there.

Older headsets like the Vive, Rift CV1, or Rift S are only worth picking up if you can find one very cheap. WMR headsets are generally not recommended at this point.

--- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ---

Updated Space Calibrator fork for hybrid setups:
https://github.com/hyblocker/OpenVR-SpaceCalibrator/releases

OVR Lighthouse Manager (base station power control for hybrid setups)
https://github.com/kurotu/OVR-Lighthouse-Manager/

Old Oculus Rift Setup Guide:
https://pastebin.com/QgHwLq8R

Old HTC Vive Setup Guide:
https://pastebin.com/QNc18zHd

Wiki with some details for running on Linux:
https://lvra.gitlab.io/

Compatibility List for Linux:
https://db.vronlinux.org/

Edit

Pub: 17 Aug 2023 22:08 UTC

Edit: 05 Sep 2025 20:42 UTC

Views: 12085