Best VR headsets in 2023 - which one should you buy?

Film and TV do a good job of helping you escape reality, but nothing quite transports you to another world like the best VR headsets in 2023. There are plenty of different virtual reality options these days, so we’ll go over some of the top choices.

A lot has changed since the early 2010s when the technology first emerged. It's no longer a head-to-head between founding fathers HTC and Oculus, as everyone wants a piece of the virtual reality pie. Valve, Sony, HP, Pimax, Pico, and several more brands are now fighting for you to place their fancy goggles on your head instead.

Price has always been the biggest obstacle preventing people from moving away from the best gaming monitor. The Meta Quest 2 still stands tall with its sheer value for money, but things get a little more complicated with the Meta Quest 3 on the way and the PSVR 2 primed and ready for PlayStation 5 consoles. Let's explore the pros and cons of each.

Best virtual reality headsets

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Meta Quest 2

The best VR headset.

Formerly called the Oculus Quest 2, the Meta Quest 2 is still a viable VR option, even with the impending release of its successor. It is still capable of playing many popular games, and its recent price drop makes it one of the most affordable headsets out there.

Meta Quest 2 owners will also get the added incentive of being able to experience VR wirelessly. They can do this by playing games that have been installed directly onto the headset, or pairing their device to a PC via Air Link.

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PSVR 2

The best VR headset for PS5.

When it comes to the graphics of virtual reality games, there’s no questioning the capabilities of the PSVR 2. This is due to the fact that the headset takes advantage of the PlayStation 5’s dedicated CPU and GPU.

The PSVR 2’s biggest drawback at the moment is that its games list may leave you wanting more due to the lack of backwards compatibility with the original PSVR. That being said, Sony does have some noteworthy exclusives for the PSVR 2 like Resident Evil Village VR and Horizon Call of the Mountain.

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HTC Vive Pro 2

The best VR headset display.

Of all the VR headsets that are available today, the HTC Vive Pro 2 has one of the best displays. It comes with a 4896 x 2448 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, which is a massive upgrade over the original HTC Vive. That being said, this headset is one of the more expensive ones on this list.

The Vive Pro 2 also has foveated rendering, a feature that increases resolution on the portion of the display where the user is looking.

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Valve Index

Despite being one of the older entries on this list, the Valve Index is still an amazing choice for playing VR games on PC. Having to set up a couple of sensors for the Index may be inconvenient, but Valve's headset provides a great VR experience with a wide field of view and excellent finger tracking controllers.

The Valve Index does come with a pretty hefty price tag, but at least you'll be getting Half-Life: Alyx with it for free.

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HP Reverb G2

If you're in search of a middle ground between the high-quality performance of the Valve Index and the Meta Quest 2's affordability, look no further than the HP Reverb G2. Though it doesn't really stand out in any particular way, you won't find it lacking in any department either.

If you plan on going into virtual reality for hours at a time, one more thing you might want to consider is the comfortability of your headset. Most of those that have tried the Reverb G2 have pointed out how this headset feels lightweight and comfy on their heads.

Special mention

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Meta Quest 3

One to watch.

Though the Meta Quest 2 is still a pretty impressive piece of technology to this day, the Quest 3 is set to upgrade almost every single aspect of it. Add the fact that the Meta Quest 3 will be fully backwards compatible with the Quest 2’s game library, and you have more than enough reasons to consider purchasing this headset.

It's scheduled to land on shelves at the end of September and might be worth hanging fire for.

And that covers the best VR headsets in 2023. For more info on virtual reality headsets, feel free to take a look at our PSVR 2 vs Meta Quest 3 comparison. You can also check out the Apple Vision Pro that is expected to come out in early 2024.