VR: Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift was first released in March 2016 as one of the first consumer VR headsets in the market (if you discount Nintendo’s Virtual Boy), and it is still going strong as one of the best PC-tethered VR headset on the market. The headset displays a 1080×1200 resolution for each eye with a 110 degree FOV at 90Hz refresh rate. The pricing has been slashed several times from $599, down to $399, and more recently $349, making this headset a lot easier on the pockets for consumers.

Pros:

• Significantly cheaper than HTC Vive at $349 USD
• Touch controllers better mimic hand presence
• Lighter and easier to deal with
• Built-in audio

Cons:

• Poor tracking with 2 sensors for a full room experience
• Requires 3 USB 3.0 ports can flood USB bandwidth

MR: Magic Leap

The Magic Leap glasses allows you to experience an enhanced world with digital objects while interacting with the real world objects. The pricing is steep at at $2295 with the justification that the glasses has the capability to replace many devices like your smart phone and computers. You may be wondering how a silly looking pair of glasses can actually contain enough computing power to replace modern devices but it actually connects to a wearable computer called the Lightpack. This device opens up a lot of possibilities in the mixed reality field, and I am interested to see what they can bring to the table in the future.

Pros:

• Glasses allow for tracking without setting up base stations and calibration unlike traditional VR headsets
• Novel mixed reality experience
• You get to look like Dr. Octopus
  

Cons:

• Get ready to lose $2295 USD
• Does not play well with glasses
• You get to look like Dr. Octopus