Best VR Headset

The VR Headset is indeed a competitive arena, with many worthy headsets vying to become tops in this area, and features a wide array of headsets catering to different price points and budgets of consumers. After factoring in features, value-for-money and flexibility, the Oculus Quest 2 presented a compelling choice as the best VR Headset.

In terms of flexibility, the Quest 2 can be connected wirelessly, enabling a cable-free experience, which is often valued in gaming VR experiences where the user can utilise the headset without worrying about range of motion or tangling the wires. Should the user desire to use the cable, the flexibility of this option is also available, with the cable being retailed at $79.

At the price point of $299, the Oculus Quest 2 is indeed a reasonably priced VR headset compared to high-end headsets such as the Valve Index whilst packing in features such as 6 Degree of Freedom Tracking, 1832×1920 display resolution and 6GB of RAM that enable good VR experience for users.

The Quest 2 does indeed presents itself as a significant upgrade to its predecessor too, with its internal processor upgraded from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 to the Snapdragon XR2. This has enabled it to deliver smooth graphics, which are so integral to the whole VR experience. In addition, its colours have been refreshed from the original black to a new sleek white body that looks aesthetically inviting. Another key advantage of the Quest 2 is its significantly lighter weight, weighing 10% less than the original Quest, creating a pleasant VR experience for users especially over prolonged periods.

Best MR Headset

In the Mixed Reality Headset Space, the Hololens 2 by Microsoft presents the best Mixed Reality Headset. One of its most impressive features is the ability to display holograms, which facilitates interactive learning through hand tracking and hand gesture controls, enabling rescaling and rotation of virtual objects with ease. During the tech demo, a visual simulation hologram of a solar farm was also demonstrated, and customised knob controls such as controlling windspeed could be adjusted to tweak the simulation. Whilst Hololens 2 empowers online learning through the mixed reality display, a simple lifting of the visor also creates a seamless transition to real life learning, making it a compelling experience for learning as a whole.

Priced at a high price point of north of $3500, the Hololens 2 comes with a full package, incorporating an Intel CPU, 64GB of storage and spatial speakers for the audio experience. In addition, the availability of Wifi and Bluetooth Connectivity creates a wire-free and hassle-free experience for users. Its IMU (inertial measurement unit) also enables the headset movement to be tracked and incorporated into apps, extending the possibilities of what can be achieved through this MR Headset.

Built by Microsoft, it also caters to companies that desire customised app development for their use cases. This is achieved by building applications on the Azure Platform, which opens the freedom to tap on AI and Machine Learning toolkits that have become ubiquitous in applications nowadays. All in all, the Hololens 2 although costly, presents the most compelling case for the Best MR Headset available in the market at the moment.