The ultimate VR experience

Saturday, 04 November 2017

Before I wrote this post, I decided to indulge in a better experience, so I ordered an Elegiant VR headset.

This is an example of the second type of VR HMDs available today. The first obvious advantage of these over the cardboard VRs is the head strap. You can securely attach it to your head, meaning your hands won’t get tired from holding and you can enjoy virtual reality for a longer time. Most of these are plastic and have a compartment to hold your phone, so you no longer need to worry about your phone falling from the side opening. 

The same mobile apps that are compatible with the Google Cardboard can be used with any one of these “more advanced” HMDs, but there is more. As you no longer need to hold the headset itself, you are free to use a controller, which allows you to play fun games, like the one shown above. I tried a couple of the free ones available and had a lot of fun. I was a funny sight for my girlfriend, as I was shooting down zombies in our living room, turning and waving my hands around an idiot.

The premium band of these VR headsets include Samsung’s Gear VR, Google Daydream and other, the prices of which range from £100-£200. However, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives available on Amazon for around 20 quid, which offer pretty much the same experience.

    

Now this… this is where shit gets real. Smartphone based VRs give a good experience for people who have never experienced virtual reality before, but for an outstanding immersive experience you have to try out a PC-connected headset. These devices offer a far more robust experience, with different input devices and higher fidelity graphics. Not to mention the full length gaming experiences that are being developed for these devices. I’ll let this video speak for itself.

The most popular headsets of this caliber are the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Sony PlayStation VR, all of which cost big bucks (we’re talking £300-£800). I have been lucky to try the Vive myself, so if you have the money and are wondering what Christmas gift to give yourself, I would recommend getting one of these.