Best VR Headset Oculus Quest 2 Alternatives

Best VR Headset Oculus Quest 2 Alternatives

The Best Oculus Quest 2 Alternatives – The Oculus VR headset is one of the leading gaming headsets in the VR market. With interesting game selections, outstanding visual and audio quality, sleek/ergonomic design and ease of use & setup, Oculus Quest 2 has it all. However, this does not mean that there are no alternatives to the Quest 2 headset.

If you are one of the game lovers who have been wondering if there are Oculus Quest alternatives in the VR gaming category, we wrote this review for you.

Yes, there are many other VR headsets apart from Oculus Quest with amazing game options, impressive visuals, and amazing user adventures. Regardless, you need to choose the right VR headset with the relevant technologies and modern features to meet your VR needs.

If you are looking for another VR headset option to try in place of Oculus Quest 2. Take a glance at our top pick Oculus alternatives, including:

PlayStation VR – Marvel’s Iron man

  • Sony PlayStation VR
  • Valve Index VR
  • HP Reverb G2 VR and
  • HTC Vive Pro 2 VR

Marvel’s Iron Man PlayStation VR is an impressive game console with an interesting action-packed game selection. Attractive design, high-quality visuals, and a fully immersive fun-filled experience are some privileges you stand to enjoy with PS VR. It is just around the same price range as Oculus Quest 2. Plus, you don’t need to buy anything extra to play. The gaming kit comes with everything you need to set up the game console right from the PS headset down to the VR disc.

Check out the overview of our 5 top best VR headset Oculus Quest 2 alternatives alongside their standout features like resolution, set up system, immersive quality, headset/controller’s design, ease of use, and overall VR performance. This will surely help you weigh your options and assist you in making a suitable choice that will boost your VR experience.

Why Oculus Quest 2 Has No Alternatives?

Best VR Headset Oculus Quest 2 Alternatives
Image source – statista.com

Seriously, are there any real alternatives to Quest 2?

While there are lots of Oculus alternatives and that Oculus Quest 2 is not the only headset that you can use to play VR games, Quest 2 has the unique qualities that stand it out from other VR headsets.

Oculus Quest 2 is an upgrade to the original Quest headset. Oculus requires your Facebook ID to play VR games on Quest 2, and this is one part that gets people agitated. In the actual sense, there is nothing to worry about. Your personal Facebook data is safe and confidential to you. You can additionally connect with other players via Facebook to start a more exciting team VR gaming.

Taking a random census of the type of VR headset that VR gamers use, Oculus Quest/Quest 2 is one of the most popular among VR gamers.

Oculus Quest/Quest 2 is the only VR headset that does not require a PC connection to play VR games. There is no need to connect wires around your game space. All you need to do is unbox the device and use the Oculus mobile app to set it up easily. For a standalone device, Quest 2 offers such a wide range of game titles and delivers an outstanding overall immersive experience.

While we agree that there are other VR headsets that you can use to play VR games, Quest 2 is a unique piece that you cannot successfully replace with other VR headsets.

Best VR Headset Oculus Quest 2 Alternatives

Best VR Headset Oculus Quest 2 Alternatives

PlayStation VR – Marvel’s Iron Man

Sony launched PS VR in the year 2016. However, Marvel’s Iron Man is one of PlayStation’s most recent addition, released in the year 2020. Marvel’s Iron Man bundle comes in a black and white color design with a smooth plastic finish.

The PS VR is a tethered VR headset that requires a wired PC connection for setup. This might be cumbersome and you need plenty of space for the VR setup.

Truthfully, the images projected via the camera may not be as crisp as the images produced by Oculus, but you wouldn’t even notice if you aren’t comparing. Further, wearing glasses with PlayStation Marvel Iron Man might not give you the best image quality, so it might be better if you play the game without your eyeglasses.

While playing, also try to keep your window’s curtains down and block any source of light reflection from the background.

PlayStation – Marvel Iron Man VR costs just about $368, which is quite affordable and it offers only a single game selection. The price is around the same range as Oculus Quest 2, which includes a lot of interesting game titles.

Iron Man attacks his foes by firing up repulsors jet and releases arsenal blasts into the skies to get rid of them. The 2 PlayStation move motion controllers give you full control of the battle and how it turns out.

Marvel’s Iron Man PS VR is a physically demanding and action-packed game. It gives you the real feel of playing the role of a superhero in an action-packed VR game right in the comfort of your home.

The full VR set includes a headset, 2 PlayStation controllers, a PlayStation camera, Marvel’s Iron Man VR blue-rays disc, and Demo disc 3.0, that’s pretty much all you need to play the action game.

Sony PlayStation VR

Sony PlayStation VR is not just for VR gamers, you can use the headset to watch anything on the screen.

Sony PlayStation VR works with other PS4 controllers like DualShock and Moves. Like Oculus, Sony provides users with different VR game titles, videos, and demos that redefine their immersive experience. However, there are more tech demos than full games on Sony PS VR.

The PlayStation VR tracks position easily while you are touring a large space. You can play games on a big theater screen and without the TV in your private space. Adjust the headset to be convenient to use for long hours.

The VR headset design is attractive and you can also use the VR headset together with your glasses without impairing your VR view.

PlayStation VR is a tethered system that requires plenty of wires for connection. However, there is an AC adaptor to help you organize the wires and the system is quite easy to set up. Simply plug PSVR and PS Camera into a PS 4 system and calibrate as you find appropriate. Also, make sure you position the camera properly for easy tracking. Please note that you have to buy a PlayStation Camera and PlayStation 4 system separately from the PlayStation VR.

Although not as good as Oculus, it delivers high quality visuals with a 5.7″ OLED 1080p display working at 120 frames per second. This makes it suitable for games that run at up to 120fps. It also delivers powerful audio with a 3D audio technology that allows you to differentiate between distinct sounds around you. However, the 3D audio is not compatible with Wi-Fi headsets.

The full kit comes with a PSVR headset, a VR headset connection cable, USB cable, HDMI cable, AC power cord, PlayStation VR Demo Disc, AC adaptor, stereo headphones, and processor unit.

The PS VR costs about $299 on Amazon, which is about the same price as Quest 2. Overall, if you need a good Oculus Quest 2 alternative, Sony PlayStation can be your best bet.

Valve Index VR

Valve Index VR is an Oculus alternative that was released in the year 2019. It comes in a fancy design with a shiny plastic finish.

Valve Index’ ergonomic design and fluffy clothing with even weight distribution make the headset comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The VR headset also features an adjustable head strap and a brace to hold the headset in place while gaming.

Just in case the headset becomes sweaty, you can easily detach the headset for cleaning.

Valve Index is one of the most popular VR headsets on Steam. It is quite expensive on Amazon where it sells for $1569 but is cheaper when you buy directly from Valve.

The full VR kit that comprises the headset, base station package, and 2 controllers cost $999 from Steam or directly from Valve. Unlike Oculus Quest, it requires a wired connection to set up VR.

Setting up the VR system is easy. However, the setup has to be in your room because it uses external lighthouse boxes. You need an excellent performance PC to set up Valve Index. The PC should have a 3.0 USB port and DisplayPort, then it should use an NVIDIA 1070 graphics card and a Quad-Core processor.

Instead of headphones, the VR headset uses speakers to deliver high immersive audio quality with deep and solid sounds which are safer for the ears. The headset’s camera yields sharp and crisp images. You can also use it with other VR hardware like HTC Vive.

Valve has a sharp and wide field of view display (FOV). With its fancy controllers that are sensitive to pressure and can track all five fingers individually, VR provides a realistic immersive experience. However, the controllers won’t work well with a sweaty palm.

HP Reverb G2 VR

HP Reverb G2 VR is our next choice for an Oculus Quest alternative.

The headset itself comes in a fancy, lightweight, and snug design for long gaming hours. It features flexible and safe material, adjustable lenses, and better cushion size. You can easily adjust the headset to suit you best.

HP Reverb wired connections may take some time and effort to set up. However, when you enjoy the amazing immersive experience it offers, you will forget all the stress you have been through.

The system comes with all the cables you need for connection. Truly, you might experience cable issues a few times, but you can always get a replacement one from HP support.

HP Reverb does not have external sensors, rather it has 4 inbuilt portable cameras into the headset which provides effective tracking features. HP Reverb produces high-quality images with its 2160 x 2160 image resolution per eye and 114° field of view (FOV). You can also adjust the IPD to reduce eye fatigue.

Reverb features Valve speakers that produce fully immersive spatial sounds and are at a reasonable distance from the ear by 10mm for a safer and better fit. The headset does not feature a headphone jack, so, no headphone connection support.

The controllers feature an ergonomic design and help with motion control during VR gaming. However, you need to get high-quality AA rechargeable batteries for the controllers to work.  

HP Reverb G2 VR is compatible with both Windows mixed reality and SteamVR and you get to enjoy outstanding image resolutions.

HP Reverb G2 VR is more expensive than the Quest 2 headset. The full kit costs $648, and it comes with an HP VR headset, 2 motion controllers, 6m headset cable, 1 Power Adapter, and 1 DisplayPort to mini DisplayPort Adapter.

HTC Vive Pro 2 VR System

HTC Vive Pro 2 VR System is one of the best Oculus Quest 2 alternatives in the market.

The headset comes in an ergonomic and lightweight design that is easy to adjust and comfortable to wear for long hours (maybe not as long as the original Vive). It is suitable for different vision types, IPDs, and head sizes.

The installation of the headset might take a while, but for the immersive experience you would get, it will be worth it.

HTC Vive has an image resolution of 4896 x 2444 and it produces sharp image quality in VR gaming. It has a 120° field of view (FOV) that produces more realistic images in VR and mimics the human eyes better.

HTC Vive Pro 2 offers great video quality and during graphics-intensive applications; the headset produces a 120Hz refresh rate.

The system also features Hi-Res headphones that generate 3D spatial sound integration alongside an amplifier that produces a sound quality that is good enough for a start. You can, however, get better quality earbuds for an enhanced bass sound.

However, it is a tethered system that requires a connection to a powerful computer. The PC must have the following minimum specifications:

  • At least Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD Ryzen 1500
  • At least NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480
  • Windows 10 operating system
  • At least one 3.0 USB port
  • At least 8 GB RAM
  • At least a 1.2 DisplayPort.

If you don’t want to connect to a PC, you can secure a wireless connection with HTC Vive via an adapter. HTC Vive Pro supports the major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.

HTC Vive Pro is quite pricey. The full kit, which comes with a headset, 2 base stations, 2 Controllers, a Power Adapter, USB 3.0 cable, a DisplayPort cable, and a Mini DP to DP adapter costs $1390. However, if you want just the headset, it goes for the price of $799.

FAQs

Why do you think HTC is more competitive than Meta Quest?

While many people opine that Meta Quest is superior to HTC, many people have disagreed. Some reasons that people think HTC is better than Meta Quest include:

HTC Vive Pro costs $1399, while Oculus Quest 2 costs $399. Although high cost is not always indicative of better quality, some people believe that HTC Pro has a higher chance at better quality features than Quest. This isQuest because of its high price.

HTC pro is a powerful headset with a faster refresh rate than Meta Quest. If you are running an extensive project that requires high image quality and attention to detail, HTC is the first choice for professional tasks.

HTC Pro doesn’t need you to charge it for use, it can last up to 6 hours without plugging into power. Then, unlike Meta Quest, you don’t need to log in to your Meta account to play VR games on HTC.
Overall, In terms of power and immersive technology, HTC performs better than Meta Quest.

In reality, both HTC and Meta Quest have their own unique aspects, which make them both stand out in their own way. You just have to identify your prevalent needs and make the most appropriate choice. However, HTC might be the closest rival to Meta Quest.

If Quest 2 doesn’t have any competition, why not buy it?

That is the question that everyone is asking. Quest 2 is one of the top games out there. Why don’t you want to buy it?

Preferences differ and one man’s food is another’s poison. Some gamers don’t like the fact that you have to connect Quest 2 to your Facebook account. They believe it is an attempt at invading user privacy and they don’t want Facebook to access their data.

This is one of the most prominent reasons some gamers will go for other VR headsets rather than Oculus, even though it is the leading wireless standalone VR device.

Is it worth buying Quest 2 compared to others?

Oculus Quest 2 offers a high level of system upgrade over Oculus Quest. With up to 256 GB of storage, there is more than enough space to hold content on your headset device. Quest 2 is a standalone device, and it does not require a wired connection for setup or a PC for gaming, unlike other virtual reality headsets. You don’t have to plug Quest into a power source for gaming, you just need to charge its removable batteries.

The headset is convenient to use with its excellent and convenient controllers. The lenses are easy to adjust. For these features, Quest 2 only costs $399 for the 256 GB version and $299 for the 64 GB version.

However, link your Facebook account to Quest 2 before you can play.
If you want one of the most affordable VR headsets that is simple yet affordable, opt for Oculus QuesIt is one of the finest and most impressive models available for its price.

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