VR Headset Specs Compared: PSVR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, And More

There's a wide selection of VR headsets out on the market, which can make it difficult to parse which one is right for you with varied pricing and spec information. That's why we've compiled comprehensive lists below that break down resolution, refresh rate, and other specs across all the major VR headsets. We've separated our lists by four categories: major VR headsets, Windows Mixed Reality VR headsets, mobile VR headsets, and all-in-one mobile solutions that don't require external hardware.

Major VR Headsets

	HTC Vive	HTC Vive Pro	Oculus Rift	PSVR	Pimax 8K	LG VR Headset
Resolution	2160x1200 (1080x1200 resolution per eye)	2880x1600 (1440x1600 resolution per eye)	2160x1200 (1080x1200 resolution per eye)	1920x1080	Two 3840x2160	2880x1280
Refresh rate	90Hz	90Hz	90Hz	120Hz	90Hz	90Hz
Display type	PenTile OLED	AMOLED	PenTile OLED	5.7" OLED	LCD	Convex, non-Fresnel OLED
Field of view	About 110 degrees	About 110 degrees	About 110 degrees	About 100 degrees	About 200 degrees	About 110 degrees
Tracking System	Vive Base Stations	Vive Base Stations	Constellation	PlayStation Camera	Inside-out or Vive Base Stations	Vive Base Stations
Room scale support	Yes	Yes	Requires a third sensor	No	Yes	Yes
Weight	470 grams (new model), 555 grams (old model)	TBA	470 grams	610 grams	Approximately one pound	TBD
Integrated Headphones	Only with optional Deluxe Audio Strap attachment	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	TBD
Built-in Mic	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	TBD
External camera	Yes	Yes (two)	No	No	No	TBD
Official controllers	Vive controller	Vive controller	Xbox One controller, Oculus remote, and Oculus Touch controllers	DualShock 4, PlayStation Move, Aim Controller	Vive controller, Pimax controller	TBD
Store compatibility	SteamVR, HTC Viveport	SteamVR, HTC Viveport	SteamVR, Oculus Store	PlayStation Store	SteamVR	SteamVR
Release date	April 5, 2016	TBA	March 28, 2016	October 13, 2016	Q2 2018	TBA
Launch Price	US$799/£769.99	TBA	$599.99	$399, €399, £349, A$549	$799	TBA
Current Price	$599	NA	$399	$350	NA	NA

Windows Mixed Reality Headsets

Windows Mixed Reality headsets are VR headsets specced out by Microsoft and manufactured by several PC OEMs. One major feature that distinguishes them is that they all feature external cameras that enable inside-out tracking of both the headset and controllers. This means you can get six degrees of positional movement without the use of external sensors.

	Samsung Odyssey	Lenovo Explorer	Dell Visor	HP Windows Mixed Reality	Acer Windows Mixed Reality
Resolution	2880 x 1600	2880x1440	2880x1440	2880x1440	2880x1440
Refresh rate	90Hz	90Hz	90Hz	90Hz	90Hz
Display type	Dual 3.5” AMOLED	2.89” diagonal display size (x2) LCD	2.89” diagonal display size (x2)	2.89” diagonal display size (x2)	2.89” diagonal display size (x2)
Field of view	About 110 degrees	About 105 degrees	About 105 degrees	About 105 degrees	About 105 degrees
Tracking System	Inside-out tracking	Inside-out tracking	Inside-out tracking	Inside-out tracking	Inside-out tracking
Room scale support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Weight	645g	380g	590g	834g	350g
Integrated Headphones	Yes	No	No	No	No
Built-in Mic	Yes	No	No	No	No
External camera	Yes (two)	Yes (two)	Yes (two)	Yes (two)	Yes (two)
Official controllers	Microsoft Motion controllers	Microsoft Motion controllers	Microsoft Motion controllers	Microsoft Motion controllers	Microsoft Motion controllers
Store compatibility	Steam, Microsoft Store	Steam, Microsoft Store	Steam, Microsoft Store	Steam, Microsoft Store	Steam, Microsoft Store
Release date	November 6, 2017	October 2017	October 2017	October 2017	October 2017
Launch Price	$499	$449	$449	$449	$399
Current Price	$499	$399	$449	$399	$399

Mobile VR headsets that require a smartphone

	Samsung Gear VR	Google Daydream View	ZEISS VR One Connect
Field of view	About 100 degrees	About 100 degrees	About 100 degrees
Tracking System	Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Proximity Sensor	Phone dependent	Phone dependent
Room scale support	No	No	No
Weight	344.73g	261g	TBD
Integrated Headphones	No	No	No
Built-in Mic	No	No	No
Compatible Devices	Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+	Galaxy Note8, Moto Z2 Force, Pixel, Pixel 2, Axon 7, Moto Z, Moto Z Force, Mate 9 Pro, Porsche Design Mate 9	Modern Android and iPhones between 4.7 and 5.5 inches
Controllers	Handheld controller	Bluetooth controller	Bluetooth wireless controllers
Store compatibility	Oculus Store, Gear VR	Google Play Store	SteamVR, Google Play, Apple Store
Release date	November 27, 2015	November 10, 2016	May 2018
Launch Price	$99.99	$79 (first gen)/$89 (second gen)	$150 (with controllers)
Current Price	$99.99	$79 (first gen)/$89 (second gen)	NA

All-in-one VR headsets

All-in-one VR headsets are mobile VR headsets that don't require a smartphone. This means they feature built-in processors, RAM, and batteries.

	Oculus Go	Oculus Santa Cruz	Pico Neo	Lenovo Mirage Solo Daydream
Resolution	2560x1440	TBD	2880x1600 (1440x1600 resolution per eye)	2560x1440
Refresh rate	TBD	TBD	90Hz	TBD
Display type	LCD, "fast switch"	TBD	TBD	5.5-inch display
Field of view	About 110 degrees	TBD	TBD	About 110 degrees
Processor	Snapdragon 821	TBA mobile processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with 4GB of RAM	Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 with 4GB of RAM
Built-in storage	32GB	TBD	SD card support up to 128GB	64GB + MicroSD card slot
Battery size	TBD	TBD	TBD	4,000 mAh
Tracking System	Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer	Seven sensors + Constellation	6DoF tracking	WorldSense’s inside-out positional tracking
Room scale support	No	Yes	TBD	TBD
Weight	TBD	TBD	TBD	644.1g
Integrated Headphones	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Built-in Mic	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Controllers	Wireless remote	Wireless tracked controllers	6DoF wireless hand controllers	Wireless Daydream controller
Store compatibility	Oculus Store, Gear VR	Oculus Store	TBD	TBD
Release date	Early 2018	TBD	TBD	Spring 2018
Launch Price	$199	TBD	$749	TBD
Current Price	NA	NA	NA	NA

With so many VR specs to parse, we've highlighted some interesting tidbits below:

Which VR head-mounted display (HMD) has the sharpest resolution screen? Currently, the Samsung Odyssey Windows Mixed Reality headset offers the highest resolution with a 2880x1600 panel. The forthcoming HTC Vive Pro will also use the same resolution, but the Pimax 8K headset, set to release later this year, will feature two 3840x2160p panels.

Which VR headset offers the widest field-of-view? Most of the VR headsets currently out on the market feature FOVs around 100 to 110 degrees. It's difficult to pinpoint an exact degree because your FOV will vary depending how close your eyes get to the lenses. Pimax's 8K headset is advertising a 200 degree FOV when it releases.

Which headset has the highest refresh rate? PlayStation VR's panel is capable of reaching 120Hz, whereas most other VR headsets refresh at 90Hz.

Why does a high refresh rate matter for VR? While most monitors use a 60Hz refresh rate, research thus far dictates that 90Hz or higher is desired for a smooth VR experience that mitigates judder and motion sickness.

What is the difference between an OLED and LCD screen? OLED screens feature individually lit pixels, which allow them to reach deeper black levels than LCD equivalents.

Which VR headset is the lightest? If you're counting mobile VR headsets, then Google's Daydream View is currently the lightest, weighing 261 grams without a phone. On the desktop side, Acer's Windows Mixed Reality headset is the lightest at 350 grams.

Which VR headset is the heaviest? HP's Mixed Reality headset is the heaviest at 834 grams.

Which VR headset is the cheapest? The first-generation Google Daydream headset is the cheapest at $79. If you're not including mobile VR HMDs then it's Sony's PSVR at $350.

Which VR headset is the most expensive? The HTC Vive is currently the most expensive VR headset at $599.

What is room scale VR? Unlike seated or standing experiences, room scale tracking allows you to walk around your tracked physical environment, which can bolster your VR experience.

What VR headsets are capable of room scale VR? The HTC Vive was the first VR system to support room scale right out of the box right. The Oculus Rift also supports room scale, but requires the purchase of a third optional sensor. Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality headsets support room scale. Forthcoming headsets that will support room scale include the HTC Vive Pro, Pimax, LG VR headset, and Oculus Santa Cruz.

Can the Oculus Rift play SteamVR games? Yes. Not all, but the majority of SteamVR games support the Oculus Rift.

Can the HTC Vive play games on the Oculus store? Kind of. It requires a third-party mod called Revive and the quality can vary from game to game.

What are the VR system requirements for the Oculus Rift?

• NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater

• Intel i5-4590 processor equivalent or greater

• 8GB+ RAM

• Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output

• 2 USB 3.0 ports

• Windows 7 SP1 or newer

What are the VR system requirements for the HTC Vive?

• NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater

• Intel i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 processor equivalent or greater

• 4GB+ RAM

• One HDMI 1.4 or one DisplayPort 1.2

• One USB 2.0

• Windows 7 SP1 or newer

What are the VR system requirements for Windows Mixed Reality headsets?

• Integrated Intel® HD Graphics 620 (GT2) equivalent or greater DX12 API Capable GPU

• Intel Mobile Core i5 (e.g. 7200U) Dual-Core with Hyperthreading equivalent

• 8GB+ Dual Channel required for integrated Graphics

• HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 for 90Hz head-mounted displays

• USB 3.0 Type-A or USB 3.1 Type-C Port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode

• Bluetooth 4.0 for accessories

What are the requirements for PlayStation VR? A PS4, PS4 Slim, or PS4 Pro.

Will PlayStation VR games look or perform better with the PlayStation 4 Pro? In games that are optimized to take advantage of the PS4 Pro's extra processing power, users can experience a crisper image via supersampling, improved graphics, or sometimes both.