Tech

What to consider when buying virtual reality glasses

On the other hand, stand-alone or autonomous glasses (Standalone in English) do not have any type of cable, as they do not require an external device. All the prosecution of the information is carried out on the team itself. They are products usually a lot less powerful than the wired versions, but this does not mean that they are not able to offer a realistic experience with detailed graphics and good fluidity.

Are they just for playing?

Absolutely. The brands behind these new devices are creating the foundation for a new paradigm within computing. The goal is not only to create realistic games, not to develop new ways to develop our capabilities with applications for engineering, telecommuting, communication and leisure.

VR Standalone glasses (without cables)

The best options when buying cable-free virtual reality glasses are the following.

Oculus Quest 2

Oculus Quest 2

Behind Oculus is neither more nor less than Facebook (or Meta, rather). Oculus was the first brand to make a name for itself in the virtual reality world, and it didn’t take long for Zuckerberg to see their potential, as he ended up absorbing the company. Initially, Oculus made connected equipment, as was the case with the Oculus Rift S, but the latest models of this brand are totally autonomous.

The Oculus Quest 2 is worth approximately 350 euros and its brain is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor. Its resolution is 1,920 by 1,832 pixels, being the autonomous equipment on the market with the highest resolution to date. It includes two knobs to control movement and has a good arsenal of 6DOF sensors (6 degrees of freedom) to generate a complete experience.

Oculus Quest 2

Another strong point of Quest 2 is that can be turned into wired glasses. For this, we can use the Oculus Link, which is a five meter long USB-C powered cable. It is not a cheap accessory, but with it we can connect the Quest 2 to the PC and enjoy titles that are not available natively on the Oculus platform.

Sony PlayStation VR

Playstation VR deals

PlayStation VR is one of the easiest ways to enjoy virtual reality. Use the helmet and the PlayStation Cameray lets play on PlayStation 4. It is compatible too with PlayStation 5Although Sony is already working on a model for the next-generation console with redesigned controls and greater precision.

Wired virtual reality glasses

These are the best models of wired virtual reality glasses that currently exist on the market.

Valve Index

The company behind Steam It has also launched its proposal for virtual reality. Your device is one of the most expensive on the market, some 1,079 euros. They are also the virtual reality glasses wired with higher refresh rate. Supports a rate of 120 Hz and it also has a 144 Hz experimental mode. Taking advantage of this device means having recently invested several thousand euros in a desktop PC, so they are not a pair of glasses for everyone.

Their controls They are really revolutionaries. They can independently follow the movement of the fingers, so we will be able to simulate triggers with a spectacular level of realism. The only downside we can put to the Index is that the triggers they are sold separately for 299 euros more. Fortunately, you can use them with other virtual reality glasses like the HTC Vive or Vive Pro.

The Valve Index as a whole they are the most complete glasses that you are going to see in this guide, but they also represent a huge investment of money, so they are only suitable for those enthusiastic players who are not afraid to invest a huge sum of money to enjoy this technology.

HTC Vive Pro 2

The Vive Pro 2 stand out for being the glasses wired with the highest resolution on the market till the date. 2,448 by 2,448 pixels per eye, that is, 5K. They offer spectacular clarity with their LED screens (the previous model was OLED) and a 120 Hz refresh rate. They are used both for video games and for professionals who want to set ground in the metaverse. They are not very cheap glasses either. The helmet costs about 779 euros approximately. The controllers and base station they have to be acquired separately. They sell all-inclusive kits, but the most interesting thing is to buy the Valve Index knobs, since they are totally compatible with HTC glasses and they are much more advanced.

This headset is also totally compatible with SteamVR, but it has its own service store, called Viveport. There we can download all kinds of applications and utilities to take advantage of the brand’s virtual reality equipment. There is also a subscription membership called Viveport Infinity.

HTC Vive Cosmos and Vive Cosmos Elite

We have talked about very expensive products and we have to mention some affordable. The HTC Cosmos is about a improved version of the original Vive. The whole package costs around 750 euros and offers improved performance over the first-generation Vive.

The Elite version costs about 150 euros more and offers the external base and motion control sensors that provide a better precision.

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