When people think of modern virtual reality, many think of the popular Oculus headsets that are now sold by Meta (formerly Facebook). However, virtual reality has been around for a very long time, though VR headsets have only recently become popular.
The VR Space team looked at different virtual reality headsets through the years to see what each of the headsets look like and how technology has advanced in the past few decades.
Virtual reality has existed in some form for decades. The Sword of Damocles, a head-mounted display created in 1968 by computer scientist Ivan Sutherland, is considered to have been the first VR headset, though it was never released to the public, as it was too heavy for users to wear comfortably for extended periods of time.
Sega attempted to develop a commercial virtual reality headset in 1993. The company created the Sega VR headset to act as a peripheral to their popular Sega Genesis console. Unfortunately, Sega ran into development issues, and the headset was never officially released.
The Forte VFX1 was released in 1995 and consisted of a head-mounted display with speakers and a handheld controller. It was one of the first VR headsets for PC and required an IBM-compatible PC with 500 KB of free hard-drive space.
Nintendo’s Virtual Boy was the next VR headset to come out. Released in 1995, this headset was marketed as the first to render 3D graphics. While the console was revolutionary in the video game world, it was slammed by critics and failed to meet expected sales goals. It’s Nintendo’s lowest-selling console to date, with fewer than 1 million units sold. Despite its initial failure, Nintendo enthusiasts today consider the Virtual Boy to be a collectable. Because so few units were sold, it’s a rarity in the community.
It wasn’t until the mid-2010s that VR headsets really started gaining mass popularity. The Oculus VR systems were the initial leaders in the virtual reality headset race. The Oculus Rift DK1 was released in 2013, and the DK2 was released in 2014, but it wasn’t until the first commercially available Oculus Rift was released in 2016 that things really started moving. This revolutionary headset featured a 1080×1200 resolution per eye and retailed for $599. It sold more than 500,000 units. Oculus has since produced many other headsets, including the Oculus Go (2018), Oculus Rift S (2019), Oculus Quest (2019), and Oculus Quest 2 (2020).
While Oculus might be the most well-known brand of virtual reality equipment, many other popular headsets have been released in the past decade, too. HTC has produced a number of popular and impressive headsets through the years, particularly its most recent headset, the HTC Vive Flow. Released in 2021, it features a 1600×1600 resolution per eye and 100° field of view.
In terms of console-based VR headsets, one of the most popular is the PlayStation VR. Originally released by Sony in 2016, this headset works with both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Wondering which VR console to buy? It’s hard to say which is the best virtual reality system available, as the right choice will vary for each person. With so many options on the market, there’s a VR headset for anyone, regardless of your needs or price point.
Name of VR Headset | Release Date | Resolution per Eye | Field of View | Tethered or Standalone? | Price |
Sega VR | April 1993 | N/A | N/A | Console-powered VR | N/A |
Forte VFX1 | December 1994 | 263×230 | 35.5° | PC-powered VR | $695 |
Virtual Boy | June 1995 | 384×224 | N/A | Standalone VR | $179.95 |
IIS VFX3D | January 2000 | 380×337 | 35° | PC-powered VR | $1,800 |
Sony PUD-J5A | September 2002 | 827×228 | 25° | Console-powered VR | $500 |
NVIS nVisor SX60 | December 2002 | 1280×1024 | 44° | PC-powered VR | $24,000 |
Oculus Rift DK1 | March 2013 | 640×800 | 90° | PC-powered VR | $300 |
Oculus Rift DK2 | July 2014 | 960×1080 | 94° | PC-powered VR | $350 |
3Glasses D2 | June 2015 | 1280×1440 | 110° | PC-powered VR | $400 |
Razer OSVR HDK 1.4 | August 2015 | 960×1080 | 100° | PC-powered VR | $399 |
Oculus Rift | March 2016 | 1080×1200 | 88° | PC-powered VR | $599 |
HTC Vive | April 2016 | 1080×1200 | 92° | PC-powered VR | $799 |
LG 360 VR | May 2016 | 920×720 | 80° | Phone-powered VR | $200 |
Razer OSVR HDK 2 | July 2016 | 1080×1200 | 110° | PC-powered VR | $399 |
DPVR M2 Pro | August 2016 | 1325×1440 | 96° | Standalone VR | $495 |
PlayStation VR | October 2016 | 960×1080 | 96° | Console-powered VR | $299 |
3Glasses Blubur S1 | November 2016 | 1440×1440 | 110° | PC-powered VR | $530 |
Genbasic Quad HD | November 2016 | 2560×1440 | 110° | Standalone VR | $199 |
Pimax 4K | December 2016 | 1920×2160 | 110° | PC-powered VR | $375 |
ClassVR | March 2017 | 1280×1440 | 110° | Standalone VR | N/A |
DPVR E3B | March 2017 | 1280×1440 | 110° | PC-powered VR | $250 |
Snapdragon 835 VR Development Kit | May 2017 | 1280×1440 | 90° | Standalone VR | $1,500 |
ANTVR Cyclop | July 2017 | 1080×1200 | 110° | PC-powered VR | $450 |
Woxter Neo VR100 | July 2017 | 960×1080 | N/A | Standalone VR | $180 |
Acer AH101 | October 2017 | 1440×1440 | 97° | PC-powered VR | $399 |
Dell Visor | October 2017 | 1440×1440 | 97° | PC-powered VR | $349 |
HP VR1000 | October 2017 | 1440×1440 | 95° | PC-powered VR | $399 |
Lenovo Explorer | October 2017 | 1440×1440 | 97° | PC-powered VR | $380 |
Medion Erazer X1000 | November 2017 | 1440×1440 | 95° | PC-powered VR | $449 |
Samsung Odyssey | November 2017 | 1440×1600 | 101° | PC-powered VR | $499 |
VRgineers VRHero 5K Plus | November 2017 | 2560×1440 | 150° | PC-powered VR | $9,000 |
Pico Goblin | December 2017 | 1280×1440 | 92° | Standalone VR | $269 |
3Glasses Blubur S2 | January 2018 | 1440×1440 | 90° | PC-powered VR | $549 |
Asus HC102 | February 2018 | 1440×1440 | 96° | PC-powered VR | $429 |
Snapdragon 845 VR Development Kit | March 2018 | 1440×2560 | 110° | Standalone VR | N/A |
HTC Vive Pro | April 2018 | 1440×1600 | 98° | PC-powered VR | $599 |
Oculus Go | April 2018 | 1280×1440 | 89° | Standalone VR | $199 |
Lenovo Mirage Solo | May 2018 | 1280×1440 | 110° | Standalone VR | $400 |
Xiaomi Mi VR | May 2018 | 1280×1440 | 94° | Standalone VR | $200 |
Huawei VR2 | May 2018 | 3200×1440 | 100° | PC-powered VR | $289 |
VRgineers XTAL | June 2018 | 2560×1440 | 150° | PC-powered VR | $5,800 |
Pico G2 | July 2018 | 1440×1600 | 92° | Standalone VR | $249 |
DPVR P1 | October 2018 | 1280×1440 | N/A | Standalone VR | $199 |
Samsung Odyssey+ | October 2018 | 1440×1600 | 101° | PC-powered VR | $499 |
Pimax 5K XR | November 2018 | 2560×1440 | 150° | PC-powered VR | $1,449 |
Helmet Vision | January 2019 | 3840×1200 | 120° | Standalone VR | $349 |
Pimax Vision 8K+ | February 2019 | 3840×2160 | 150° | PC-powered VR | $1,449 |
Varjo VR-1 | February 2019 | 1440×1600 | 87° | PC-powered VR | $6,000 |
HP Reverb | April 2019 | 2160×2160 | 96° | PC-powered VR | $599 |
HTC Vive Focus | April 2019 | 1440×1600 | 110° | Standalone VR | $599 |
Valve Index | April 2019 | 1440×1600 | 107° | PC-powered VR | $999 |
3Glasses X1 | May 2019 | 1200×1200 | 105° | Standalone VR | $550 |
Oculus Quest | May 2019 | 1440×1600 | 94° | Standalone VR | $399 |
Oculus Rift S | May 2019 | 1280×1440 | 88° | PC-powered VR | $399 |
Pico G2 4K | May 2019 | 1920×2160 | 92° | Standalone VR | $399 |
HTC Vive Pro Eye | June 2019 | 1440×1600 | 98° | PC-powered VR | $1,599 |
DPVR E3 4K | August 2019 | 1920×2160 | 110° | PC-powered VR | $399 |
Acer OJO 500 | October 2019 | 1440×1440 | 95° | PC-powered VR | $399 |
HTC Vive Cosmos | October 2019 | 1440×1700 | 97° | PC-powered VR | $699 |
Varjo VR-2 | October 2019 | 1440×1600 | 87° | PC-powered VR | $4,995 |
DPVR P1 Pro 4K | November 2019 | 1920×2160 | 100° | Standalone VR | $349 |
Huawei VR Glass | December 2019 | 1600×1600 | 90° diagonal | Phone-powered VR | $430 |
Varjo XR-1 | December 2019 | 1440×1600 | 87° | PC-powered VR | $11,995 |
Pimax Artisan | January 2020 | 1700×1440 | 130° | PC-powered VR | $449 |
VRgineers XTAL 8K | January 2020 | 3840×2160 | 150° | PC-powered VR | $7,980 |
HTC Vive Cosmos Elite | March 2020 | 1440×1700 | 97° | PC-powered VR | $899 |
StarVR One | April 2020 | 1830×1464 | 210° | PC-powered VR | $3,200 |
Pico Neo 2 | May 2020 | 2048×2160 | 101° | Standalone VR | $699 |
QWR VRone 4K | August 2020 | N/A | N/A | Standalone VR | $550 |
ClassVR Premium | October 2020 | 1280×1440 | 100° | Standalone VR | N/A |
HP Reverb G2 | October 2020 | 2160×2160 | 98° | PC-powered VR | $599 |
Lenovo Mirage VR S3 | October 2020 | 1920×2160 | 101° | Standalone VR | $450 |
Oculus Quest 2 | October 2020 | 1832×1920 | 89° | Standalone VR | $299 |
Pimax 5K Super | November 2020 | 2560×1440 | 150° | PC-powered VR | $1,299 |
Varjo VR-3 | December 2020 | 2880×2720 | 115° | PC-powered VR | $3,195 |
Varjo XR-3 | December 2020 | 2880×2720 | 115° | PC-powered VR | $5,495 |
XRSpace Manova | December 2020 | 1440×1440 | 100° | Standalone VR | $499 |
HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition | April 2021 | 2160×2160 | 98° | PC-powered VR | $1,249 |
Nolo X1 | April 2021 | 1280×1440 | 96° | Standalone VR | $399 |
Pico Neo 3 | May 2021 | 1832×1920 | 98° | Standalone VR | $390 |
HTC Vive Focus 3 | June 2021 | 2448×2448 | 116° | Standalone VR | $1,300 |
HTC Vive Pro 2 | June 2021 | 2448×2448 | 116° | PC-powered VR | $1,399 |
Nolo Sonic | June 2021 | 1920×2160 | 101° | Standalone VR | $470 |
Arpara VR | August 2021 | 2560×2560 | 95° | PC-powered VR | $599 |
DPVR P1 Pro Light | August 2021 | 1280×1440 | N/A | Standalone VR | $399 |
DVPR P1 Ultra 4K | August 2021 | 1920×2160 | N/A | Standalone VR | $599 |
HTC Vive Flow | November 2021 | 1600×1600 | 100° | Standalone VR | $499 |
Huawei VR Glass 6DoF | November 2021 | 1600×1600 | 90° diagonal | Phone-powered VR | $620 |
VR Headset Name | Date Announced | Resolution per Eye | Field of View | Tethered or Standalone? | Price |
Lynx R1 | January 2020 | 1600×1600 | 90° | Standalone VR | $500 |
Canon MREAL S1 | September 2020 | 1600×1200 | 45° | PC-powered VR | $38,500 |
DecaGear | October 2020 | 2160×2160 | 114° | PC-powered VR | $549 |
iQIYI Qiyu 3 | January 2021 | 2160×2160 | 95° | Standalone VR | N/A |
Playstation VR 2 | February 2021 | 2000×2040 | N/A | Console-powered VR | N/A |
Arpara VR All In One | May 2021 | 2560×2560 | 95° | Standalone VR | N/A |
Roscosmos XR-2 | May 2021 | 2880×2880 | N/A | PC-powered VR | N/A |
Pimax Reality 12K QLED | October 2021 | N/A | 200° | Standalone VR | $2,399 |
Varjo Aero | October 2021 | 2880×2720 | 100° | PC-powered VR | $1,999 |
Diver-X HalfDive | December 2021 | 1600×1440 | N/A | PC-powered VR | $1,200 |
VR Headset Name | Date Announced | Resolution per Eye | Field of View | Tethered or Standalone? | Price |
Lynx R1 | January 2020 | 1600×1600 | 90° | Standalone VR | $500 |
Canon MREAL S1 | September 2020 | 1600×1200 | 45° | PC-powered VR | $38,500 |
DecaGear | October 2020 | 2160×2160 | 114° | PC-powered VR | $549 |
iQIYI Qiyu 3 | January 2021 | 2160×2160 | 95° | Standalone VR | N/A |
Playstation VR 2 | February 2021 | 2000×2040 | N/A | Console-powered VR | N/A |
Arpara VR All In One | May 2021 | 2560×2560 | 95° | Standalone VR | N/A |
Roscosmos XR-2 | May 2021 | 2880×2880 | N/A | PC-powered VR | N/A |
Pimax Reality 12K QLED | October 2021 | N/A | 200° | Standalone VR | $2,399 |
Varjo Aero | October 2021 | 2880×2720 | 100° | PC-powered VR | $1,999 |
Diver-X HalfDive | December 2021 | 1600×1440 | N/A | PC-powered VR | $1,200 |
VR Headset Name | Date Announced | Resolution per Eye | Field of View | Tethered or Standalone? | Price |
Lynx R1 | January 2020 | 1600×1600 | 90° | Standalone VR | $500 |
Canon MREAL S1 | September 2020 | 1600×1200 | 45° | PC-powered VR | $38,500 |
DecaGear | October 2020 | 2160×2160 | 114° | PC-powered VR | $549 |
iQIYI Qiyu 3 | January 2021 | 2160×2160 | 95° | Standalone VR | N/A |
Playstation VR 2 | February 2021 | 2000×2040 | N/A | Console-powered VR | N/A |
Arpara VR All In One | May 2021 | 2560×2560 | 95° | Standalone VR | N/A |
Roscosmos XR-2 | May 2021 | 2880×2880 | N/A | PC-powered VR | N/A |
Pimax Reality 12K QLED | October 2021 | N/A | 200° | Standalone VR | $2,399 |
Varjo Aero | October 2021 | 2880×2720 | 100° | PC-powered VR | $1,999 |
Diver-X HalfDive | December 2021 | 1600×1440 | N/A | PC-powered VR | $1,200 |