VR headsets of 2017 - What's the best headset?

Ars Technica illustrates upon the current state of VR headsets while trying to decide the best VR headset of early 2017.

Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive vs PlayStation VR - Which one to Buy?

Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive vs PlayStation VR. The ultimate showdown between the leading VR headsets of 2017. Content source MW Technology. Explore the real pros & cons before deciding which one to buy?

HTC Vive Addons in 2017

In a bid to enhance its room scale immersive VR gaming experience, HTC Vive has introduced a lot of cool gadgets in 2017. With wireless tracking, Vive has done well to reduce some of the wire clutter. Moreover, Vive Guns are a great improvement in VR gaming. Additional addons like the hand tracking gloves are also getting a lot of attention.

Virtual Reality Explained by MKBHD

 

From cardboard to Oculus Rift, VR explained by Marques Brownlee - MKBHD (Quality Tech Videos).

Vive X: HTC Vive's VR Accelerator Program

Vive X is the global VR accelerator program initiated by HTC Vive. Through this project, HTC Vive aims to support and supervise VR startups globally. Although initially it will assist VR startups in San Francisco, Taipei and Beijing only, but HTC Vive promises to add more locations in the future.

This Vive X VR accelerator program not only provides expertise in VR technology but it also offers investment, education, networking, support and mentorship.  

HTC Vive with this VR accelerator program wants to promote quality entrepreneurship in VR technology by providing relevant startups the necessary resources and proper guidance "to help grow the global VR ecosystem."  

Interested startups from the above mentioned cities can apply for Vive X on HTC Vive's official website.

Image source: htcvive.com

FATED: The Silent Oath, a cross-platform VR game

Developed by Frima Studios, FATED: The Silent Oath is an action-adventure VR game. It is set in a mythical era of Vikings where a father struggles to save his family from "the destruction of the world at the hands of giants of old."
A first-person virtual reality game, FATED is a fine story based narrative. Apart from a very strong emotional plot and a fine narrative, this VR game also offers some great visuals and graphics. All in all, this latest VR game promises a unique immersive and emotional VR experience.

Image source: oculus.com

It is a cross-platform VR game, therefore it is now available for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. It will also be available for PlayStation VR. You can buy this game for 19.99$ on Steam and Oculus Store.

Which is the better VR headset, Oculus Rift or HTC Vive?

Image source: technivorz.com

It is year 2016 and now you can enjoy real virtual reality by getting one of the top VR headsets. But, only if you have enough money to spend on more advanced VR headsets, and the patience to wait for your order to arrive. Yes, it takes a month for HTC Vive's pre-orders to arrive and almost two months for the Oculus Rift. But, before deciding which headset to buy, you should first spend some time considering the pros and cons of the top rival VR headsets, Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive.
First of all, you can't say that one of these headsets is the best one, because both of these headsets have their positives and negatives. For example, the laser tracking system used by HTC Vive to turn your room into a 3d, VR sphere is a positive point for HTC Vive, where you can move around your room while enjoying the immersive gaming experience. Whereas, with Oculus Rift there is a single tracking camera that only allows you to sit and enjoy the VR experience. On the other hand, there is also a negative point to it. Like, it takes almost half an hour to setup the HTC Vive tracking system before you can start enjoying it. Whereas, it becomes quite easy for Oculus Rift to setup because of its single tracking camera.
Similarly, there are quite a few things you should know before deciding to order VR headset. Looking at technical specs, both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have the same HD OLED display resolution and that is, 2160*1200 at 90 Hz with a 1080*1200 resolution per eye. Both use advanced sensors for head tracking except there is an additional camera on HTC Vive which can be used to switch between virtual reality and the original world (your real environment). You will never find this camera on Oculus Rift and you'll have to remove your headset to check out your real environment. Looking at the design you'll definitely notice that Oculus Rift is far more comfortable with a sleek and beautiful design. HTC Vive, on the other hand seems too bulky and loses some points for its design. Another important thing to consider is that HTC Vive comes with two gesture controllers whereas, gesture controllers for Oculus Rift are not released yet.
As for the price, Oculus Rift costs 600$ plus the Rift Ready gaming PC, while HTC Vive costs 800$ plus the compatible gaming PC. So, both of these headsets are pretty expensive if you don't have a very powerful gaming PC.
After price comparison, you should also look at the content matrix, Oculus Rift comes with exclusive games, and one of their exclusive titles, Lucky's Tale is shipped free with Oculus Rift. Whereas, HTC Vive has no exclusive games so far.
All in all, both the headsets are some great VR gadgets, and people should try to experience at least one of the two. In the end, it really depends on your preferences and your money, as to which headset you want to go for. 

HTC Vive, turn your room into a real VR sphere

Image source: gamezone.com

HTC Vive, one of the top VR headsets of 2016, is a joint venture of HTC, and Valve Corporation. Released in April, 2016, HTC Vive is already competing in the emerging VR market.
Those who had a taste of VR through some basic smartphone based headsets are too excited to explore the possibilities of real VR, immersive interaction provided by more advanced VR headsets like the HTC Vive. Although all the VR headset brands focus on the immersive, virtual reality experience, where users feel like they are part of a game or an app. What HTC Vive has added into this VR is the precise, “room scale” movement tracking. Basically, what this new additional tracking of your room does is that it turns your room into an immersive virtual reality sphere. It means that with the help of this room tracking, now you can move around your room to enjoy immersive virtual reality. Another good thing about HTC Vive is that it is cross-platform compatible. You can enjoy HTC Vive on Windows, OSX and Linux.
HTC Vive is considered to be technologically very sound, providing some top tier immersive VR graphics. But, from a designing perspective it seems to be lacking a bit. Most of its reviews show users not fully satisfied with its comfortability. Hopefully, HTC Vive will revise its design in its upcoming models.
With all its tech specifications and immersive room level VR, HTC Vive is a pretty enticing gadget. But, what makes this VR headset hard to acquire is its price tag. Currently the most expensive VR headset, HTC Vive is in the elite tier of VR headsets in 2016.
All in all, HTC Vive is an amazing piece of technology, with its ultra immersive VR and unique gaming experience.