Top 10 Best VR Headsets for Smartphone VR Games & 360 Videos

VR headsets are becoming the most wanted accessories in today’s gaming market and this article discusses the best VR headsets for your consideration. It has reached a new height in popularity due to its ability to place you directly in the game. Even though Vr had been popular in the 90’s and early 00’s, the advancement in technology has made it 10x better. VR headsets are popular with gaming consoles so why not use them with something we all have a: smartphone! Here are the 10 best vr headsets for use with your smartphone.

Top 10 Best VR Headsets for Smartphone VR Games & 360 Videos

1. Google Cardboard D-Scope pro

Price: about 17$. The best google cardboard set you can get for a low price. With the same concept as the original google cardboard it gives you a simple easy to use VR headset.

Pros:

• Highest quality Google Cardboard set.
• Easy to use
• Precise fitting and comfortable on face.
• Great graphics
• Tons of apps made for Google Cardboard.
• It can work on most smartphones easily.

Cons:

• It doesn’t stay assembled for very long.
• Tabs can be too trimmed.

2. Freefly VR virtual reality smartphone

Freefly has a unique winged design is one of the best looking virtual reality headsets on the market. It’s also one of the only headsets, VR devices, which come with a controller.  It has an Ergonomic design that everyone can get used to. Price: about 75$

Pros:

• Ability to use a QR code to have the gadget adjusted to your face and ability to have custom orders.
• High field of view.
• Good image quality.
• Comes with a controller

Cons:

• Easy to break.
• Expensive
• Remote don’t work with some IOS updates.

3. Samsung Gear VR

Samsung Gear VR is a lightweight easy to use headset that works on Samsung products only. It has a wide field of view and you will fully feel as if you are in the virtual reality world. Price: around 100$

Pros:

• Amazing quality
• It has Tons of apps that add variety to it from video games, travel apps, and movies.
• The best graphics in the industry

Cons:

• Expensive
• Only works for a limited amount of Samsung products.

4. Homido Virtual Reality Headset

Homido is a versatile headset that works with phones within 4-6 inches. It is comfortable , flexible and can fit almost any head type. It is wireless and battery free to give you the freedom to go anywhere you want. Price: around 80$

Pros:

• Great lenses quality.
• Extremely easy to mount in phone.
• Padding around face mask is comfortable.

Cons:

• Doesn’t work that great on all phones
• Has no universal app

5. Lurcio 2016 VR Gazers

Lurcio is harmless to your eyes while giving you the perfect VR experience. One second you can be in New York; then after you go to New York you can explore the Paris streets with Lurcio. Price: around 30$

Pros:

• Fits most phones
• Does little damage to your eyes
• Low price

Cons:

• Can’t work with apps
• It won’t work with a cell phone case with phones that larger than 6 inches.

6. Tepoinn 3d VR Glasses

Best seller, Tepoinn is a lightweight easy to use VR headset made for phones between 3.5-5.5 inches. Price: about 30$

Pros:

• Clear lenses
• Includes a stylus and microfiber cloth.
• Made with good materials

Cons:

• It can be difficult to align some phones into slot.

7. Merge VR

Merge allows you to explore a number of different worlds through its equipped Merge Start app. The headset is made of soft marshmallow like substance that contours to your face. Price: about 80$

Pros:

• Luckily the Merge works exactly as it is advertised no flaws or lies.
• The effect is realistic and you actually feel as if you’re there.
• Phone is easy to get into device

Cons:

• Sometimes the buttons on Merge doesn’t work.
• Phone slot is too small for larger phones.
• People report neck issues due to it being heavy.

8. Sunnypeak VRG – 10900

Sunnypeak is made of high quality ABS that can last a long time. It’s sharp, durable, and cheap and does a decent job in bring the full VR experience.  Price:  around 20$

Pros:

• Fully adjustable focus and easy to find magnet
• Low price.

Cons:

• Doesn’t work with glasses
• Cheap plastic on the lens

9. Wearever ET1

Wearever is a simple minimalist fashion prone product that doesn’t disappoint. It is great for people that are just getting into VR. Price: about 35$

Pros:

• Low price
• It has adjustable head straps.
• Holds the phone in place

Cons:

• No padding on nose
• Small amount of apps

10. Zeiss VR One

Is a cutting edge modern minimalist design with precision lens. It includes an innovative slide for exact positioning of your smartphone. Price: about 120$

Pros:

• Very simple in design and functionality it does exactly what you would want it to do.
• Good graphics.

Cons:

• Expensive

What is Virtual Reality? Fun Facts

As technology progresses it is often the case that whatever you can imagine can virtually become reality, and with all the talk lately about Oculus Rift VR we find ourselves wondering what is virtual reality?   It won’t surprise me if soon we will be talking about time travel!

Virtual Reality Definition

You may have watched a few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which they had a special room called a holodeck (see picture above) which allowed them to simulate any environment or setting.  When they went in there, everything seemed so real and they could walk around and see the sights and hear the realistic sounds.  That whole environment was supposedly being generated by a powerful computer, and it was all just a simulation but it seemed so real.  Of course, that was science fiction, but for generations we have been wanting to experience something like that.

So, in today’s world Virtual Reality (VR) is an artificial visual environment generated by your computer (or smartphone), which immerses the viewer into this virtual world by wearing specialized goggles.  The simulation is in 3 Dimensional format, like a video game, in which the user observes a place or environment which appears like the original one. It is meant to trick the brain into believing that it is the actual real environment.

Virtual reality primarily uses two out of five senses that are sight and sound.  Today’s VR technology isn’t as advanced as the Star Trek holodeck in which you could touch and pick up virtual objects, but many early users of VR today claim it is very realistic nonetheless.

How Does VR Work?

The current generation of VR technology consists of a headset, which includes headphones and goggles, and may include a kind of helmet in some cases.  Of course, you also need a computer or 360 video camera or smartphone to provide the imagery.  Generally, the artificial world is constructed through software, like a video game.  Or, it can be a video that was taken using a special camera that captures views 360 degrees all the way around.

As the viewer turns his head, there are special motion sensors built into the goggles that can detect the turn of the head, and then the computer adjusts the image accordingly.  To the viewer, it seems that there is a virtual world all around, while the computer is busy projecting the proper images.

There are many 360 degree cameras that are about to hit the market this year, stay tuned for an upcoming review of the best 360 cameras for VR.  These cameras capture the video all around, and similarly as the user turns his head it projects a different view of the environment.

What are the top 360 degree cameras for recording 360 video?

• See Related: Top 10 Best VR 360 Camera Reviews

What Is VR Good For?

As with many things, VR was initially developed and used for military training purposes, to provide airplane pilots a more realistic flight simulator.  In this sense, it can be a powerful tool for training purposes, for other professions besides pilots.

In real estate, it is used to create a simulation of a new building project and allow the customer to view a realistic rendering of the new building project before it is constructed.  Using the VR headset, they can observe and look around and get a good sense of what it will be like when finished.   In the gaming world, it displays the 3-D virtual world and graphics effects, which makes you believe that you are in the game world and can make playing games more fun.

VR is useful for numerous activities like;

1. Turning a 2D movie in a theater to a 3D format for a whole new level
2. Converts the 2D arcade games in 3D effect for better experience
3. It can be used for flight simulators
4. It can transport the user to a foreign places, homes, apartments or any architectural places, without really being on that place in real
5. It can be used for horror experiences, for instance, visiting a horror place
6. Architectural simulators, for instance, you can see a building built as you want it to be and see what would happen to it in the future, due to weather, natural disasters, or anything related to nature
7. Racing simulators
8. Learning driving
9. Porn
10. Puzzle games
11. Remotely controlling of robotics and drones
12. Mapping & geographic visualizations, etc

What Type of Hardware Do You Need For Virtual Reality?

The hardware required for VR is;

• Head Mounted Display (or goggles)
• Audio headset (or built-in headphones)
• Tactile Gloves – to detect your hand motion so you can interact with the virtual world
• 8GB+ RAM
• 2 USB 3.0 Ports
• Intel i5-4590 or greater processor
• NVIDIA GTX 970/AMD 290 or greater
• Compatible HDMI 1.3 Video Output
• Windows 7 SP1 or above
• Virtual Reality Software Engine, or game, or 360 video
• Or alternatively, you can use an advanced smartphone instead of PC-based VR.

What Are The Top Virtual Reality Gear Makers?

There are different Virtual Reality Gear Makers in the market;

• Oculus Rift
• Sony PlayStation VR
• HTC Vive
• Samsung Gear VR
• Microsoft HoloLens
• Fove VR
• Zeiss VR One
• Avegant Glyph
• Razer OSVR
• Google Cardboard
• Freefly VR headset

 

TODAY’S Amazon Best Sellers: Top 10 Virtual Reality Headsets in 2016

First, here is the top 10 list of best selling VR headsets as of TODAY on Amazon. This list is updated daily based on actual sales data and best seller rank. For your convenience, you can pick one of these VR headsets that many other consumers consider best buys, based on voting with their wallets.