2019 Guide: Virtual Reality Glasses

One more year we update our list with the best virtual reality glasses on the market. If you are thinking of buying a VR device, whether for professional or leisure purposes, here you will find the guide with all the information you need to make the right decision.

To facilitate reading, we have organized our guide into four categories:
-Standard glasses (with internal processor and therefore without the need for a mobile phone or cable connection to a PC)
-PC glasses
-Glasses for console
-Glasses for smartphone

Oculus Quest

The mysterious Santa Cruz project of the Facebook subsidiary has finally materialized in 2019 under the name of Oculus Quest. The new standalone, which will begin to be distributed in the month of May, has been going strong, and even before its launch it already sounds like a candidate for the title of best VR glasses this year. They also have a very interesting starting price.

One of the most attractive elements of the Quest is the freedom of movement it offers thanks to its integrated sensor system, which allows us to move through the physical space in which we find ourselves, without worrying about hitting ourselves with walls or objects thanks to the mapping it performs. the device.
The viewfinder has 1600 × 1440 pixel screens for each eye, offering high definition resolution for a new generation of games that will improve graphics quality.

By the expected launch date (May 21), the system is expected to have a catalog of 50 games. As a novelty it includes being able to share our virtual reality experiences with other users via Smartphone or TV.

The Quests feature Oculus’ Touch controllers, which remain the best on the market since their implementation in 2018 on the Rift. They are controls that move in a 3D space, which have buttons with great touch, quality triggers and, above all, allow you to map the controls of any game.

Our opinion is that the Oculus Quest are very interesting glasses, due to their comfort, ease of use and catalog of available applications. Exceeds the 3 degrees of freedom of the Oculus Go and that will undoubtedly allow you to enjoy much more intense virtual experiences.

Oculus Go

One of the most anticipated devices of 2018 was the Oculus Go, and although the brand has not published official data, according to various media, sales in its first 6 months on the market would have exceeded one million units sold. A not inconsiderable figure for the sector.

Oculus Go is a device called to evangelize mass users for the VR cause; perhaps not so much for its benefits that, although worthy, are far from being the best on the market, but for its price, which will be affordable for almost all budgets (In Spain only € 218, taxes included).

The Go are an independent device that, unlike similar price competitors such as the Samsung Gear, does not need a mobile phone to act as a processor, since it is integrated directly into the hardware. We only need access to a wifi network and our mobile phone to configure the glasses for the first time.

The Go are lightweight glasses-less than a half kilo-, resistant in appearance, comfortable and quite intuitive to use thanks to the manual control included in the kit.

Its main limitation is that, unlike Quests, it does not have a spatial tracking system, which means that we only have 3 degrees of freedom (DoF), and therefore we cannot get closer, further away or duck, just move our head from left to right and from top to bottom.

Regarding image quality, it has an LCD screen with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,449 pixels (WQHD) and a pixel density of 538 dpi that provides a very remarkable image quality.
One of the most curious elements is the spatial sound, located at the beginning of the elastic band, which provides a well-achieved immersive sensation.

Our opinion is that the Oculus Go are worth it (we already have a pair in our offices). The value for money is unbeatable right now and it is clear that they have been designed to take over the consumer market.
If you are new and want to enter the VR world or if you are looking for a model with which to enjoy your virtual leisure, these are the glasses you need.

HTC Vive Focus Plus

The Vive Focus Plus are quite similar technically to the Oculus Quest, although as we will see below they target very different markets. Actually more than a new device, it is necessary to speak of an improved version of the Vive Focus.

The main novelty lies in its two new motion controllers, which have been updated in depth to reach 6 degrees of freedom compared to 3 that only the normal version admitted. It has a powerful system, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and a 3k vision quality very similar to that of the Oculus Quest.

Regarding content, it has the Vive Wave platform, where it is possible to download content from the Viveport store, something that users value highly for its comfort and catalog, which is continually growing.

Its main disadvantage is its high price: $ 799. The reason is that unlike the Quests the Vive Focus Plus are designed for more professional use, especially for companies, for which it includes support and allows greater comfort in adjustment than its predecessors.
Regarding the quality of vision, they provide a 3K resolution Amoled screen, two controls with six degrees of freedom with analog triggers and pressure sensitive control, as well as the Snapdragon 835 processor from Qualcomm in its VR version. The Vive Focus Plus glasses will be available in the second quarter of 2019 in 25 countries and with support for 19 languages.

Our assessment is that we are dealing with an interesting device, but as we have previously mentioned, intended for a more business use. They are especially indicated for fields such as industrial, simulators or professional training.

Pico Neo VR

The Pico Neo VR saw the light in 2018, but due to their performance, quality and absolute positioning, they are still on the list of our favorite devices also this year.

We are facing a very interesting product to experience virtual reality in a completely immersive way, without the need for computers, phones or external sensors. The Pico Neo are generally a very complete product, although apparently more oriented to the professional sector than to a mass audience. In fact, its website, for the moment, limits the sale of devices to companies. Its price, about $ 600, also places it in this line.

The new model of the Chinese brand have two front cameras for tracking. There is also the possibility of acquiring the controls with 3DoF or 6DoF, with the second option undoubtedly being the most interesting (although according to their website they are currently sold out).
The curious thing is the command-goggle communication system through ultrasound. In the tests we did, the operation was quite correct, although sometimes the control did not follow the movement of the hand in real time.

The high quality of vision is another positive point. With 3K resolution on LCD viewfinders with a resolution of 1440 x 1600 and a refresh rate of 90Hz

The fit to the head is quite different from that of other glasses, and perhaps not the most comfortable, since instead of bands it has a kind of plastic headband that adjusts by pressing two buttons.

The audio, as we have already seen in the Oculus Go, is integrated into the same device, although its quality leaves much to be desired and is an element to improve in future updates of this model.

One of its main problems is the lack of content, much more limited than in other brands. If we also take into account that many of these contents are not designed to be experienced in 6 degrees of freedom, the great added value that this camera brings will not do us much good.

Our assessment is that these are quite interesting glasses but it gives us the impression that, like the HTC Vive Focus, they have been placed on somewhat diffuse terrain among the demands that high-end devices are required for more purposes professionals and consumer glasses, where the price and content are a more effective call than degrees of freedom.

Lenovo Mirage Solo

In 2018 Lenovo and Google teamed up to bring interesting VR glasses to market. However, although at the time they did a lot, they have gradually fallen into oblivion, and that despite having some characteristics that surpasses their competitors, such as their 6 degrees of freedom.

The Lenovo Mirage Solo have a Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64Gb, expandable to 256 with an external Micro SD card. Like the Pico Neo, it has two cameras integrated into the front to map the space around us.

Despite this advance in the possibilities of the glasses compared to the previous DayDream model, the manual control is still only 3 degrees of freedom, which, as we already mentioned when talking about the HTC Vive Focus represents a problem, since it greatly limits the feeling of immersion.

Unlike other devices such as the Pico Neo or the Oculus Go, whose sound system is integrated into the case itself, the Mirage Solo have opted for the traditional system based on connecting some type of earphone to the glasses.
In addition, the device is paired with the Mirage Camera dual-lens camera (sold separately at a price of € 300). Its mission is to capture photos and video in 3D format -but not 360º surround- so that it can be enjoyed in all its depth in the VR Mirage Solo viewer.

The helmet is comfortable and the vision is quite good with a resolution of 2560 × 1440 px and a refresh rate of 75Hz, although they are not too compact glasses (not to mention their weight close to 650 grams).

Regarding the contents, it has a fairly wide and interesting catalog, although once again we find ourselves with the difficulty of finding experiences that are compatible with the 6 degrees of freedom that the Mirage Solo offers to get the most out of it, although we are sure that it will be a matter of time.

Our assessment is that we are undoubtedly facing a good purchase option, although the market has not been favorable to this product. A comfortable and attractive way to enjoy virtual reality without complications. The Lenovo Mirage Solo is more than just a virtual reality viewer. It is, so far, the most important device in the history of Daydream, a brand that we will certainly hear a lot about.

Some 2017 models

Although in this article we have focused exclusively on the new devices that have come to light in 2018, we cannot ignore those that, even from 2017, are still interesting products and in many cases remain at the top of this year’s sales list. This is the case of the Samsung Gear with remote control or the Play Station VR, whose reviewss you can read in this article.