

Either external sensors or outward-facing cameras provide full 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) movement tracking for both your head and your hands, thanks to motion-sensing controllers. The cable makes them a bit unwieldy, but putting all of the actual video processing in a box that you don't need to directly strap to your face means your VR experience can be a lot more complex. Tethered headsets like the HTC Vive Pro 2, PlayStation VR, and Valve Index are physically connected to PCs (or in the case of the PS VR, a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5). Modern VR headsets now fit under one of two categories: tethered or standalone. The Big Question: Which VR Headset Is the Best? Here's what you need to know about all of them. Even Microsoft is (sort of) supporting its Windows Mixed Reality platform with a scant few third-party headsets. Valve has its own expensive Index headset. Sony has the PS4-compatible PlayStation VR.


HTC has the tethered Steam-friendly Vive Cosmos and Vive Pro 2, while HP has the more affordable Reverb G2. Oculus is focusing its efforts on a standalone VR headset, the Quest 2, but providing the option to connect it to a PC.
