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Editor's note, April 30: This list reflects my current choices for Best VR headsets in light of Meta's price increases and removal of some key services for Quest headsets in 2026.
I've looked at VR and AR headsets for well over a decade, from Google Glass and the first demos of the Oculus Rift to peeks at the future of AR glasses and Android XR. But right now, VR has settled down to just a few players, while the landscape for face wearables is changing faster than ever.
With Meta suddenly eliminating VR features, shuttering game studios for Quest this year and effectively ending one of its best subscription fitness services, there’s a clear industry pivot to trying to make smart glasses happen. Meta also just increased the price of its several-year-old Quest headsets.
But in the meantime, high-powered and expensive VR headsets are still around. Apple's newest mixed reality Vision Pro is more mixed reality spatial computer than standard VR, with a fast M5 chip and the ability to work with Apple's iPadOS apps and MacBooks, while the Samsung Galaxy XR is the first device running Google's new Android XR operating system, which works with Google apps and the Google Play ecosystem. Both are more experimental than everyday functional.
Plus, later this year, Valve will be back in the VR game with the Steam Frame, a new standalone headset I demoed last year. It'll play Steam 2D and VR games and also stream from PCs, but the price is currently unknown.
VR is still not a needed thing for anyone’s life, and it’s best enjoyed as something affordable, since the landscape is shifting so fast. (Smart glasses are evolving functions that creep closer to what VR and mixed reality headsets can offer, like the upcoming Google Project Aura.) But if you’re really interested in VR gaming now, I’d wait it out to see when the Steam Frame is coming and what it’ll cost.
What's the best VR headset overall?
Despite the recent price increases, drop in some key services, and ongoing concerns about Meta's privacy policies over time, the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S are still the best VR headsets available for their price. Even at $600 and $350 respectively for the two headsets, they're thousands less than the Apple Vision Pro. But considering Meta's price changes and the shifting XR landscape, I'd recommend the cheaper Quest 3S now over the technically better-quality Quest 3.
The Quest 3 has better lens optics and a higher-resolution display than the Quest 3S. It has more onboard storage (512GB versus 128GB on the starting 3S model). But both headsets have the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processors and mixed reality capabilities that blend graphics with video of your surroundings using its color cameras. They both play all the same games, too, and can connect with PCs.
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