VR equipment for the thrifty – how to get started in virtual worlds

Virtual Reality is and remains an expensive hobby. At first, it seemed like there would only be either the high-priced variants for core gamers, but who also needed a powerful PC, or inexpensive alternatives from Samsung or Google that worked with smartphones but were considered more of a gimmick.

Oculus, the VR pioneer that started with a Kickstarter campaign and was eventually bought by Facebook, presented the first marketable model in 2016. At the time, however, there were still many shortcomings: too heavy, too uncomfortable, too expensive, too little software. In the meantime, a lot has happened. Brands like Sony (PlayStation VR), Acer, HTC or Valve presented their own concepts. Then Oculus developed the first standalone VR headset with the Oculus Go, followed by the Oculus Quest 1 in mid-2019 and recently the Quest 2 was released – our recommendation for entering VR worlds.

At 349 euros, the headset is relatively inexpensive (by VR standards) and versatile. Apart from the smartphone variants, there are not many alternatives in the lower price segment. Only PlayStation’s PSVR is similarly cheap, but requires a PlayStation 4 or 5. The Oculus Quest 2  (also the 1) offers sophisticated technology, wearing comfort, and a huge selection of good software. And if you want, you can connect the Quest to your PC and even try out real AAA VR games like Half-Life: Alyx.