New VR Headsets Are Coming

The world of VR is going to change in 2019 with a few new headsets coming to market. Two we're going to highlight today show the different directions some players are going.

First up is Oculus Quest, the highly anticipated standalone headset from Oculus (Facebook). The device retails for $400 and removes the need for a computer. The trade off Oculus is making to get low cost and an un-tethered design is a slower frame rate and less complete tracking of controllers in the virtual space. What's not yet known is if the inside-out tracking Oculus is going with will be easy to use in real-life environments. In homes with furniture or spaces with people walking around does the headset still track well? That'll be the true test when we try the device later this month.

The other headset that caught our attention is Valve Index. This is a tethered headset and has similar specs to the HTC Vive Pro. The biggest advantage is the new controllers that promise to be more intuitive than HTC's standard controllers. This device is already sold out until fall, so it will be a while before we learn if the device has mass appeal.