Best VR headsets 2024: Meta, PlayStation, and Valve
Read our full review of the Meta Quest 3 VR headset.
Who it’s for:
The Meta Quest 3 is the best entry VR gaming headset for most people. It’s not outlandishly expensive, it’s convenient to use, and it’s the best version of Meta’s Quest line so far. If you have the money to upgrade from the Meta Quest 2 (and, if you don’t, the Quest 2 is still pretty awesome), we absolutely recommend picking one up. Oh, and did we mention that the Quest 3 is fully backwards compatible with the Quest 2 library? Pretty sweet.
Why we picked this:
As we already said, the Meta Quest 3 is the best Quest VR headset to date. Pretty much every single spec (save for battery life, strangely) is bigger and better than the Quest 2, including power, resolution, comfort, and more.
The first big improvement you’ll notice is the overall comfort and design of the headset and controllers. Both pieces now have a much more ergonomic shape — the headset doesn’t feel as heavy on the face, and the two controllers feel way better in the hand (plus, those silly little rings are finally gone). The head strap still isn’t perfect yet, so we recommend picking up an Elite Strap.
Setting up your play area is much easier now, as the Quest 3 can map it automatically instead of requiring you to draw it yourself. It’s a small upgrade that makes a big difference in convenience. You can even fine-tune the lens spacing, which wasn’t included in the Quest 2, which makes using the Quest 3 way more accessible.
The inclusion of full color passthrough is one of the coolest additions to the Meta Quest 3. It opens up some pretty great AR gaming opportunities. While the Quest 2 did have a passthrough option, it was displayed in pixelated grayscale and didn’t really have a function other than to briefly show your surroundings. Now, passthrough is more true-to-life and won’t get in the way of your gaming sessions.
The Meta Quest 3 isn’t without its issues, though. While the resolution is better, we’re still pretty far off from the high-fidelity look that we’d like to see in our VR games, so don’t expect your mind to be blown in that regard. We also encountered some hand tracking issues, but they were mostly negligible. The bigger disappointment is the headset’s battery life, which is weirdly worse than the Quest 2. Even so, we believe the Quest 3 is the best VR headset for anyone who’s interested in the medium.
Recommended games:
