Virtual Reality is an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one’s actions partially determine what happens in the environment. [Merriam-Webster 2015] With Virtual Reality, you can experience a whole new world without actually going out of your house. This is especially applicable in the current context of the world still under the influence of covid-19.
The most important hardware with virtual reality is the headset, a device similar a pair of goggles that goes over your eyes. In this post, I am going to list some latest headsets, and state my choices of VR and MR headsets.
Some latest headsets in the market:
- Sony PlayStation VR: Price is around 600 sgd. It has to be connected to PS.
- Oculus Rift S: Price is around 600 sgd. It has to be connected to PC.
- Oculus Quest 2: Price is around 400 – 500 sgd. It is an all-in-one HW.
- Nintendo Labo VR Kit: Price is around 100 sgd. It has to be used with Nintendo Switch. This HW is more like a toy and it is kid-friendly. This is a good choice if the user has already possessed Switch and just wants to have a simple VR experience.
- Microsoft HoloLens 2: Price is 3500 usd. It is a mixed reality headset.
My choice or VR headset: Oculus Quest 2
Oculus is a brand owned by Facebook which has the biggest VR headset market share in 2020, with a value of 38.7%. Oculus Quest 2 is an advanced all-in-one VR device. It does not require to be connected to PC like Oculus Rift S (but it can be connected to PC if you want to). Therefore, this makes the device easy to travel with.
The price of the headset is an important aspect as well. Oculus Quest 2 has a reasonable price that I can accept and it does not require us to purchase other devices. Other VR headsets choices may require other devices like a powerful PC, PS or Switch to connect to.
Oculus is a relatively mature system in the current market. It has an expansive game library which provides you many choices of immersive game experiences. Oculus Quest 2 has Fast-switch LCD Display and 1832 x 1920 Resolution Per Eye to provide me a nice game experience.
Moreover, one of my friends purchased Oculus Quest 2 and recommended it to me, stating that this headset gives her very authentic experiences.
My choice or MR headset: Microsoft HoloLens 2
There are not many choices of headset products in the market dedicated to MR purposes, therefore my conclusion after the research is limited. HoloLens is a mixed reality solution for enterprise and education.
The main improvements Microsoft made from HoloLens 1 to HoloLens 2 are immersiveness, ergonomics and business friendliness. Below are some fields of improvement that I think are important to note:
| Specs | HoloLens 1 | HoloLens 2 |
| Display resolution | 1280×720 (per eye) | 2048 × 1080 px (per eye) |
| Field of view (FOV) | 34° | 52° |
| Eye-based rendering | Automatic pupillary distance calibration | Display optimization for 3D eye position |
| Eye-tracking | no | yes |
| Processor | Intel 32-bit (1GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 |
| Camera | 2.4 MP, HD video | 8MP stills, 1080p video |
| Audio | Built-in speakers 3.5mm jack; | Built-in spatial sound; 3.5mm jack |
| Flip-up visor | no | yes |
| Biometric Security (Iris Scanning) | no | yes |
| Hand tracking | one hand | both hands full tracking |
| Gestures: Press, Grab, Direct manipulation, Touch interaction, Scroll with wave | no | yes |
Source: https://4experience.co/hololens-2-vs-hololens-1-whats-new/
I think HoloLens 2 has some very advanced features like eye-tracking and gesture manipulation to provide users an immersive learning and working experience with technology. Although the price is not cheap compared to VR headsets that I mentioned previously, it is still relatively affordable for businesses to use. Especially in the current context of covid-19, this headset might be very relevant to companies that seek work-from-home solutions.