Best VR Headsets for Sim Racing
Seeking the Best VR Headsets for Sim racing? You’ve come to the right place. VR for sim racing has become extremely popular over recent years. Immersion is a feature that sim racers in particular crave and with VR this makes a gamer feel incredibly close to the action.
With each passing year VR technology is becoming more advanced. Companies are pushing one another to bring the user experience to greater levels.
However VR sim racing doesn’t come without its drawbacks, comfortability over a duration of time can be an issue. Frame rates can potentially be an issue relating to motion sickness. This something companies are all too aware of and are constantly looking at ways to improve their VR products.
This article will delve into the world of VR and identify the leading VR headsets to give you the ultimate experience when Sim Racing.
Best VR headsets reviewed in this article:
HP Reverb G2
Meta Quest Oculus Rift
HTC VIVE
PIKO 4
If you’re looking for an incredibly Immersive experience then VR is the way to go.
Is VR good for Sim Racing?
Unlike racing on a flat screen or even triple monitors VR makes you feel wonderfully present in the virtual world. The only difference is that you can not physically, smell or touch which can be a but trippy for the brain.
With VR you get much more clarity and a relative feel for the car, the depth of field is much more wider than a screen giving your the ability to see more into the distance.
This most certainly can improve the braking distances and having greater knowledge when to put your foot on the accelerator. Another great feature is the ability to look in your mirrors by turning your head and judging where opponents are around you with much better accuracy.
Potential Drawbacks of VR?
Now there can be some drawbacks with VR but as previously mentioned. Companies are advancing all the time to make sure that these issues are minimised. A big drawback for some is the comfortability. Sim Racers can spend a long hours when participating in races. After some time the headsets can become uncomfortable as well as producing a lot of sweat.
In addition there is also the issue of motion sickness although commonly used as the term when playing VR what gamers actually experience is cyber sickness. Cyber sickness occurs when there is an exposure to an illusion, our eyes make us feel like we are moving but our body is not. This means we can have blurry vision, disorientation and nausea.
Best VR Headsets Reviewed
Meta quest 2
The Meta quest 2 is the offering from Meta which hit the market in 2020. the device was previously named Oculus Quest 2 but was changed to align with Meta when the company rebranded. The Quest 2 is a stand alone headset meaning there is no need for the headset to be used with any special hardware such as a PC. Meta have developed the Quest 2 with inside out tracking which means that it does not need additional sensors.
Other features include 6 degrees of freedom for the headset and controlling which means the device has the ability to track where you’re looking or moving independently without the need for sensors. The resolution is 3664 x 1920 and there are 3 available settings for the wearers eyes. The Headset is powered by the snapdragon xr2 mobile chip.
Piko 4
The Piko 4 was released in 2022 and is a Stand alone headset with self contained tracking. It features Mixed reality AI and provides hand tracking technology. In addition it has the ability to play PC VR games and performs on the Snapdragon XR2 Processor. The device comes with a 4320 x 2160 resolution and is quite impressive with crisp images. The fitting of the the device has nice comfort as it is light and slim.
HP Reverb GT V2
The HP Reverb GT V2 may lose some marks by some consumers as it does not have a stand alone feature and therefore requires a cable to connect to your hardware. It does make up for this with it’a high resolution of 4320 x 2160 which makes for great visuals. It also has excellent speakers but another drawback is that it does require a high end graphics card to tap into the excellent graphics. If requiring the controllers then this is also where the gt v2 loses marks as the tracking device does not seem to be consistent along with feeling slightly cumbersome and not conforming to your hand smoothly.
Valve Index
With a 2019 release the Valve Index is one of the older models reviewed. However it still worth an addition to the list as it still has some stand out features. One of the cons is that is does require a base kit and this comes at an additional cost. What you will find with the Valve index is good quality speakers and a mic to go with it. There is a customisable feature where the display can be moved nearer to your eyes.
If you’re looking for headset that has a good ratio for field of view then the Valve Index performs well and out competes it’s rivals in this area. the Not only does it excel with the field view it also has one of the highest refresh rates of up to 144hz which provides an enjoyable crisp performance. Another excellent feature of the headset are the controllers which come with finger tracking, the knuckle strap is also an ideal mechanism.
Overral great headset, you dont need high pc specs
HTC VIVE PRO 2
HTC VIVE PRO 2 was released in 2021 and offers one of the highest resolution that you can purchase. As you would expect this does come at a cost and the headset is somewhat pricey. The tracking device is external (outside in) meaning that base stations are necessary. The device has a 120hz refresh rate and an incredible 4896 x 2448 resolution. A Wireless adapter is used with the headset
Some user have reported that the controllers can feel cumbersome and not offering an ideal user experience however ergonomically they may be preferable to the individual.
Varjo Aero
The Varjo Aero is the most expensive headset in this list and the reason being is the high fidelity that it incorporates. The device was released in 2021 and despite its expense does still require a base station due to its outside in tracking. The model features a maximum of 90hz includes a Dual Mini led displays offer 5760 x 2720 needless to say that this is the highest of all reviewed headsets
you get what you’re paying for when it comes to the visuals which look sharp and clean cut. Looks amazing, Users will notice however that the headset does pack a bit of weight but to counter this Varjo have included multiple adjustment points and a cooling feature. Yo top off the features there is also desirable eye tracking.