Here are the top 5 most popular VR headsets — and what they cost

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It can be hard to know where to get started in virtual reality.

Although several high-profile virtual reality headsets have launched in the past couple of years, the world of VR can be confusing.

Some headsets need to be plugged into a powerful gaming computer, for example, but others only need a Samsung phone. 

But it’s clear that the headsets currently on the market represent the early days of VR.

According to a recent estimate from IDC, only 2.3 million total virtual reality headsets shipped in the first quarter of 2016. For comparison, Apple sells that many iPhones in about four days. 

(IDC’s estimate did not include low-end VR headsets like Google Cardboard or Daydream, which are typically given away for free or sold for under $100 and use a phone as its screen and processor.)

But out of those 2.3 million headsets shipped, what are the most popular VR headsets so far, and which should you consider if you want to buy one? Let’s take a look at the top 5 VR headsets available today: 

Samsung Gear VR

Total shipments: 485,000

Market share: 21.5%

Cost for headset: $130

Additional equipment needed: A high-end Samsung phone, like the Galaxy S8, which costs $750.

Top content: “Minecraft,” Netflix

The Samsung Gear VR was the most popular VR headset in the first quarter of 2017, possibly because it’s more accessible than other VR headsets that require a gaming computer. Samsung worked with Oculus to develop the Gear VR, and it has its own VR app store. 

Sony PlayStation VR

Total shipments: 429,000

Market share: 18.8%

Cost for headset: $400

Additional equipment needed: A PlayStation 4 gaming console, which costs an additional $399 if you don’t have one. 

Top content: Hulu, “Resident Evil 7“

Business Insider’s Matt Weinberger reviewed the Playstation VR last fall. Here’s an excerpt from his review: 

I’ve been playing with the Sony PlayStation VR for the past few days. And I have to say, while it’s still the very beginning of the would-be virtual reality revolution, Sony has come up with something incredibly promising, especially considering how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to get started.

And with big-ticket games like “Batman: Arkham VR,” cult hits in the making like “Until Dawn: Rush of Blood,” and fun multiplayer action games like “RIGS: Mechanized Combat League” coming exclusively to PlayStation VR, it will have a major leg up in the war for your wallet.

HTC Vive

Total shipments: 190,000

Market share: 8.4%

Cost for headset: $800

Additional equipment needed: A high-powered gaming PC with a graphics card, which could cost as much as $1000 or more. 

Top content: “Job Simulator,” “Tilt Brush“

Business Insider’s Ben Gilbert wrote about the Vive last year:

It’s hard to be hyperbolic about how incredible the Vive is to use.

It’s literally the only system offering room-scale virtual reality, meaning you can get up and walk around and interact with the virtual world using the Vive’s shockingly effective motion controllers.

At the same time, it’s easy to be hyperbolic about how many glaring issues the Vive faces.

Standing up and walking around in VR is distinctly less appealing when you’re attached to an expensive computer via three heavy wires. That’s before you add in headphones, before you talk about the messy setup process, before you set aside a dedicated space in your home for it.

The Vive is amazing. And it’s also a mess.

Oculus Rift

Total shipments: 99,300

Market share: 4.4%

Cost for headset: $500

Additional equipment needed: A high-powered gaming PC with a graphics card, which could cost as much as $1000 or more. 

Top content: “Minecraft VR,” “Eve: Valkyrie”

Oculus, which is a subsidiary of Facebook, is possibly the most famous of the virtual reality headsets, although that hasn’t translated into market share. 

Business Insider’s Steven Tweedie reviewed the Rift last year. Here are his thoughts:

The Oculus Rift nails a lot of things right out of the gate. Its design is comfortable and well thought out, and the technology inside it is second-to-none thanks to the in-house research conducted by John Carmack and Michael Abrash. Its expansive library of games, movies, and experiences means there’s something for everyone, and Oculus Home is an easy-to-navigate hub for browsing your library and purchasing new games.

Sure, the resolution could be better and I’m a bit annoyed the front-facing camera that Palmer Lucky told me was being tested out didn’t end up making the final cut, but Oculus does a good job of making any limitations incredibly easy to ignore. This thing is polished, and at a time when anything out of place will be called out by skeptics who haven’t tried high-end VR, nothing feels glaringly lacking.

TCL Alcatel VR headset

Total shipments: 91.3

Market share: 4.0%

Cost for headset: Free with purchase of an Alcatel Idol 4 or 4S smartphone. 

Additional equipment needed: An Alcatel smartphone, which is a good value at about $400. 

Top content: Cardboard-compatible Android apps

According to IDC, the Alcatel VR headset runs Google Cardboard apps and content distributed by Littlstar, a third-party VR video company. 

Business Insider’s Jeff Dunn wrote about the headset last year: 

The VR is very basic. An Oculus Rift, this is not. Scratch that: A Gear VR, this is not. Alcatel’s included headset is comfy and competently put together — even if it’s ripping off the Gear VR’s design — but it’s basically a nicer-feeling version of Google Cardboard.

Good VR requires good software, and there’s little in Cardboard’s catalogue that has any meat. The same goes for the handful of VR video and photo apps Alcatel pre-loads onto the device. 360° videos are a neat trick, but nothing here does much with the format beyond that. That the phone has occasional issues with smoothly tracking motion doesn’t help.

Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.

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