What is Virtual Reality (VR)?

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-based technology that creates a fully simulated, three-dimensional environment with which users can interact. This is made possible by a VR headset, which acts as a head-mounted display, as well as additional hardware, such as motion controllers and tracking stations.

Users are completely shielded from their surroundings and can only see the content displayed on the headset in front of their eyes. This enables them to move around within the computer-generated 3D world as if it were real. The higher the quality of the VR headsets, the more realistic the experience.

Potential applications range from entertainment, such as VR gaming and watching VR movies and videos, to professional use in areas such as education, simulation and design.

How do VR headsets work?

VR headsets use displays and sensors to create an artificial yet convincing 3D world that feels real. To achieve this, the headset combines various technologies. Here, we’ll walk you through the basics and advanced features. Before buying your new VR headset, make sure the model you choose has the features you want, though this will also depend on the price.

Read on for all the information you need to make an informed decision and find the ideal VR headset for your needs and budget.

Two displays create a three-dimensional image

The VR headset itself contains either two small displays or one split display. This means that each eye sees a slightly different image, just as in the real world. The 3D effect is created when the brain combines these two perspectives into a single, three-dimensional image. This is how 3D is achieved in virtual reality.

The sharpness and smoothness of the display largely depends on the price. For example, expensive VR headsets use high-resolution OLED, QLED or Mini-LED displays with exceptional image quality. The more pixels the display can display, the sharper the image will be.

Some VR headsets use eye tracking to render the area of the display that you are focusing on with exceptional sharpness. This feature is called foveated rendering, whereby the image displayed by your VR headset is rendered with exceptional sharpness where your eye naturally sees most clearly.

A high refresh rate of 90 or 120 Hz is also useful, ensuring that VR games appear smooth and natural.

Finally, the widest possible field of view (FOV) is important. This describes how much of your virtual environment you can see. The wider the field of view, the greater the immersion and the less tunnel vision you experience. The natural field of vision of the human eye is over 180 degrees, but even high-end VR headsets fall short of this. Information about a VR headset’s field of view can generally be found in its technical specifications — the higher the value, the better.

Lenses for accurate image reproduction

The lenses are positioned between the VR headset's displays and the eyes to ensure the image appears larger, farther away or in sharp focus. This creates a perfect sense of spatial depth in virtual reality. The lenses refract the image to make it appear three-dimensional. Various types of lens are used, each with different advantages and disadvantages:

• Aspherical lenses currently offer the best image sharpness, but they are larger, heavier and more expensive than other options, so are only used in high-end VR headsets.
• Pancake lenses, which are frequently used in more compact and lightweight virtual reality headsets, such as standalone models, due to their low weight and flat design. They offer very high image sharpness, with minor distortions and colour fringing — known as chromatic aberration — only occurring at the edges of the displays. However, these lenses allow less light to pass through, resulting in a dimmer image and paler colours.
• Fresnel lenses were the standard in VR headsets for a long time. Although somewhat outdated, they are particularly affordable. Therefore, they are primarily used in budget VR headsets for beginners.

Tip for people who wear glasses and want to use VR headsets: You can purchase interchangeable lenses with vision correction from third-party suppliers. This means you can use a VR headset without wearing glasses.

Head movements are tracked by sensors

Your head movements are tracked by sensors, and the view you see through your VR headset is based on these movements. The sensors detect turning left and right, moving your head up or down, and tilting your head. The software instantly adjusts the image in real time, with no lag. This means that if you turn your head to the left, you will also look to the left in the virtual environment.

Position tracking and room mapping

Advanced VR systems track your movements within the room. VR headsets achieve this through two different methods:

• Integrated cameras enable inside-out tracking, capturing the user’s real-world environment. However, this only works well in well-lit rooms that don't look the same everywhere, such as rooms with completely white walls.
• Lighthouse tracking is particularly precise, but requires one or more additional base stations to be set up in the room. This offers more precise tracking, but also requires more effort to set up.
• A combination of both VR tracking systems is also possible, as implemented by Pimax, for example.

Full tracking that captures you and your movements anywhere in the room is called 6-DoF (six degrees of freedom) tracking. This allows your VR headset to detect when you take a step forward or to the side, synchronising your real-world movements with your virtual environment.

Interactions via controllers or hand tracking

Controllers that you operate with both hands allow you to grasp objects, move around and trigger actions by pressing buttons in virtual reality. VR controllers also form part of the tracking system, so when you move them in the real world, their position is transferred to your virtual environment. Some advanced VR systems also use hand tracking.

What types of VR headsets are available?

There are essentially two types of VR headsets. Decide on one of these two options before you buy your new VR headset from bestware:

Standalone VR headsets

Simple standalone headsets contain all the equipment needed to start exploring virtual worlds wirelessly. These relatively affordable and straightforward solutions are particularly popular with VR beginners.

These self-contained headsets integrate a powerful system on a chip (SoC), RAM and storage, essentially combining a VR headset with a built-in computer. However, given the limited available space, compromises have to be made in terms of performance and display quality.

However, they are perfectly sufficient for simple VR games such as Beat Saber and other less graphically demanding titles. You can usually purchase VR games directly from the app stores of manufacturers such as Meta or Pico.

VR headsets for PCVR

However, for maximum immersion and graphics quality, there’s no substitute for a PC VR-designed VR headset. In this configuration, the graphics processing is handled by a powerful gaming laptops or gaming PC. The VR headset can connect either wirelessly via a streaming dongle or via a cable, typically using a DisplayPort connection.

A wired connection provides the best possible image quality, but restricts your freedom of movement. With a wireless connection, you can move around freely, but the images transmitted to the headset are compressed beforehand and sometimes suffer from latency.

You can access PC VR headset content such as games via Steam, for example. SteamVR essentially functions as a compatibility layer, connecting your PC to the VR headset and your controllers, and ensuring that the hardware and your VR software work together.

A PC VR headset is a significantly more powerful and immersive solution, especially for very demanding VR simulations and games, offering more realistic and detailed graphics.

Demanding games such as VR simulations (e.g. VR racing and flight simulators) require laptops or desktop PCs with a high-end processor and a very powerful graphics card, such as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 5080 or 5090, to deliver the significantly higher performance needed. This is the only way to achieve the best possible graphics quality for high-resolution, head-mounted displays, ensuring perfect immersion. However, such a setup is significantly more expensive than a standalone VR headset.

Tip: Pay attention to these additional specifications before buying a VR headset

Finally, here are a few more features and specifications of VR headsets that you should consider before making a purchase:

• On some models, the lenses' interpupillary distance (IPD) can be adjusted. The average IPD for adults is between 62 and 64 mm, and many VR headsets allow adjustment between 58 and 72 mm, for example. Make sure your new VR headset offers an adjustment option based on your personal IPD to ensure the sharpest image reproduction possible.
• Especially during extended use, whether for VR gaming or professional applications, high comfort is essential. A lightweight VR headset is just as important as a comfortable VR cover. If multiple people use the same headset, it is advisable to purchase additional face pads for hygiene reasons.
• If you’re using a wired VR headset, make sure the cable is long enough to connect your headset to your computer while allowing sufficient freedom of movement.
• Many modern VR headsets now include passthrough or video passthrough, making them ready for mixed reality. Built-in cameras capture your surroundings and display them on the headset’s screen, allowing you to experience real-world and fully virtual content simultaneously.

Buy VR headsets, VR laptops, VR PCs, and VR accessories at bestware

At bestware.com, you can buy everything you need for virtual reality immersion all in one place. Alongside the latest VR headsets, our XR-ready hardware section offers a wide selection of VR-compatible laptops and desktop PCs with fully scalable performance. You’ll also find the best XR accessories and VR accessories here. Our range includes the ideal hardware for VR gaming as well as professional solutions for businesses and corporate environments.