6 things you should know before buying a VR headset

Beyond television, beyond smartphones, the "next big thing" is virtual reality.

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This year — 2016 — is the year the first high-end, immersive VR headsets go up for sale, starting with Facebook's Oculus Rift (above), which launched March 28, and followed by the HTC Vive and Sony's PlayStation VR. But before you go off and buy one of these headsets, there are some things you should know about these devices.

Oculus Rift (final consumer product)
Celebrate! Oculus VR / Facebook
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1. High-end VR headsets are NOT standalone devices — they require processing power from an outside source, like a computer or a game console.

Oculus Ready PCs
Facebook-owned Oculus VR is partnering with computer makers like Dell and Asus to offer "Oculus Ready" PCs that cost $1,500 and come with a headset. Oculus VR

This is number one for a reason: That's a huge added cost on top of the headset price. Virtual reality requires serious horsepower to run. Think about it: Since the computer is pushing a video to each one of your eyeballs individually, it's doing double the work of a standard game (which you'd see on a single screen).

One solution, offered by Oculus VR, is to drop $1,500 and get a PC with high-end internals capable of running games. Another solution, offered by Sony, is to buy a PlayStation 4. These are the closest you get to simple solutions when it comes to powering high-end virtual reality.

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2. There are three companies making high-end VR headsets: Sony, Facebook, and HTC/Valve.

HTC Vive Pre / Oculus Rift / PlayStation VR
The HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR (respectively). HTC / Oculus VR / Sony

If you're buying a high-end virtual reality headset in 2016, you're buying one of the three headsets above. High-end means one thing in this case: high quality and high cost. You're getting the best, but you're also paying for it.

Sony's PlayStation VR only works with a PlayStation 4, while the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift only work with high-end PCs (not your MacBook, unfortunately).

The three different VR solutions come in three different prices:

- The Oculus Rift costs $600, comes with an Xbox One gamepad, and is relatively user-friendly.

- PlayStation VR costs $400, requires the $60 PlayStation Camera (sold separately), and is the most user-friendly of all the headsets. You'll need a $350 PlayStation 4 to power it.

- The HTC Vive costs $800, comes with a headset, two wireless motion controllers, and two tracking boxes. It's the most expensive, no doubt, but it offers "full room" VR — you can get up and move around in VR, in so many words.

(NOTE: The same level of computer will power both the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive.)

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3. All high-end VR headsets have long wires coming off of them.

HTC Vive (wires)
Don't expect to stand up and walk around in virtual reality beyond a few feet. Ben Gilbert / Tech Insider

Though the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR are all capable of tracking your head movements even if you stand up and walk around, the wires are only so long and, ya know, you've got a big headset on blocking your entire field of vision. You might step on the cat or punch a child by accident or something. Worse, you might knock over your computer or game console!

Prepare to have as much open space as possible if you're playing a game or experience that requires it.

(Good news for the HTC Vive: It has a camera on the outside that works with the tracking system to show you where walls and other obstacles are in the real world while you're in virtual reality. Smart!)

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4. All high-end VR headsets require a separate camera or sensors.

Oculus Rift / PlayStation Camera / HTC Vive Lighthouse
Clockwise from left: The Oculus Rift camera, the PlayStation 4 camera, and the HTC/Valve Lighthouse laser-emitting boxes. Sony / Oculus VR / HTC

If you don't like adding cameras in your living room/office/dedicated VR room, you're out of luck when it comes to high-end VR headsets. Since they need to track your movement in a variety of directions, cameras or laser-emitting boxes are used in conjunction with the headset and PC/PlayStation 4 to capture your moves nearly as fast as you can make them. It's quite a challenge, actually.

Notably, the HTC Vive's tracking system requires mounting high up in whatever room you're using it in. They also require power outlets, which can mean long wires slinking from the ceiling to the floor.

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5. You use motion controllers to stand in for your hands.

Oculus Touch / HTC Vive motion controller / PlayStation Move
Oculus VR / HTC / Sony

Cameras can only really capture your head's movements; in order to bring your hands into VR, all three high-end VR headset makers employ motion controls. These systems are often optional in a game or VR experience, but can serve to enhance that feeling of immersion. If you'd prefer to use a gamepad, though, many games allow you to do just that.

All three VR solutions can be used while seated — you don't have to dedicate empty space in your house to VR unless you want to.

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6. You might get sick.

Oculus Rift freakout
If you get sick, or just freaked out, don't panic like this guy. And if you do panic, don't let people catch you on video and put it online. YouTube

Of the 20 or so people who've used the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in the Tech Insider offices, 70-80% felt nauseous after using it. That isn't particular to one game, or a VR movie, but in general. Some folks were experienced gamers, some were totally inexperienced with games or VR, many were somewhere in between.

This is by no means a scientific study, but even the best VR is still causing some folks to feel effects similar to motion sickness. If you're in VR and you walk up stairs, for instance, and your body in reality doesn't, there's a tremendous disconnect. That disconnect can make some people feel sick. Buyer beware!

Gaming PlayStation 4 PS4
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