Oculus Rift vs. PlayStation VR: What's The Best VR Gaming Headset?

Now that the PlayStation VR launch is imminent, every major VR headset will be available in the market. Each VR headset offers its own approach that to VR interactivity and hardware, consumers have a tough choice if they’re looking to buy a VR headset. To help you compare the differences between the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR, we’ve compiled their prices, specs, software and setup.

PlayStation VR price: $399

PlayStation VR’s core package comes with the headset, a processing unit, and all of the necessary connection cables. Other accessories - the PlayStation Camera and Move controllers- must be purchased separately. Out of all of the VR headsets available, PlayStation VR is the only one designed to specifically work with the PS4. It supports everything from head tracking, controller tracking, and mobility tracking. You can also play non-VR games and watch movies with the headset. Sony’s PlayStation VR headset is set to launch on October 13th for $399.

Oculus Rift price: $600

The Oculus Rift is a $600 headset that only works for PC. However, it does come with an Xbox One controller, a sensor, and free copies of Lucky’s Tale and Eve: Valkyrie. The Oculus Rift features head tracking and controller tracking and supports a ton of games on the Oculus Home software distribution platform.

PlayStation VR specs

When it comes to final hardware specs of Sony’s PlayStation VR headset, it sports a 5.7-inch OLED display running at a 120 Hz rate and has a total resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 960 x 1080 per eye. Sony says the field of view comes in at 100 degrees with latency at 18ms. The PlayStation VR also includes the Sixaxis gyroscope which is found in Sony’s game controllers, as well as a built-in microphone.

Oculus Rift specs

The first thing you’ll notice when you put on the Oculus Rift, is that you’re pretty aware of how the headset feels. It’s mostly comfortable, but the way it fits on your head can almost make it feel like a helmet. The Oculus Rift will feature custom optics and display. It will have two OLED screens (with a resolution of 2160x1200) with low latency so you don’t have to worry about blurry or visible pixels.

PlayStation VR setup

When you first open the box, you’ll want to connect the Processor Unit to your PlayStation 4. This means you’ll need to swap the HDMI cable in your console, adding another HDMI cable and connecting the Processor Unit to a USB connection which is located on the front of the PS4. There’s a dongle with an HDMI port that plugs into the front of the processor Unit, which is where you need to plug in the VR headset. A controller box in the headset’s cable lets you turn on the power, mute the microphone, plug in headphones and adjust the volume. If you want to use the PS VR, you’ll have to learn to cope with all of the cables.

Oculus Rift setup

Before you can start using the Oculus Rift, you’ll need a Windows PC. If anything, you’ll need to have an Intel Core i5 5490 processor, 8GB of RAM and a NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD Radeon 290 video card. Once you have a capable rig, it won’t be long before you get the Oculus Rift up and running. From there, plug the Oculus Rift headset into a USB 3.0 port and HDMI port on your video card, and then insert the sensor’s cable into a separate USB 3.0 port and you’ll be on your way. You may also have to install some video card updates before you get started.

PlayStation VR software

In addition to the PlayStation 4, you’ll need Sony’s PlayStation Camera. To get the full gaming experience, you’ll want to get the PlayStation Move controllers. Paired with the PlayStation Camera, you will be able to track the position of your hands so you can easily pick up virtual objects.

Oculus Rift software

When you get the Oculus Rift, you’ll also get the sensor with a desk stand, a small Oculus remote and an Xbox One controller and wireless adapter. While there aren’t any motion controllers yet, that doesn’t mean we won’t see them. The Xbox One Controller is pretty much the same as the one that comes with the Microsoft console, and you’ll be using it as your main gaming controller. You will use the Oculus remote to navigate the apps, while wearing the headset, and you can control the headphone volume. According to the price listed on the Oculus VR website, a Rift and a VR-ready PC could cost $1,100. With the Touch controllers priced at $200, and a third sensor for room-scale experience at $79, the whole Oculus Rift experience can be bought for a little under $1,400.

Oculus Rift vs. PlayStation Vr: Conclusion

While Sony delivered a pretty solid VR headset that is cheaper than the Oculus Rift, the Rift allows you to experience games in a way that you’ve only dreamed of up unit now. When it comes to which gaming VR headset is better, we have yet to make that decision. Even if one has a better “feel” than the other, it really comes down to which VR gaming headset offers the best available games, apps and gaming experience. We’ll know which one is the best gaming VR headset very soon.