2021 is probably the year in which the newest VR headsets found their way onto the market. Everyone from tech heavyweights like Hewlett Packard (HP,) to newcomers like Lynx are all hard at work, trying to stake a claim to a unique corner of the market.

Here, Bizznerd takes a look at the best that 2021 had to offer, in terms of VR headsets. We did not just go for the highest sales, which would speak – mostly – to popularity, but we looked at functionality as well. Without any further chit-chat, here are the best VR headsets of 2021.

5 Valve Index

The Valve Index is a class-leading piece of VR equipment, with its 2880 x 1600 at 120 Hz AMOLED display and individual finger tracking. Its sole letdown is its price, too restrictive for most consumers. Valve’s display system gives the Quest 2 and Vive Pro a decent run for their money, with a superior refresh rate of 120Hz as a standard feature. The 144Hz upgrade is still an experimental feature though. In addition to that, it offers an impressive 130° field of vision, which completely trumps competitors. The Valve Index would be higher up the list – at the top position – except, it’s the price (one could buy three Quest 2’s for its price) which makes it out of reach for the average consumer. More of an aspirational device for many.

4 HTC Vive Cosmos

The HTC Vive Cosmos has quite a lot going for it as a VR headset. With crisply accurate hand tracking, it fits comfortably and has the bonus of a conveniently modular design. The gripes that one might have with the device is that it is a tethered Head Mounted Display system, requiring connection to a PC. It also has a lower screen resolution than it should, for the price it fetches. The modular design seems to be the best selling point if you ask us. It offers the convenience of customizing one’s device with upgrades that they believe would be most beneficial to their immersive experience.

3 HP Reverb G2

On paper, this is a phenomenal headset. A 4K display system, at a lower price point than most competitors. The device also boasts a 114° Field of View in its 4320 x 2160 pixel, per eye, lenses. The only way this bad boy doesn’t trump the Quest 2 is its refresh rate, which equal’s Meta’s top-selling Quest 2 HMD system, at 90Hz. What lets this device down is the most sites tracking system, rather limited without – additional cost causing – base stations.

2 HTC Vive Pro 2

Then we have our runner-up, the HTC Vive Pro 2. This beast boasts a 4896 x 2448 display system, delivering a refresh rate of 120Hz. The LCD-based visual delivery system offers a 120° FoV, which is just awesome. The downside, however, is that this device – though it offers incredibly accurate hand tracking – requires a headset and tracking devices, which include a pair of controllers, and a pair of satellites. Which will set one back a cool 1,300 dollars. The headset alone will cost $799.

1 Meta Quest 2

Taking number one is the Meta – formerly Oculus – Quest 2, which stole the show in 2021. The 1832 x 1920 (per eye) display offers a 90 Hz (upgraded to 120HZ display, and a 100° FoV). Technically, it has drives that knock its abilities into the ground, but Quest 2 delivered the most consumer-friendly devices of the lot. Offering a competitive piece of VR technology, at a very consumer-centric price, the device became the go-to headset for consumers, new and old, to VR.

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After spending the last few years wading through a public relations mudslide, Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, used the company’s Oculus Connect event to announce the company’s plans to rebrand Facebook to Meta – reasoning that the name change resonated with the company’s goal of building the Metaverse.

“Right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything that we’re doing today, let alone in the future. Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company, and I want to anchor our work and identity on what we’re building toward,” Zuckerberg told his audience.

However, the Facebook name will remain in service with respect to the company’s already running social media products like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. As for the Oculus brand, this marks the end of an era.

Navigate to Oculus.com and one immediately sees the “subtle” changes. The new logo and the name “Meta Quest” are some of the changes that Quest users will have to get accustomed to from here on out. Naturally, the change of names – that Facebook sees as a better fit with falling in under the Meta umbrella – will extend to the Oculus mobile app and the former Facebook Reality Labs. They are set to change to the Meta Quest app and Meta Reality Labs.

The path of Facebook’s evolution to Meta is a double edged sword. On one end it symbolises a new beginning, on the other hand, it represents the end of Oculus as a brand – one that has been a key player in the virtual reality market since its founding in 2012.

“We all have a strong attachment to the Oculus brand, and this was a very difficult decision to make. While we’re changing the brand of the hardware, Oculus will continue to be a core part of our DNA and will live on in things like software and developer tools,” reads part of a post by Facebook’s head of VR and AR, Andew Bosworth.

At this point in time, there is no reason to think that Facebook Inc’s metamorphosis to Meta will have any major impact on Quest’s core products – these changes will not go any deeper than the skin of the Oculus brand and the vast majority of users shouldn’t find much to complain about.

Likewise, the rebranding isn’t expected to have much of an effect on the Quest’s dominance in the virtual reality market. The Quest 2 is still a highly sought after VR headset and will likely maintain a hold on its roughly 35% share of the VR market – as per the data sets shared via the Steam Hardware & Software Survey: October 2021.

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2021 has undoubtedly been the most exciting year for cryptocurrency and blockchain to date. Apart from the generous returns that savvy investors have enjoyed, this is the year that kick-started mass adoption. It is evidenced by numerous legacy financial institutions working to position themselves strategically in the rapidly expanding sector.

NFTs paving the way

Yet, revolutionizing finance was only the beginning. Following the Decentralised Finance (Defi) sector’s blazing run, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) had their own frenzied spike in popularity with a number of these unique tokens selling at prices that rival fine artworks.

Not only did the activity in the segment attract interest from prestigious auction houses like Christie’s, but it also caught the attention of sports teams, musicians, and the film industry. Furthermore, as NTFS started to gain mainstream acceptance, they also quietly paved the way for Metaverses and the rest of the blockchain-based gaming segment.

The rise of the Metaverse Tokens 

As NFT artworks changed hands for tantalizing sums, the prices of virtual properties which exist in Metaverse games like Decentrald, Upland, and Axie Infinity also reflected the spike in demand – shifting ownership from seller to buyer at prices that resembled those of properties in the physical world.

As droves of crypto enthusiasts and gamers flocked to get a taste of both blockchain and gaming’s new kid on the block (thanks in part to the free time created by worldwide lockdowns) in-game items and native tokens also jumped in value.

With government-sanctioned isolation protocols limiting movement and even threatening livelihoods, decentralized gaming became more than just a novel escape from reality – it evolved into a means to financial freedom for many who felt the financial brunt of the global lockdowns.

In doing so, Metaverse Tokens and the entire blockchain gaming segment managed to build up significant momentum that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. In fact, it seems that Metaverse Tokens are only just getting started. While the rest of the market has mostly remained a little sluggish to stagnant, November went down as a beaming month for Metaverse Tokens – with the native tokens of Decentrald (MANA) and The Sandbox (SAND) each growing their value by more than 600%.

A bright future ahead

According to a report by Accenture, the gaming industry is currently valued at $300 billion – “driven by a surge in mobile gaming and an emphasis on social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.” as per Accenture’s report and likely played a role in the growth of Metaverses and their native tokens.

It was only natural that this kind of positive activity would attract a lot of interest. However, the nature of Metaverses has made them an attractive space to more than just the powerhouses of the gaming industry and tech and social media giants like Facebook.inc (now rebranded to meta).

The potential of blockchain-powered Virtual worlds has led to major fashion brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Rebecca Minkoff, and even sportswear brand Adidas actively working to grow their presence in these new and intriguing virtual spaces.

Closing thoughts about Metaverse and tokens

If the success of titles like Roblox and PUBG were to be used as indicators of the potential Metaverses, then it might be safe to assume that there is still a lot of room for growth in this segment. With limited supply tokens that are intrinsically tied to the economics of each blockchain-based gaming title, the value of the tokens themselves may be in for a little to a lot more upward movement in the coming months.

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While Meta plans on creating a metaverse that is, essentially, an extended – and immersive – version of a social network, Microsoft metaverse plans are more targeted at the corporate world. 

How did these Metaverse projects start?

Announced a week apart, the two projects will see the companies repositioning their offerings, in preparation for a more engaging version of the internet known today.  Microsoft, through its Hololens, Augmented Reality glasses, and Meta, through its Oculus line of Head Mounted Display (HMD) gear, are already capable of enabling users to interact with these proposed metaverses. 

The two companies, both, have different approaches planned for the metaverse offerings. Meta, which is the parent company of online social brands, Facebook, Instagram,  Whatsapp, and VR brand Oculus, aims to deliver a metaverse that users can experience through VR goggles. The firm is currently in the process of developing a device that will facilitate optimized interaction with said metaverse, Project Cambria. 

Microsoft’s ambitions – on the other hand – are focused purely on enabling a more dispersed workforce to build team cohesion by interacting in virtual workspaces. They aim to allow for a multitude of devices to access their metaverse, however. 

Mesh For Teams

Microsoft plans to expand on their Team collaborative tool, by incorporating a metaverse element through Mesh, a technology developed and sold by Extended Reality (XR) firm, Accenture. Combining Microsoft’s 12-year experience in the field –  the Hololens being their first project – with the XR expertise of Accenture, the software giant (Microsoft) aims to recreate the collaborative spirit of working in an office, virtually, for remote workers to develop stronger professional relationships. 

Research-backed Metaverse

The move to develop a professional metaverse that allows for companies to set up virtual offices and meeting spaces was inspired by the firm’s – Microsoft’s – research team’s findings. Productivity experts at Microsoft found that, although remote workers proved to be quite productive, the people who now found themselves working from home – due to Covid-19 social distancing regulations – missed office interactions. They also found it harder to develop professional relationships from the other side of the screen. 

The firm’s productivity team also found that remote workers had more difficulty in feeling engaged, and part of a team when some members, in a group video call, had their cameras turned off. Being at home was sighted as the main reason some team members would have their cameras turned off; not being in the appropriate clothing, wanting privacy while multitasking, kids, and dogs running around in the background, etc.

Working and collaborating with the rest of one’s team through a virtual double, known as an avatar, solves both issues for remote employees, asserts Alex Kipman, technical fellow at Microsoft. Working in a metaverse-based environment allows team members to collaborate and engage as though in a real office, while still being allowed the privacy of home. 

To make the metaverse a reality, Microsoft has harnessed Accenture’s expertise to add a metaverse element to their collaborative tools. They aim to allow their users to access this metaverse via any available device, not just VR headsets. 

“Welcome to Mesh for Teams,” said Kipman. “As a company whose focus is on productivity, on knowledge workers, it’s something that customers are asking us for, and it’s coupled with the vision of mixed reality that we’ve been working on for 12 years. It’s all coming together.”

Metaverse and Meta

Repositioning its core business model from social media powerhouse, to XR company, Facebook, which owns social media brands, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, along with VR brand Oculus, have rebranded to Meta. The tech firm’s transformation so the Oculus brand being absorbed into the Meta brand – emphasizing the company’s intentions. 

Meta’s plans are slightly different from Microsoft’s however. The – newly repositioned – XR firm aims to have its digital world extend beyond the corporate world and, in essence, become a second world. Being a more social-oriented metaverse, the horizon will allow for humans to live, work, and play within the digital environment. 

Unlike Microsoft, which will allow for the accessing of their virtual workspaces from any given device, Meta’s Horizon metaverse will only be accessible via VR headsets. The firm already has a specialized XR device in the works, codenamed Project Cambria, the VR and MR (Mixed Reality) accommodating device is set to optimize interaction with said metaverse. 

Closing

Both firms may take quite some time to develop these worlds into spaces that everyone can access, but the potential for them to enable humanity to connect and interact on a different level is huge. These digital worlds – in addition to relationships – could open up new, virtual-based economies and opportunities for their users. 

The technology is still in its nascent state however and may take a while to develop. With things looking as though the internet will eventually give way to the met metaverse, two firms appear to be positioning themselves ahead of the pack. 

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