Mar 28, 2018 4:38 PM

The Best New VR/AR Headsets Coming in 2018

It's shaping up to be a big year for immersive technology. Here's what to look forward to.

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Lenovo Mirage Solo (May 5, $400)

The original Vive was one of the high-end headsets to land in 2016, but now Vive is rolling out an upgrade. With a denser display, integrated audio, and an optional wireless adapter, the Pro isn't cheap, but it might be the most powerful headset on the market.

Lenovo Mirage Solo (May 5, $400)

The first third-party headset to be released for Google's Daydream platform, the Mirage Solo is also the first viable "standalone" VR headset available in the US: it's fully self-contained, with no need for a computer or smartphone to power it.

Oculus Go (TBA, $199)

Oculus' first standalone device, rumored to land in May as well, won't deliver quite as much immersion as the Mirage Solo—it only tracks your head's rotational movement, so you can't duck and dodge the way you can in the Lenovo—but you can't argue with the price.

Pico Neo (TBA, $749)

We only know that the Chinese company is looking at "late spring" for a global rollout of its new standalone device, but the Neo's integration with the Viveport VR app store solves a problem that has held back Pico's previous products.

01
Lenovo Mirage Solo (May 5, $400)
The original Vive was one of the high-end headsets to land in 2016, but now Vive is rolling out an upgrade. With a denser display, integrated audio, and an optional wireless adapter, the Pro isn't cheap, but it might be the most powerful headset on the market.
02
Lenovo Mirage Solo (May 5, $400)
The first third-party headset to be released for Google's Daydream platform, the Mirage Solo is also the first viable "standalone" VR headset available in the US: it's fully self-contained, with no need for a computer or smartphone to power it.

03
Oculus Go (TBA, $199)
Oculus' first standalone device, rumored to land in May as well, won't deliver quite as much immersion as the Mirage Solo—it only tracks your head's rotational movement, so you can't duck and dodge the way you can in the Lenovo—but you can't argue with the price.
04
Pico Neo (TBA, $749)
We only know that the Chinese company is looking at "late spring" for a global rollout of its new standalone device, but the Neo's integration with the Viveport VR app store solves a problem that has held back Pico's previous products.

05
HTC Vive Focus (Fall, $TBA)
This standalone headset went on sale in China at the very end of 2017, and is coming stateside this fall. No word if the unit will keep its $600 price tag, but with 6-degree-of-freedom tracking and HTC's track record, it may be the most compelling product to look forward to in 2018.
06
Magic Leap One: Creator Edition (TBA, TBA)
The secretive "mixed-reality" company is finally shipping the early version of its system to developers *sometime* in 2018. CEO Rony Abovitz has alluded to prices equivalent to that of a high-end PC, so even if you're able to get your hands on one, don't expect a bargain.

07
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (TBA, TBA)
Qualcomm's newest platform for standalone VR headsets is a doozy: its outward-facing sensors allow for "room-scale" roaming, and it even features eye-tracking technology. The company has alluded to partners' headsets coming in "late 2018," but that's all we know.

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Contributing editor Peter Rubin writes about pop culture, sports technology, and AR/VR for WIRED. His book Future Presence: How Virtual Reality Is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy, and the Limits of Ordinary Life was published in April 2018. ... Read More

Contributing Editor

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