[VR] Samsung Odyssey+ VR HMD with 2 controllers - $299

I had tried the Gear VR with both the S8 and S8+ and the S8 looked sharper than the S8+ because of the smaller phone screen as the part of the screen that shows in the GearVR headset doesn't take up the whole phone display. Both the HP Mixed Reality Headset and the Samsung Odyssey+ looks better than the GearVR and also gives 6DOF (positional and rotational tracking) rather than 3DOF (rotational tracking) which means you can physically move your body in VR rather than just your head with the GearVR which is a total game changer in my experience. It is more immersive interactiving in VR in 6DOF than 3DOF. The screens are also 90Hz compared to 60Hz on the GearVR. You get two 6DOF tracked motion controllers while the GearVR you get this single tiny black controller that only has rotational tracking 3DOF. GearVR Controller feels like a little remote or clicker while these motion controllers feel like actual gaming controllers. GearVR does have the benefit of using a focus wheel so you might not need to use glasses with it.

This headset competes with the Rift S. There's some trade offs here between the two. Rift S favoring better controller ergonomics and controller tracking while Odyssey+ favors better colors and has lower SDE. Rift S is slightly sharper while the Odyssey+ has slightly bigger FOV. Odyssey+ has Mechanical IPD Adjustment where the Rift S doesn't. Small text in game is readable on both the Rift S and Odyssey+. Rift S has a better VR home experience software but Odyssey+ has decent built-in headphones but they are not removable whereas you can plug in your own headphones on the Rift S. Odyssey+ has less flickering than the Rift S at 90Hz rather than 80Hz but it is usually unnoticeable.

As for the Vive Pro, the Samsung Odyssey+ is a great and cheaper alternative. They share the same screens although the Samsung Odyssey+ has an Anti-SDE diffuser on the screen which makes SDE almost entirely gone compared to the Vive Pro. The Vive Pro screen looked more like the OG Samsung Odyssey. Controller tracking on the Vive Pro is obviously better but ergonomically the Samsung controllers win because it wraps around your hand better and isn't awkwardly long like the Vive Wands. It also has touchpad and thumbsticks while the Vive Wands has touchpad only which isn't good in my experience as I prefer using thumbsticks. The controllers on the Samsung require AA batteries rather than built-in like the Vive but I prefer it that way because internal batteries can fail while requiring AA batteries means you can easily replace them if it goes bad or even do a quick swap for fresh recharged batteries.

Vive Pro requires setting up base stations while Odyssey+ and Rift S do not as they use inside-out tracking so getting setup is faster.