Virtual reality has been a long time coming, but now it is easier than ever to get an immersive experience and take your first VR steps at home.
There are a whole host of VR headsets available, from powerful, high-end ones like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift to mobile experiences like the Samsung Gear VR, the new Google Daydream View, or the do-it-yourself Google Cardboard.
But which one should you choose? There's a lot of variety in the technology, from the headsets you can buy, to the apps you can play and the platforms that support them. Some simply need a smartphone to plug in, others use video games consoles or PC software to play.
Here is everything you need to know about the best VR headsets out there:
One of the most immersive virtual reality experiences you can get, the HTC Vive works with PC, but you will need a computer or laptop with a powerful enough graphics card to play. HTC's headset has been built to work with Valve, the gaming company that runs the Steam online game store. Like the Oculus it has a 2160 x 1200 OLED display for a brilliant picture.
Most games cost in the region of £15 to £35, compared with many free or cheap virtual reality games that can be bought for mobile devices. With a recent price cut the Vive is looking more affordable at under £600, but it is still expensive. It has some great games available such as Doom, Fallout 4 and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. You can read the Telegraph's full review of the HTC Vive here.
Facebook-owned Oculus Rift offers some of the best experiences in virtual reality and has become synonymous with the technology. Oculus has some great apps in its store, from the fast-paced Robo Recall shooter, space flights in Eve Valkyrie and terrifying horror experiences in Resident Evil: Biohazard. The headset itself has immersive OLED panels with 2160 x 1200 resolution for massive immersion.
You can now pick up the Oculus with handheld touch controllers, which are shaped to feel like you are actually using your hands rather than a clunky controller. It has also had a permanent price drop to below £400, meaning now might be the best time to pick up a VR headset for less. It can work with an Xbox One controller and you stream games through your Xbox via a PC.
A long-awaited virtual reality headset from Sony arrived last year, bringing virtual reality to home consoles. It's one of the easiest virtual reality headsets for serious gamers. Most of the games for the PSVR can be played using your Dualshock controller, but to get more out of the experience you can pick up some Move controllers. You will also need to buy a Playstation Camera to work the headset.
PSVR certainly has one of the coolest appearances of any of the virtual reality kits. Some of the great games you can play on it include FarPoint, Resident Evil: Biohazard and Batman Arkham VR. The starter pack is available from Amazon for £299, including the game VR Worlds. Read the full review here.
Google's Daydream was one of the most hotly anticipated virtual reality headsets last year. It works with the Google Pixel and several other Android smartphones. Users can play a range of games with the Daydream app, which is only compatible with some smartphones, and Bluetooth controllers.
Daydream now has a range of great apps available, making it an even better buy for an all-round mobile virtual reality experience. It doesn't have access to some of the great virtual reality experiences that are available on the Oculus Store, but does have exclusives such as Youtube VR. The Daydream is currently priced at £69 from Carphone Warehouse.
Gear VR has been around since 2015 but remains one of the best ways to get a virtual reality experience on mobile, providing you have a Samsung device. Unlike most other virtual reality apps for Android, Gear VR uses apps made for Oculus Rift. There are some fantastic games available on the Platform such as Minecraft and Eve Gunjack. Samsung's high quality QHD screens offer a more immersive experience for their apps.
It costs around £20 more to add a handheld controller. The headset is now compatible with several generations of Samsung's phones, from the S6 and later, offering plenty of ways for users to get a virtual reality hit.
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