There are wireless connectors for the Vive so it can run untethered, but generally yes, either that or they use a beefy smartphone as as a ‘plug-in’. The popular phone plug-ins are the Google Daydream and Samsung GearVR.
A quick summary of the latest Standalone VR headsets (I won’t do specs, as less interesting for us I think, as we like the ‘tethered’ to PC):
| Name | Release | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oculus Go | 2018 | $199 | 3DOF media viewer |
| Oculus Quest | 2019 Q1 | $399 | The follow up to the Go, looks pretty powerful as a true 6DOF standalone. |
| HTC Vive Focus | 2018 | $650 | Lacks good software support |
| Lenovo Mirage Solo | 2018 | $400 | Lacks good software support |
There are other headset by Pico, Xiaomi etc but less well known.
The big sell for these VR ‘consoles’ (as they are all self-contained) is the price point (no $3000 PC required) plus the ability to play in large spaces, as they use ‘inside out’ tracking which doesn’t require you to set up sensors etc and run wires.
Big ‘true VR’ games untethered (my ‘2. VR Games’ here) on cheap hardware might allow VR to cross ‘the chasm’ for main-stream appeal.
