One of the biggest decisions you’ll face with a new VR deployment is which VR headset to buy. Here’s a guide on how to evaluate VR headsets for educators in K-12 schools, universities, and technical colleges.
Overview
The ideal VR headset for schools will deliver a safe, simple, and effective experience for students while providing teachers and admins control over what users see and do in VR. For developers, a good VR headset will minimize deployment and content management challenges.
Over the last several years, we’ve worked over 650 school districts, independent software vendors (ISVs), and education XR developers. In fact, we are the platform for the biggest deployments in education with over 5,400 devices. So when it comes to VR headsets, we know what works and what doesn’t.
Criteria for evaluating VR headsets for education
Each is on a scale of 1-5. 1 being does not meet the criteria at all, 3 being meets some of the criteria, and 5 being fully meets the criteria.
- Devices can be locked down
It is essential that VR headsets are safe, secure, and can be locked down for educational use only. Schools and universities need secure devices that can be completely controlled and are reliable for everyday use. Teachers and admins must be able to put parental controls on devices, so they can limit and restrict access to the internet, stores, social media, and advertisements.
- Devices are built for learning
VR headsets in schools need to be ready for learning at all times. It must be easy to keep all devices charged (battery life), connected to wifi, and ready for the classroom. Teachers and admins must be able to see exactly what students are doing, such as what app they are in and how long they used the device.
- Affordable
Schools, universities, and technical colleges are often on a budget. VR headsets must be affordable to purchase and procure. This is why you will not see Apple VR, Lenovo ThinkReality, Quest Pro, HTC XR Elite, and Pico 4E VR devices in this list – they are fantastic VR headsets, but they are often cost prohibitive for educators.
- Easy set up
VR device setup is often overlooked when it comes to evaluating which headset is right for your school or university. However, it is essential to evaluate setup because it can be the most time consuming and costly part of your deployment.
- Easy to deploy content
Content brings value! It should be easy to deploy content to your VR headset. When evaluating headsets it’s important to consider if you can remotely deploy content to multiple devices in the classroom. Educators and teachers shouldn’t be spending their valuable teaching time side-loading content to each device one-by-one. Find a VR headset that works well with a content deployment platform, so you can spend less time loading content and more time deploying immersive learning.
Overall, VR headsets in education must be easy to lock down, easy to use, and easy to control. Find an affordable headset that works well with a content deployment solution, so it’s easy for you to deliver delightful and impactful learning experiences.
Below we will evaluate the standalone VR headsets on the market that meet our education criteria!
| Meta Quest 2 | Meta Quest 3 | PICO G3 | PICO Neo 3 | HTC VIVE Focus Plus | HTC VIVE Focus | DPVR P1 | DPVR P1 PRO | DPVR P1 PRO EDU | DPVR P1 PRO 4K | |
| Price | $199 | $499 | $399 | $599 | $449 | $599 | $198 | $298 | $398 | $398 |
| Battery Life | 2-3 hours | 2.5 hours | 2.5 hours | 2.5-3 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours | 5 hours | 5 hours | 5 hours | 5 hours |
| Charge Time | 2.5 hours | 1+ hours | 2 hours | 2.5 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| RAM (storage) | 6GB | 8GB | 6GB | 6GB | 4GB | 4GB | RAM 2GB + 16GB ROM memory | 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM memory | 6GB RAM + 128 GB ROM memory for EDU version. | 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM memory |
| DoF (degrees of freedom) | 6DoF | 6DoF | 3DoF | 6DoF | 6DoF | 6DoF | 3DoF | 3DoF | 3DoF | 3DoF |
| Weight | 503 grams | 515 grams | 604 grams | 620 grams | 695 grams | 702 grams | 340 grams | 340 grams | 350 grams | 350 grams |
While there are remarkable tethered VR headsets available, we opted to concentrate on standalone options. Standalone headsets offer significant cost savings, eliminate the need for a PC, and provide wireless functionality. They present a much simpler management solution for educators aiming to deploy VR devices at scale.
What is 3DoF vs 6DoF
3DoF and 6DoF are abbreviations for 3 degrees of freedom and 6 degrees of freedom, respectively. In 3DoF, users can only look around in a VR environment in 360 degrees, while in 6DoF, they can view, interact, and move within a 3D environment. With 6DoF, movements are akin to the physical world, where objects move closer as you advance. In contrast, in 3DoF, the entire VR environment moves with the user, leading to potential disorientation as objects do not approach. 6DoF has become the industry standard for XR headsets due to its immersive capabilities. However, some use cases only necessitate 3DoF. For example, if you are planning on only using and consuming content that doesn’t need the full range of the DoF and only requires the user to look around, not move around.
Meta Quest
Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3
| Meta Quest | Rating |
| Devices can be locked down | 4 |
| Devices are ready for learning | 3 |
| Affordable | 4 |
| Easy set up | 2 |
| Easy to deploy content | 5 |
Meta Quest VR devices are an affordable and content-friendly choice for small deployments. Meta Quest 2 boasts a strong, budget-friendly user interface, while Meta Quest 3 is a more powerful device with much better technical specs all around. With easy access to the Oculus store or through app sharing tools on ManageXR, deploying content is easy.
However, all Meta Quest devices prove challenging to set up and manage at scale. Choosing these devices requires additional, manual setup steps due to Meta account requirements and data privacy concerns that may need to be addressed by school leadership and admins. Meta requires each device to have a unique Meta account login. Meta also requires admins to watch tutorial videos for each device during the setup process. Admins have to worry about managing mass amounts of email addresses and accounts to get these headsets ready for setup.
Out of the box Meta Quest devices are not designed for the classroom. The default home screen contains advertisements, access to the Meta Quest store, the internet and social media which is confusing, distracting, and difficult to navigate. In order to be successful with these devices, you need an XR deployment platform that allows you to lock devices into simple and safe environments where students can only access approved content. Lastly, firmware updates are unpredictable and controlled solely by Meta which can lead to disruptions when devices automatically update.
It takes a lot of work and you need a 3rd party deployment platform, but you can make these devices scalable. The Kentucky Department of Education used our deployment platform and we were able to deploy 5,400 Meta Quest 2 devices in schools all across the commonwealth. However due to the extensive challenges you will face at scale, we recommend Meta Quest devices for smaller deployments.
Compatibility with ManageXR
- Devices can be locked down ManageXR’s deployment platform
- Premier content deployment with access to Meta native store, Discover XR (find Prisms, Transfr, Lobaki content and more), and ISVs
- Compatible with ManageXR’s Home Screen and Kiosk Mode
- Some firmware control (Postpone, Disable Updates)
PICO
PICO G3, PICO Neo 3
| PICO | Rating |
| Devices can be locked down | 5 |
| Devices are ready for learning | 5 |
| Affordable | 3 |
| Easy set up | 5 |
| Easy to deploy content | 4 |
PICO VR devices offer several advantages over Meta Quest. It boasts an effortless setup, scalability, enhanced comfort, and customizable features tailored for educators. These headsets are well-suited for deployments of any size, particularly larger ones numbering in the hundreds or thousands. PICO VR devices are easily locked down and ready for learning. PICO makes it easy to set up, manage, and scale your devices by offering ManageXR’s deployment platform built right into PICO G3 headsets when you unbox them.
The PICO device setup process is much simpler and faster than Meta’s. These headsets ships devices in developer mode, saving time, especially at scale. Out of the box, all you need to do is use the built-in ManageXR deployment platform, install another preferred MDM, or plug it into your computer and side-load your applications. In addition, you can completely control PICO’s firmware updates with our deployment platform. So no need to worry about interruptions due to untimely updates. Lastly, with easy access to the PICO store or through app sharing tools on ManageXR, deploying content is easy.
PICO devices are more expensive than Meta Quest, but you get what you pay for. PICO headsets are by far the easiest to set up and the most scalable. Similarly, PICO’s 24/7 dedicated support is a huge advantage that most other hardware manufacturers don’t offer. These headsets are commonly used in education and by leading education software developers like Prisms and Transfr, who successfully use PICO to deploy to their education clients.
Compatibility with ManageXR
- Devices can be locked down ManageXR’s deployment platform
- Premier content deployment with access to PICO native store, Discover XR (find Prisms, Transfr, Lobaki content and more), and ISVs
- Compatible with ManageXR’s Home Screen and Kiosk Mode
- Complete control over all firmware updates
- See exactly what students are doing with Remote Screen Streaming
HTC VIVE
Focus, Focus Plus
| HTC VIVE | Rating |
| Devices can be locked down | 5 |
| Devices are ready for learning | 5 |
| Affordable | 3 |
| Easy set up | 4 |
| Easy to deploy content | 3 |
HTC VIVE offers two devices that are great tools for education. These headsets are designed for flexibility and portability. VIVE headsets can be locked down with third-party deployment platform, but they do not ship in developer mode, so there is an extra step in this set up process.
Additionally, VIVE devices are not natively connected to an app store. So you will need an XR deployment platform, like ManageXR, to access and distribute content with ease. These headsets also come with unrestricted kiosk mode and built-in screen-casting and recording.
Compatibility with ManageXR
- Devices can be locked down ManageXR’s deployment platform
- Premier content deployment with access to Discover XR (find Prisms, Transfr, Lobaki content and more) and ISVs
- Compatible with ManageXR’s Home Screen and Kiosk Mode
- Complete control over all firmware updates
- See exactly what students are doing with Remote Screen Streaming
DPVR
P1, P1 PRO, P1 PRO EDU, P1 PRO 4K
| DPVR | Rating |
| Devices can be locked down | 5 |
| Devices are ready for learning | 5 |
| Affordable | 4 |
| Easy set up | 5 |
| Easy to deploy content | 2 |
DPVR is a new and up-and-coming standalone VR headset manufacturer. They primarily produce 3DoF standalone headsets and tethered 6DoF headsets. They have many 3DoF options to choose between, including one built specifically for education use cases! Their devices are very affordable.
DPVR headsets can be easily locked down with third-party deployment platform. These devices ship in developer mode, so they are simple to set up. However, DPVR headsets are not natively connected to an app store. So you will need a deployment platform, like ManageXR, to access and distribute content with ease.
Compatibility with ManageXR
- Devices can be locked down ManageXR’s deployment platform
- Premier content deployment with access to Discover XR (find Prisms, Transfr, Lobaki content and more) and ISVs
- Compatible with ManageXR’s Home Screen and Kiosk Mode
- Complete control over all firmware updates
- See exactly what students are doing with Remote Screen Streaming
Summary
| VR Devices in Education Success Criteria | Meta Quest | PICO | HTC | DPVR |
| Devices can be locked down | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Devices are ready for learning | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Affordable | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Easy set up | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Easy to deploy content | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
When it comes to VR headsets for education, you have options. The devices you choose should be determined by your use case(s), goals, organizational structure and requirements, and based on how much you plan to scale. If you are planning to scale your education deployments, we ultimately recommend PICO VR headsets. The PICO G3 and PICO Neo 3 can be easily locked down, are the most out-of-the-box ready for learning, offer two price points for differing budgets, are simple to set up, and have excellent content deployment options and capabilities. These qualities position PICO VR headsets as versatile and reliable choices for educational institutions seeking to integrate immersive technologies into their learning environments at scale.