Sharper Image is a household name, and when we heard they released a VR headset, we just had to try it out.
We tested it for a decent period with a variety of different titles in order to gauge how well it compares to other mobile VR headsets in the market.
In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into the Sharper Image VR Headset to see what it’s all about.
Sharper Image Virtual Reality Headset
The Sharper Image VR Headset provides you with a highly immersive VR experience with its high-resolution lenses. The head strap, as well as the lenses, are adjustable to ensure anyone can wear this headset with ease.
Alternate #1
BNEXT VR Headset
Even though the BNEXT VR Headset is very cheap, there’s nothing about its visual quality that would make you think that. The VR headset supports a wide range of phone sizes and is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Alternate #2
Altasonix VR Headset
The Altasonix VR Headset is highly comfortable with its adjustable head strap and breathable cushions. It has a built-in Eye Protection System to ensure that you don’t have eye strain issues during VR gaming.
Quick Summary of the Main Product
This beautiful constructed VR headset from Sharper Image is something that really surprised us. The headset comes with high-quality distortion-correcting lenses as well as built-in Bluetooth headphones.
The audio quality of the headphones is great and does a wonderful job of really immersing you in the VR experience. Not only that but the VR headset is compatible with both Android as well as iOS devices.
It offers a wide 120-degree FOV along with IPD adjustment as well. This, along with the adjustable head strap, ensure that the headset can be used by any member of the family. No matter if your head is big or small, you can adjust it to fit it perfectly.
Features and Benefits
Built-in Bluetooth Headphones
This is something that you do not see in most mobile VR headsets in the market. Most of them only have an option to connect headphones of your own through a 3.5 mm jack.
The Sharper Image VR Headset, on the other hand, provides you with both.
If you’d just like to use the built-in headphones, you can do that. However, if you want to use headphones of your own, you can do that as well, as the headset comes with a 3.5 mm jack too.
As for the audio quality of the built-in headphones, it’s great and highly immersive. They really make VR hassle-free since you don’t have to worry about the wires of any external headphones getting tangled up.
Great Adjustment Options
We mentioned briefly earlier how the Sharper Image VR Headset comes with an adjustable head strap. This ensures that no matter what your head size, you can wear it comfortably.
However, the adjustability doesn’t just end there.
You can adjust the IPD as well. This will ensure that you don’t have to worry about figuring out what your IPD is and whether or not your headset supports that IPD or not. All you must do is test the VR headset out and then adjust it accordingly to your needs.
Lastly, the focal point and lens distance can be adjusted as well.
All of these adjustment options ensure that you can tweak the headset so that it works well according to whatever your specific needs are.
Great Compatibility
As mentioned above, the VR headset is designed to run with both iOS as well as Android devices. This means it can run VR titles and games that are available on both the Play Store as well as the App Store.
Furthermore, it can support a wide range of phone sizes as well that range between 4 inches and 6 inches.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy the Sharper Image Virtual Reality Headset
Price
The Sharper Image VR Headset is definitely higher priced than many decent mobile VR headsets on the market.
That being said, the disparity is not too high, and the build quality of the Sharper Image VR Headset does somewhat justify its higher price.
Compatibility
We mentioned above how great the compatibility of the Sharper Image VR Headset is.
The thing that really hits it for us is the fact that not only is it compatible but it’s also well-optimized. Over the course of our testing, we ran several titles with it on many different smartphones.
We noticed little to no crashes or bugs during most of our tests.
Design and Comfort
When it comes to the aesthetics of the Sharper Image Virtual Reality Headset, it’s fairly minimal. While it does not have much flare, it still gets the job done.
It’s definitely quite comfortable and the plethora of adjustment options ensure that you can make it perfectly fit you according to your needs.
Advantages and Disadvantages
- Compact and lightweight
- Supports a wide range of phone sizes
- Works with both iOS and Android devices
- Well-optimized
- Durable
- Comfortable
- Relatively expensive
Social Proof
While we had a great experience with the Sharper Image VR Headset, we also wanted to check out what others thought of it.
That’s why we checked out some online user reviews to see what others had to say.
Here are some reviews that we came across:
Similar to the Sharper Image Virtual Reality Headset (Recommendations)
#1: Best Budget-Friendly Alternative - BNEXT VR Headset Review
This budget-friendly VR headset is the perfect option if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. Even though it’s a budget-friendly option, the VR experience this headset provides is still incredibly high-quality.
This is made possible through its high-quality lenses. The headset also comes with adjustable focal distance and the lenses can also be adjusted. Due to this, you can rest assured that you’ll have little to no motion sickness with this headset (as long as you calibrate it correctly).
The headset itself can also accommodate a wide range of phone sizes. You can use any phone with it with a screen size that ranges anywhere between 4 inches and 6.3 inches.
It even offers a field of view (FOV) adjustments so that you can calibrate it exactly the way you like it. Once you figure out what FOV works best for you, you’ll eliminate any motion sickness issues.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy BNEXT VR Headset
Price: As mentioned above, the headset is incredibly cheap and you can easily buy it without worrying too much about your pocket. It’s the cheapest headset in this post.
Compatibility: The BNEXT VR Headset is a mobile VR headset. That means that it’s designed to work with smartphones. The great thing about it is that it supports both iOS as well as Android devices.
Design and comfort: The head strap of the BNEXT VR Headset can be adjusted to suit whatever your head’s size is. Furthermore, as we mentioned above, the positioning of the lenses can be adjusted as well.
The cushions are high-quality and ensure that you don’t feel fatigued but at the same time, they are roomy enough to keep the headset well-ventilated.
- Compact and lightweight
- Supports a wide range of phone sizes
- Budget-friendly
- Works with both iOS and Android devices
- Easy to configure
- Fragile
Best Budget-Friendly Alternative
The best budget-friendly alternative is the BNEXT VR Headset thanks to its cheap price point, user-friendliness and high compatibility.
#2: Best Comfortable Alternative - Altasonix VR Headset Review
If you’re someone that wants to play VR for extended periods of time, this option is definitely worth considering.
It’s a highly comfortable VR headset by Altasonix that is well-designed with breathable cushions and an adjustable head strap. The cushions are placed in such a way that they ensure your nose and head are well-secured.
However, at the same time, they also ensure that the inside of the headset is well-ventilated and does not heat up or become stuffy.
This makes for a highly pleasant VR experience that you can enjoy for extended periods of time.
In addition to the comfort, the Altasonix VR Headset also boasts an Eye Protection System. This is a soft touch to the display that ensures that you don’t develop eye strain issues over the course of longer sessions.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Altasonix VR Headset
Price: While the Altasonix is not as cheap as the BNEXT, it’s still not overly priced in the slightest. It’s well within the reach of the average consumer and when you look at the features of the headset, it’s more than reasonable.
Compatibility: The Altasonix VR Headset is also a mobile VR headset similar to the BNEXT. However, it’s important to note that it can only run with Android devices.
Design and comfort: We pitched this product as the “comfortable alternative”. So naturally, we are quite impressed with the design and level of comfort the Altasonix VR Headset brings to the table.
- Affordable
- Lightweight
- Comfortable
- Easy to set up
- Great build quality
- Can break if dropped
Best Comfortable Alternative
The best comfortable alternative is the Altasonix VR Headset thanks to its ergonomic design, sturdiness and cheap price.
Buyer’s Guide
If you want to buy the best VR headset for yourself, it’s only natural to be a little confused. There are tons of options to choose from in the market. Furthermore, if you’re not tech-savvy, it’s difficult to get the hang of all the technical jargon and terms are thrown around to describe them.
As a result, it can be very easy to make the wrong choice and end up with a VR headset that does not fulfill your needs.
Luckily, there are some key factors that you can take into account to ensure the headset you get is per your requirements.
These key factors are:
Price
Of course, just like any product you would buy from the market, you must first look at what your budget is and the maximum amount that you can spend.
Anyone can tell you that you must ensure that you don’t exceed your budget. However, what consumers don’t think about is that even though they don’t exceed their budget, they still end up spending more than they need to.
For example, let’s say your budget is $300 and you want a smartphone-based VR headset. VR headsets that work with smartphones are incredibly cheap and you can often grab a high-quality one for around $50 – $70.
However, there do exist mobile-based VR headsets that are priced up to $150 or even more. These headsets don’t essentially have anything more to add to the table. However, they are still much higher priced either due to the prestige of their brand or other reasons.
In this case, while you may have the budget for a $150 mobile VR headset, it does not have anything you can’t get with a cheaper VR headset.
Thus, ensure that you stay within your budget, but also ensure that you don’t spend extra money you don’t need to.
Similarly, you must pay attention not to spend too little as well. You may see a great deal on the market and think to yourself that it’s a great opportunity. However, the thing about deals that seem too good to be true is that they often aren’t.
Thus, a cheaply priced headset might be cheap because it’s made from low-quality materials that may break down within a few months. Perhaps it’s poorly constructed, with jagged edges and a clunky design.
You may save a few bucks, but the entirety of your experience with that headset will suffer.
Compatibility
To think about compatibility is another instance where you must consider what your needs are; what you require from your VR headset.
Do you want to experience unique VR apps on your smartphone? Or do you have a powerful PC rig that you want to play VR games on? Or perhaps you don’t have any other external device but still want to jump into the world of VR?
All of these different possibilities have different ideal options.
If you don’t have any other external device, you should look for a standalone VR headset that can run titles on its own. If you have a PC, look for a PC-based VR headset. Lastly, if you want to experience VR on your smartphone, opt for a mobile-based VR headset.
Furthermore, you also need to consider what VR titles and games you actually want to experience. Remember that certain VR titles are only available on certain platforms.
There are certain titles you’ll only find on the Oculus platform, whereas other titles are only available to Steam users.
User-Friendliness
User-friendliness is extremely important in pretty much every device you have. It needs to be intuitive or, at the very least, easy to understand and operate.
A janky VR headset can be a nightmare as you can run into a slew of issues. These include:
- Connection issues
- Components that don’t fit together properly
- Game crashes
- Nausea
- Bugs
And much more.
These are all problems that you should not have to deal with. You are a consumer that paid hard-earned cash for a fully functioning product.
If a VR headset annoys you and you have to spend half an hour just to get it to work properly every time, you’ve most certainly made the wrong choice.
Design and Comfort
Unlike traditional gaming, VR can be very physically strenuous. Owing to this, you must ensure that the VR headset you get is comfortable and pleasant to wear on your head.
The perfect VR headset is one that you barely notice when it’s on your head. Innovators in the field such as HTC and Oculus have created headsets that are incredibly comfortable.
They have adjustable head straps and high-quality cushions to ensure individuals of all sizes can feel comfortable inside their headsets.
While it’s true that a headset should have enough space for your head for proper ventilation, you must also think about how well it fits.
Not only must it be breathable, but it must also be designed in a way so that it does not fly off your head easily. This is something that can very easily happen with poorly designed headsets.
Build Quality
Last but not least, you must ensure that the VR headset you buy is made from high-quality materials and well-crafted.
Watch out for cheap VR headsets that are made from low-quality plastic. They can be extremely fragile and often have ugly, jagged edges.
It can be a good idea to buy a VR headset in person and not online. This is because you can test out the headset yourself and also inspect it to ensure it’s well-built.
If you have no choice but to order online, you can check out unboxing videos on Youtube as well as user reviews for the product. Both of these resources can give you a great idea of what the VR headset feels like and how well it’s built.
This ties in well with what we mentioned in our Price section above. Cheaply priced VR headsets are most guilty of having fragile, ugly designs.
While they get the job done fairly well, they are often not built to last. As a result, you may have to go through many of them over the course of time.
Obviously, you want to opt for one that may not be the cheapest on the market but it’s well-built so that it lasts you a fairly long time. That way, its high price will pay for itself.
Wrapping Things Up
That’s it for our Sharper Image Virtual Reality Headset Review.
In the end, it’s definitely not a bad buy. It’s well-built, provides great VR visuals and even has built-in Bluetooth headphones. While it’s not as cheap as other mobile VR headsets, it does have the extra features to justify its higher price.
What do you think of the Sharper Image VR Headset? Let us know in the comments below.