A VR headset that stands alone

Really good VR—the kind that can make your palms sweat when you stand on the edge of a virtual cliff—is hard to come by. Most people settle for lackluster experiences that rely on smartphones and suffer from blurry images and smudgy lenses. The Oculus Go is the first VR headset that can create real immersion experience all on its own, without the help of a high-end gaming PC that costs as much as your first car. The 2560-by-1440-pixel LCD actually has more pixels dedicated to each one of your eyes than the Oculus Rift. And the visor’s built-in speaker system adds to the sensory onslaught, pumping carefully timed audio that can trick your ears into thinking there’s really a zombie sneaking up behind you. Go also launched with more than 1,000 VR experiences, from peaceful meditation apps to riding impossible roller-coaster rides. The 16.5-ounce headset doesn’t feel like a phone accessory or a watered-down version of its predecessor. That’s because it’s neither. It’s a huge step in VR’s journey out of the niche gaming community and into the mainstream.