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We're living in the future, and if you're looking for something to help you live out your cyberpunk fantasies in 2025, you may be wondering whether you should buy XR glasses or a VR headset. Both devices have their benefits, but depending on what you'd like to use them for, one or the other will suit you more.
I've reviewed a lot of the best VR headsets, and having spent some time with smart glasses, I know what both are good for. Personally, I think fully-fledged VR devices are a bit more versatile and can offer you more. But I also appreciate that not everyone wants a bulky headset on their face during a train journey, and something a bit more subtle would suit them more.
But what's the difference? For those who are new to the market, it might be a bit hard to know which is which, especially since a lot of VR headsets these days are marketing themselves as mixed reality as much as they are fully immersive.
What are XR glasses?
XR glasses are a bit more minimalist than a typical headset. They tend to look like bulked-up sunglasses and their goal is to offer integrated display features into a wearable accessory. While technology is still catching up to Tony Stark's glasses in the Marvel movies, XR glasses today are designed to project a "big screen experience" into your environment so you can have a hands-free viewing session on a commute, a plane journey, or wherever you want to look like Norman Jayden using his ARI glasses in Heavy Rain.
Almost all of these need to be hooked up to another device in order to work, whether that's a simple USB tether to your phone, laptop, or one of Google's clever Pocket TVs. Some of them can connect to consoles, which can be useful for continuing to play games on a big screen if someone else in your household needs to use the TV.
XR Glasses use clever reflective display technology, so there's a tiny display hidden inside the bulky glasses frames which is then reflected like a teleprompter onto some smaller frames in front of your eyes. Others, like Meta's Orion glasses, are playing with projection and other forms of visual integration, but there are plenty of impressive ways for these glasses to look crystal clear.
What are VR headsets?
VR headsets come in a few shapes and sizes these days, but they tend to have a lot more computing power in them, and they aren't interested in trying to be a futuristic set of sunglasses. Devices like the Meta Quest 3 and Pico 4 Ultra cater to people who want spatial computing power, integrating digital workspaces into their environment. But these, and some other headsets, are designed to please the fully immersive gaming crowd too.
While XR glasses can only play flat-screen games projected from another device, VR headsets can play games with 360 degrees of immersion. That's why most headsets come with controllers too. Some headsets, like the Meta Quest 3S, are known as standalone, which means they use processing power within the headset to run these games natively, but you can also tether them to a gaming PC and play SteamVR games on them.
You should buy XR glasses if...
✅You want something portable
If your main goal is to make your daily commute a little more bearable or to catch up on some Netflix shows on your everyday journey, XR glasses might be the best way to do so. You'll be able to enjoy a darkened viewing space, free from the annoying small-screen experience. It also offers you a degree of privacy, because who doesn't hate that weird person sitting next to you watching your shows over your shoulder.
✅ You don't want fully immersive gaming
If you only want to tether to a phone or laptop, there's no point in splashing out on a more expensive headset. A simple set of smart glasses will do the trick for you.
✅ You want something for when a friend, partner, or roommate needs to use the TV
If you want to continue your gaming session while someone else uses the big-screen TV, XR glasses can save you from cutting your gaming session short. And what's even better is that thanks to your viewing experience being integrated into a set of futuristic sunglasses, you don't need to worry that your friends are going to give you jumpscares since you can still see what's happening in the room you're in. This isn't always the case in VR headsets, which can lead to some pretty funny viral videos.
Don't buy XR glasses if...
❌ You want premium sound quality
Although XR glasses have integrated speakers that aren't obtrusive to anyone around you thanks to clever "whisper" modes, these tiny speakers are not going to give you the audio experience of your dreams. If good audio quality is important to you, maybe look at a VR headset instead, or find a decent gaming headset that will fit over the top of your bulky glasses frames.
❌ You don't want to be tethered to another device
If you want to have standalone power in a set of smart glasses, your options are limited right now. The technology is still advancing, and short of going for Meta's fairly limited Ray Ban glasses that can take photos and let you talk to an AI assistant, we'll need to wait for things like Project Orion that plan to take things to Tony Stark levels.
You should buy a VR headset if...
✅ You want a gaming device
VR gaming is incredible, and right now the only technology that lets you play VR titles is a VR headset. I doubt we'll get to the point where small form factor glasses can play VR games in the next five years, if ever. So if you want something that can play games either in standalone mode or through your PC's power, go for a VR headset.
✅ You don't mind a bulkier object on your face
A VR headset with standalone processing power can do the same things XR glasses can do and more, the only compromise is that you'll need to come to terms with a bulkier object on your face. Luckily, there are ways to make things more comfortable, such as some of the best Meta Quest accessories.
✅ Your spatial computing ambitions are high
If you want more AR power than simply projecting a big screen into your surroundings, then a VR headset is what you need. Virtual Desktop can give you multiple displays integrated into your environment, and either Vision OS on the Apple Vision Pro, or Horizon OS on Meta Quest 3 will let you interact with different windows and aspects of your software as though they were really there.
Don't buy a VR headset if...
❌ You're on a tight budget
VR headsets have always been on the pricey side, and depending on the XR glasses you go for, they can sometimes work out more affordable. More affordable options do exist in the VR market these days, but the high-end options don't look to be slowing down, especially since Samsung's long-awaited headset looks like an Apple Vision Pro rival.
❌ You're worried about your data being spied on
Since the biggest standalone devices are owned by Meta and Pico (operated by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok), you don't have many choices when it comes to safeguarding your data from massive companies. These two corporations have come under fire for the way they harvest and utilize user data, so if this is a big concern for you, maybe look at something without any cameras on it.
Happy with your own reality for now? Check out the best gaming chairs, the best PC controllers, and the best computer speakers.
