VR headsets for teaching

VR headset for teaching

Virtual reality (VR) offers more and more opportunities for teaching. To experience VR, you use VR glasses. This makes it feel like you’re in a different world.

The glasses show you images and in the meantime you no longer see anything of your real environment. You can look around 360 degrees and sometimes even manipulate and move objects through the VR world.

There are different types of VR headset on the market. With most of these you use your own smartphone, which you place in the glasses. You download a VR app, such as that from TeachVR, and then look through the lenses of the glasses at the screen of your phone.

In addition, there are glasses that you connect to a (game) computer. These often offer a VR experience of higher quality, but are therefore also somewhat more expensive. Finally, there are independent (standalone) VR glasses that you don’t have to connect to anything because they have a built-in computer.

If you are not yet familiar with the VR world, it can be difficult to determine which VR glasses can best be used in the classroom. That is why we have listed a number of commonly used VR glasses here.

Cardboard VR glasses

The simplest VR glasses are cardboard glasses which you can place your smartphone. In 2014, Google brought such glasses to the market: Google Cardboard. With these glasses you have a simple stationary VR experience. This means that the system responds to your head movements when you look around, but it is not possible to walk around or look around the VR world.

Similar cardboard glasses can be ordered through TeachVR for use at school. With a price of € 4.50 per pair of glasses and the fact that students can use their own smartphone, cardboard glasses are very accessible for a first introduction to virtual reality in the classroom.

Plastic VR headset

Since the Google Cardboard, various variants of hard plastic have appeared, such as the Samsung Gear VR and the Google Daydream. Also with these VR glasses you have a stationary VR experience and you use your own smartphone, but these glasses have a longer lifespan than the cardboard version. Something that certainly offers advantages when you want to use virtual reality in education.

In addition, these VR glasses are more comfortable than the cardboard version and they usually offer higher image quality because the lenses are of better quality and you can adjust them. The benefits are also reflected in a slightly higher price, which is between € 30 and € 75. A similar pair of hard plastic glasses, the Gray Owl, is available through TeachVR for € 12.50.

Oculus Go

Also available via TeachVR is the Oculus Go, an independent (standalone) VR glasses that was released in 2018. All the technology needed for the VR experience is built into the glasses, so you no longer need a smartphone. You also have a stationary VR experience with the Oculus Go. What is different is that the Oculus Go comes with a small controller with which you can point things in the VR world.

In terms of image quality, there is no huge improvement compared to glasses like the Gray Owl, but the ease of use is a lot better. The Oculus Go is also easier to use compared to more advanced glasses. An Oculus Go costs € 229 and can not only be ordered separately, but can also be ordered as an option in the education kit.

Room-scale VR: Oculus Rift and HTC Vive

In addition to the above VR glasses, there are more expensive, more advanced glasses that you must connect to a powerful computer. A major advantage of this is the increased image quality.

In addition, these glasses also sometimes make room-scale VR possible, whereby you not only look around the VR world, but can also interact with it. Sensors in the room ensure that by walking around in the real world you can also walk around in the VR world and controllers can grab and manipulate objects.

Examples of such glasses are the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, which are available from € 500 to € 600. However, the computer with a powerful graphic card that is required for these VR glasses also costs more than € 1000. Due to the technical requirements and the price tag, room-scale VR glasses will not be easily recommended for school VR education.

Which VR headset are the most suitable for teaching?

Have you never used virtual reality in the classroom before and are you curious about the possibilities? Then the cardboard VR glasses are very suitable for a first introduction. If you want more robust headsets with a higher image quality, then choose VR glasses made of hard plastic. The plastic VR headset last longer and are therefore a good, affordable upgrade to the cardboard version.

If you do not want to be dependent on smartphones when working with VR in the classroom, the Oculus GO is the best choice. The image quality is good and the ease of use is a lot higher than the cheaper VR glasses.

For the use of virtual reality teaching, room-scale VR headset are the least suitable because of the computer requirements. The fact that you have to set up a space specifically for VR and the price. But if you have to set up a space specifically for VR and the price want to offer your students the ultimate VR experience , you’re in the right place with these VR headset.

Need help choosing VR glasses for your school? Then contact us.