VR HEALTHY PICKS

Out of all the things we reviewed in this article, these are the one we chose for our setup!

Headset Strap:

Kiwi Design Upgraded Elite Strap w/Battery Pack

Headset Accessories:

Conquest Headphones

BoboVR Air Circulation Facepad

VR Optician Prescription Lenses

Controller Grips:

Kiwi Design Pro Controller Grips (Extended Version)

Controller Accessories:

Powerowl Rechargeable Batteries

AMVR Table Tennis Paddle

Kiwi Design Controller Weights (for games with slower hand movements)

AMVR Boxing Gloves

Other Accessories:

Neck Fan

Sweatband(s)

HEADSET STRAPS

Kiwi Design Upgraded Elite Strap (w/Battery Pack) – $89.99/~£80.55/~€91,41 (20% off with code ‘vrhealthy20’)

Pros:

• Very comfortable
• Built in battery pack
• Hygienic – sweat doesn’t soak into the face cushion and easily wipeable
• Sturdy on your head – headset doesn’t move when its on properly
• You can easily place the headset on your forehead to deal with quick things IRL

Cons:

• Ships from China (& not on Amazon yet) so will take around 2 weeks to arrive (7-10 with express shipping)

Other Notes:

• I didn’t think there would be a strap that I would replace my DAS for… but I don’t see myself swapping it back for this any time soon!
• 20% off code subject to change

Deluxe Audio Strap (DAS) – £99/$79.99/€109,00 (+£15-25 adapter)

Pros:

• Great sounding on ear headphones included
• Very comfortable
• Space to strap a battery pack to the back (which makes it even more comfortable)
• Sturdy on your head – headset doesn’t move when its on properly
• You can easily place the headset on your forehead to deal with quick things IRL

Cons:

• Requires good adapter to fit on the Quest
• Difficult to find a carry case that it fits in (here is the smallest one I found that fits it)
• Expensive
• Foam cusion isn’t wipeable and soaks up sweat – although VR cover do a wipeable replacement for this

Other Notes:

• Its definitely worth spending a little more to get decent Quest adapters. At first I bought cheap ones for about £6 but they kept popping off during play. I then invested in some better quality ones for about £25, which were  extremely sturdy, and also personalizable! You can check them out here
• The personalized ‘VR Healthy’ text here has been painted black after purchase, it originally came as all the same colour

Kiwi Design On-Ear Audio Strap – $79.99/~£70.37/~€81,25 (20% off with code ‘vrhealthy20’)

Pros:

• Very comfortable
• Built in headphones
• Hygienic – sweat doesn’t soak into the face cushion and easily wipeable
• Sturdy on your head – headset doesn’t move when its on properly
• You can easily place the headset on your forehead to deal with quick things IRL

Cons:

• The headphones can make your ears fairly warm when exercising, which isn’t ideal
• Ships from China (& not on Amazon yet) so will take around 2 weeks to arrive (7-10 with express shipping)

Other Notes:

• As you push the end of the headband upwards, the headphones open automatically on both sides
• 20% off code subject to change
  

BoboVR M2 Pro Strap – £63.99/$59.99/€69,99 (currently on offer for £60.99)

Pros:

• Comfortable
• Takes the weight off your face and distributes it over your head
• Battery pack included
• Hygienic – sweat doesn’t soak into the face cushion and easily wipeable

Cons:

• Bounces around when moving your head (mostly when turning left and right quickly) which makes it blurry at times. No matter how tight or how much time spent fiddling, it always seems to have a little bit of bounce when moving quickly

Other Notes:

• Make sure to stick the front velcro that connects to the headset underneath the forehead padding, otherwise it rubs on your forehead
• Offer subject to change

HEADSET ACCESSORIES

Conquest On-Ear Headphones – $179 (10% off with code ‘vrhealthy’)

Pros:

• Great sound
• Comfortable
• Adjustable in many ways
• Customisable
• Doesn’t cause extra heat/sweating when exercising

Cons:

• Fairly expensive
• You either need a stand to set the headset down on or you have to put it down upsidedown to prevent it resting on the headphones (we have the AMVR stand)
• Currently only available in the US/Canada (release in the UK/Europe planned for within the next couple of months)

Other Notes:

• Set it up so it hovers very slightly over your ear so there is still air circulation around your ears rather than sitting with pressure on your ear
• It can be a little fiddly to get the headphones on and adjusted correctly (particularly with the battery pack plugged into the headset), they’d pop off occasionally when moved to adjust but once set up its sturdy and no need to adjust much once you’ve got it setup

BoboVR F2 Active Air Circulation Facepad – £35.59/$43.99/€53,99

Pros:

• Increases circulation of cool air into the headset
• Prevents the lenses from steaming up
• Reduces sweating
• Fairly quiet
• Doesn’t seem to increase the eye dryness

Cons:

• Doesn’t fit with the DAS
• Lets in a little light through the vents

Other Notes:

• You don’t really feel an airflow from the fan itself, however it is noticable in how it reduces lens fog!

VR Cover Fitness Vented Facial Interface – £29/$29/€29 (10% off with code ‘vrhealthy’)

Pros:

• Stops the headset from steaming up
• Comes with 2 wipeable face cushions
• Comes with lens covers

Cons:

• Lets in a little light through the vents
• 10% off code subject to change

Other Notes:

• Probably the most padded of all the facial cushions in this article

AMVR Facial Vent Interface – £27.99/$32.99/€29,99

Pros:

• Stops the headset from steaming up
• Comes with 2 wipeable face cushions
• Comes with lens covers
• Comes with extra padding to help prevent light getting in

Cons:

• Lets in a little light through the vents
• Vents are only on the top, not the bottom as well

Other Notes:

• Lets the least amount of light in of all the facial interfaces in this article

VR Optician Prescription Lenses – £55/~$62.25/~€63,33 (5% off with code ‘VRHealthy’)

Pros:

• Gives you a better field of view than wearing glasses
• More comfortable than wearing glasses or contact lenses in VR
• Easy to clip in & out
• No metal parts that could rust
• Comes with scratch resistant and anti-reflection coating as well as ‘clean coat’ (lotus effect cleaning)

Cons:

• Ships from Germany so takes 1-2 weeks delivery time to other parts of Europe, UK & US (longer to other parts of the world)

Other Notes:

• Price increases a little for high prescriptions
• You can also get a blue light blocking coating for a little extra
• Shipping is extra (~£6)

CONTROLLER GRIPS

Kiwi Design Pro Controller Grips (Extended Version) – $32.99/~£29.02/~€33,51 (currently 10% off with code ‘AHE10’)

Pros:

• Comfortable
• Sturdy & safe – controllers clip into the inside and it’s also secured around the top of the controller so the controller doesn’t slip
• Grippy material so doesn’t slip easily
• Has wrist straps as well as knuckle grips
• Battery compartment with pull tab – easy to change batteries
• Longer design feels nicer to hold and adds a little weight to the controller (in a  good way)

Cons:

• Ships from China (& not on Amazon yet) so will take around 2 weeks to arrive (7-10 with express shipping)

Other notes:

• Be sure to put your battery compartment covers and original straps somewhere safe so you don’t lose them whilst using these!

ProTubeVR ProStraps – €24.99/~£20.84/$23.63

Pros:

• Comfortable (Most comfortable grips tried)
• Sturdy & safe – sticks to the inside of the controller battery compartment so wont slip

Cons:

• Replaces the normal straps and can’t be switched in/out easily (would need re-sticking)
• Big pad means hands can get a little hot & sweaty

Other notes:

• Comes with unnecessary pieces if only buying the prostraps (for fixing to the gun stock)
• Efficient packaging and instructions are online (less waste)
• Make sure its not too tight – doesn’t need to be overly tight
• Shipping is extra (€5.99) (3-5 day international) or free if spending over €100

VR Cover Controller Grips – £29/$29/€29 (10% off with code ‘vrhealthy’)

Pros:

• Easy to take on and off the controller
• Sturdy – goes over the controller but doesn’t slip whilst on
• Adjustable
• Fairly lightweight so hands dont get too hot & sweaty
• Elastic grip band – easy to put on your hand

Cons:

• Replaces the normal straps
• Have to take them off to change batteries

Other notes:

• Make sure to put the top velcro strap on – I missed doing this at first and the controller slipped out with a hard swing during Beat Saber
• Shipping is extra (~£7/$8.50/€7/)
• 10% off code subject to change

CONTROLLER ACCESSORIES

Powerowl Rechargeable Batteries – £12.99/$12.99

Pros:

• Long lasting single charge
• Great longevity without losing charge
• Fast charging
• Comes as a 4 pack so you can always have 2 more charged and ready to go!
• Environmentally friendly
• Cheaper than constantly replacing for non-rechargeable batteries

Cons:

• We honestly cannot think of any!

Other notes:

• An essential bit of kit in our opinion!
• I’ve heard many people say that you need 1.5V rechargeable batteries for the Quest, however we have been using these Powerowl batteries for over 3 years and they have always worked perfectly with no issues
• Comes as a pack of 8 for €25,99 in the EU

AMVR Table Tennis Paddle – £21.59/$19.79/€24,99

Pros:

• More realistic feel whilst playing VR table tennis
• Comfortable to hold

Cons:

• Adds extra length to controller so increases the risk of hitting something

Other notes:

• During our research into Eleven Table Tennis it was noted that this was being used by one of the advanced players to practice table tennis at home!

Kiwi Design Controller Weights – $35.99/~£31.74/~€36.52

Pros:

• Adds upper body strengthening aspects to VR workouts
• Adjustable weight

Cons:

• Increases risk of injury, particularly in games with fast wrist/elbow movements

Other notes:

• We recommend only using these weights in slow paced games where you aren’t using fast wrist or elbow movements
• Games we’ve used them in effectively include: Synth Riders, The Climb, Space Pirate Trainer, Pistol Whip & Puzzling Places
• Can be fiddly putting them on and off at first, but fairly easy once you get the hang of it

AMVR Boxing Gloves – £39.99/$34.79/€39,99

Pros:

• More realistic – added weight and feel of boxing gloves whilst playing boxing games
• Properly padded – can be used for actual boxing training
• Comfortable to wear
• Suitable for all different sizes of hands
• Not restrictive for using the controller
• Protects your hands and controller if you accidentally hit something

Cons:

• Hands get a little warm and sweaty after a while

OTHER ACCESSORIES

Neck fan – £22.07/$14.99/€20,99

Pros:

• Helps you stay cool whilst playing, reducing sweat
• Reduces lens fogging

Cons:

• Can be a bit noisy

Other notes:

•  We tried 3 different types of neck fans. The one above was by far the best option. This one fell off during play and this one bounced around too much when moving (which caused the fan to point away from the face and lots of banging into itself and the headset)
  

Sweatband(s) – £8.99/$9.99/€13,99

Pros:

• Keeps sweat out from dripping down your face into your headset
• Keeps your hair out of the way
• Lightweight so doesn’t get too warm
• You can choose the thickness (amount of your head) that it covers
• Multi-pack with various colours

Cons:

• You’ll have to wash them after each workout (although not exactly much of a con – especially as there are 4 in a pack!)

Other notes:

• Any sweatband will do, although we love these ones for our VR workouts!
• US comes in a 3 pack not 4
• Different designs available dependent on location (UK/EU/US)
• To find these in EU, search ‘hhoomy sweatband’ on Amazon

Anything we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out our blog page to learn about some of the research we’ve done into games such as Racket:Nx, Synth Riders, Eleven Table Tennis and more!