Protect your VR headset with VR Cover
Everyone agrees that a virtual reality headset is an expensive piece of technology. If you are lucky enough to own one, you want the headset to last in top condition as long as possible. The foam that is pressed to your forehead is the most fragile part and very sensitive to dirt and wear. VR cover found a solution for this problem with a simple sleeve that fits around the foam you can protect it.
VR Cover has already gained the necessary experience. The first cover appeared several years ago for the developer kit from Oculus and the Samsung Gear VR innovator edition. The covers were extremely well appreciated by the developers and early adopters. After a day full of demonstrations, you just throw the cover in the washing machine and it is good for another round.
The covers are now available for the consumer VR headsets and come in many different shapes and flavors. We have tested the Rift, Vive and Gear VR models.
Oculus Rift
For the Rift, we find two types of sleeves. A full cover and an open cover (the stretchable nose free version). The full cover also protects the delicate fabric between the lenses from your nose.
The disadvantage of this is cover is that the nose pushes against it so the cover is pulled off the foam. For this reason, VR Cover made a new design, the stretchable and nose-free model. This sleeve has an opening, and it is easy to mount around the headset since it is made of an elastic material.
If we put the two sleeves together, we find the nose free version by far the best. The nose-free version will remain firmly around the Rifts foam and feels very comfortable. The continuous cover has another big disadvantage. It covers the sensor of the Rift so it is always turned on. With the nose free version this issue is solved.
HTC Vive
For the Vive are even more VR Covers available. Besides the covers, you can also choose to replace the foam completely.
The covers are available in two versions: a cotton model and a model made of a waterproof material. Both covers fit like a glove around the Vive. The waterproof cover is useful when playing active games like Cyber Pong VR or selfie Tennis. In our opinion is the cotton cover a little more comfortable, because it feels slightly warmer and softer. It feels better if your sweat is absorbed into the fabric so you won’t have a slippery wet material against your forehead.
The memory foam from VR Cover is a good alternative for the simple foam HTC offers. The material is waterproof and can be ordered in two different sizes. A 6 mm thick version or 18 mm thick foam. These covers stick against the Velcro tape of Vive and fit perfectly. The 18mm version is in our opinion the most comfortable.
If we have to choose between the Vive covers and replacement foam our choice would be the cotton cover. It fits perfectly around the Vive’s foam and is the most comfortable.
Gear VR
At the time of writing, the Samsung Gear VR is most popular and most sold VR headset. VR Cover has a nice assortment for this headset. They offer covers, replace foam and a handy suitcase so you can safely store your headset.
We didn’t test the latest covers and foam and the storage case isn’t available yet. But we have tested the cotton covers for the innovator editions before. This cover was amazing and the headset felt a lot more pleasant with the cover around the foam. The replacement foam for the Gear VR has a design like the Vive. It is a perfect fit on the Velcro tape of the Gear VR.
Recently, Samsung has released a new headset. The current cover will not fit on this new headset. The new and old headset can easily be distinguished. The old headset is white and the new one is completely black. The covers which we have discussed are only suitable for the white Gear VR. Once VR cover releases a new version, we will update it in this article.
Conclusion
Covers for your VR headset are not only useful to prevent damage, a sleeve or replacement foam makes it also more comfortable. The service of VR Cover is great and the responded very quickly to our questions. Their website is full of information about the covers and there are several videos explaining how you can attach your cover. We can praise VR Cover for their great products. Do you have a VR headset, make sure you put VR Cover high on your wish list.
Verdict 10/10
