Science fiction predicted virtual reality headsets in the early 1950s, but it’s taken over half a century for the concept to to materialise in any convincing form. The dawn of VR is finally here but, as with a lot of new technology, most simply can’t afford it. Currently there are two major players competing in the VR headset industry: the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift and HTC's Vive. The former is a cheaper option (at £499), but lacks some of the features of the Vive. Unlike the Rift - which offers head-tracking only - the Vive (priced £689) actually places the player in an environment, allowing them to explore it by physically walking through a space - while this is a feature advantage, it also means you have to dedicate a room to the tech.

The technology has come a long way since 1995 when Nintendo’s early VR misfire, the Virtual Boy, launched, but many of the criticisms leveled at that ill-fated device still stand today: it’s too expensive, it’s tethered and it’s kind of antisocial. While technology has advanced sufficiently enough to transport us to a believable virtual environment, these barriers mean it will be a while before it becomes mainstream. There is a chance Sony’s cheaper headset, PlayStation VR, will have better luck cracking the mass market, but it is unlikely to have the same technical oomph as Rift or Vive.