New user on Mac, looking for VR headset advice

Hello all,

Just started using Unity and I'm interested in building some VR and AR scenes and apps. For the VR projects I'd like to be able to view them in a headset, but I know my options are limited because I'm on a Mac. Would love to get some advice on what direction I should go.

Here's the options I'm considering:

1. Cardboard: I already have this up and running, using my iPhone 8 in a hard plastic Cardboard headset. Had to build in Xcode and download to the phone, pretty clunky overall.
2. HTC Vive: I saw a demo where the Steam VR plugin was used to preview in a Vive and I think it was on a Mac. I'd like to step up to a 'real' headset and right now I'm favoring the Vive over an Oculus. Is it worth getting a Vive now or should I wait for the Vive Pro to come out?
3. Playstation VR: I've been looking at buying the PSVR headset for my PS4 anyway, but I really can't afford two headsets (that one plus the Vive) right now. I found this solution for getting the PS headset working on a Mac, any idea if that would allow the headset to work with Unity? Or does that option only work with the SteamVR plugin and therefore the Vive?

Sorry for the newbie question, appreciate any guidance you guys have! FYI here are my system specs:
MacbookPro Retina 15" (mid-2014), 2.5 i7, 16GB Ram, 500GB SSD, Intel Iris Pro and Nvidia 750M*
(*I hope the Steam/Vive combo does not require an eGPU)

TIA,
JVK

 

I've got a cheap 'Stealth' headset, sturdy, nice to play around with..go's very well.

 

I got he same mac as you and unfortunately it is below specs for the VIVE and the thunderbolt ports are also below spec for the external GPU enclosure. But some people reported that the eGPU works as TB2 & TB3 are compatible but it is outside the spec provided by apple...so might not be supported in the end.

 

The latest reports I've seen with AKiTiO stuff are encouraging, actually. The 2014 MBPs have TB2, which has shown to be sufficient to get almost all of the power out of external GPUs. The recommended cards have been RX580 (which I believe will then use included drivers from Apple), and 1080(Ti, since you're already shelling out) with official NVidia macOS drivers.

If I wasn't already getting a recent iMac that would be something to research further.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but I just got a shiny new MacBook Pro (2018 model) and so it sounds like I may have more options. So you're talking about this AKiTiO Node product? And with that, we could use the VIVE headset, and the SteamVR plugin?

I assume you're talking about this? Is this more than just another Cardboard-style phone holder? (I've got one of those, but haven't used it more than a couple types after trying it out.)

Sorry for the newbie questions, but I've not really scratched the surface on VR yet. I've been holding out for AR, which I believe will be a much bigger market... but getting started with VR might be smart.