VR Drone Buying Guide
If you have been looking to take your drone flying hobby to the next level, then it’s a time to invest in a virtual reality drone. Unlike an ordinary drone, a VR drone uses the virtual reality technology to give you an immersive flight experience, similar to that you would get when flying a real plane.
Herein, we have reviewed some of the best VR drones with the intention of helping you purchase a drone that fits your budget and flight needs.
Top VR Drones to Consider Buying
1. DJI Mavic Pro VR Drone with Goggles (Best VR Drone)
The best vr drone in our list is the DJI Mavic pro, a portable drone that can be folded to the size of a water bottle. As such, this mini-drone is an ideal option for mobile hobbyists who wish to invest in a drone that they can easily carry when camping or hiking.
Despite its small size, DJI Mavic pro comes with a plethora of features to make your flight easy and enjoyable. Some of these features include the new OcuSync transmission system that offers a 7-kilometer transmission range and the reasonable flight speed of 64 kilometers per hour.
Other features that set DJI Mavic top of the competition include obstacle avoidance sensors that minimize crashes resulting from collisions, the GLONASS system that provides precise flight control, and a powerful camera that captures 4K quality videos. The portable drone can fly for 27 minutes on a fully charged battery.
Depending on your taste, you can fly this drone independently or integrate it with the DJI goggles that offer you an immersive first-person view flight experience. The DJI virtual reality goggles have high definition screens for each eye and a head-tracking feature that controls your drone’s yaw and camera according to the movements of your head.
The DJI goggles also have inbuilt antennas for 360-degree coverage. These features collaborate to give you a cohesive FPV flight experience. However, you would have to purchase the virtual reality goggles separately, which might be quite expensive. Don't forget you will need a good pack to carry your drone out into the field. While there are many vr headsets on the market today, none work as well with DJI drones as the DJI goggles.
2. DJI Phantom 4 Pro Virtual Reality Drone with Goggles
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro is another fantastic drone that is designed to give you a flight experience that is similar to that you would encounter when flying a real airplane. The professional comes with a powerful 20 MP camera that lets you capture or view clean and quality photos.
For enhanced flight safety, this miniature drone is equipped with five obstacle sensors placed on the front, rear, and the left/right sides. These sensors protect you valued investment from colliding with solid obstacles like trees and buildings.
Other great features that make up this drone include the drawing technology that lets the drone follow a route that you draw on the controller's screen and the follow me/ return to home functions that deliver a smooth flight experience. The drone can fly for 30 minutes on a fully charged battery.
Like its sibling competitor above, you can upgrade DJI Phantom 4 pro into a virtual reality drone by using the DJI goggles, sold separately. The DJI virtual reality goggles have a pair of HD screens with a high frame rate that lets you view bright and cohesive images from above.
Furthermore, the DJI virtual reality goggles have the head tracking features that regulate the drone’s yaw and camera according to your head’s movements, and antennas that facilitate 360-degree coverage. The 3d goggles (at least they feel that way) will let you immerse yourself in your drone flight.
While the DJI goggles let you upgrade your ordinary drone to a VR drone, the goggles are expensive, and their headband might not fit snugly on your head. With a drone this expensive we recommend some type of drone insurance.
3. VR Goggles and DJI Spark Drone
This portable drone with VR headset comes in Alpine white, orange, lava red, sky blue, meadow green, and sunrise yellow colors. This color variation lets you purchase a drone with your most favored color.
DJI spark features a high-performance camera and a mechanical gimbal stabilization system that lets you view or capture shake- free shots. These features also make the spark a great drone for shooting selfies. In addition to the photography features, DJI spark also utilizes the Flight ModesSmart technology, an intuitive technology that lets you capture cinematic videos with a tap.
Like most drones, DJI Spark utilizes the GLONASS and GPS flight control systems that enhance flight stability. On that account, this mini-drone would be an ideal option for professionals as well as those at the intermediate level of flying drones.
DJI spark can fly at a maximum speed of 50 kilometers per hour in calm weather, and its fully charged battery can last for as long as 16 minutes. Moreover, the drone has obstacle sensors that let you avoid obstacles within a transmission range of 5 meters. You can also fly fpv with the spark using wifi fpv.
Like Phantom 4 and Mavic pro, DJI spark is fully compatible with DJI goggles. The goggles have a pair of HD screens for an extra immersive flight experience and antennas that give you a 360-degree view. The goggles can also run for six hours when fully charged, and they support the head tracking technology. The DJI Spark requires an OTG USB Cable to work with the DJI Goggles.
4. Parrot Bebop 2 FPV VR Drone with Goggles
Unlike those drones that require you to buy the FPV goggles separately, Parrot Bebop’s drone comes with its Parrot Cockpit glasses. For this reason, this compact and lightweight drone would be an excellent buy for hobbyists who cannot afford to buy a drone and FPV goggles separately. Having the drone sold as an FPV kit really adds some value.
Parrot Bebop drone has a 14-megapixel camera that lets you capture as view HD 1080p footages and a three-axis digital stabilization system for smooth and stable video shooting. Its high capacity battery can run up to twenty-five minutes on a single charge.
To synchronize your drone with its FPV headset, you would want to connect the FreeFlight Pro app in your smart mobile phone and then place it into the cockpit glasses to start exploring the world from above. The FPV headset is comfortable to wear.
The YouTube video on this link is an excellent visual guide on how the drone works:
5. MJX Bugs 6 with VR FPV Goggles
MJX Bugs racing quadcopter with goggles is another excellent option for drone racing hobbyists who wish to take their drone flying hobby to the next level. The top features that make up this drone include the 720P camera for video streaming and recording, a 4.3-inch LCD display, and the super bright LED lights that give your drone a beautiful look during night flights.
Despite its low price, MJX Bugs’ racing quadcopter utilizes the brushless motors that are commonly used in high- end racing quadcopters. These brushless motors provide sufficient power required for competitive drone racing. Its 1300mAh battery can fuel the drone for as long as 12 minutes when fully charged.
While this racing drone seems like an excellent buy for drone racing enthusiasts, it might not be an ideal option for pros that are looking for one with a powerful camera as well as an excellent remote distance. The bugs 6 is a great example of a budget VR drone.
6. REDPAWZ FPV Racing Drone with VR Goggles
The REDPAWZ R011 micro FPV racing drone is designed to give you an immersive drone racing experience at the most affordable price. As such, if you were on a tight budget, then this micro FPV racing drone would be an option to consider.
REDPAWZ R011 micro FPV racing drone utilizes the 6- axis gyroscope, a standard technology that delivers a stable flight as well an accurate aerial positioning.
This mini-drone comes with HD customized VR goggles that utilize the Fresnel optical lens zoom principle to deliver one of the best in class and immersive flight experience. The customized VR goggles are easy to use.
Other additional features that make up this drone include the 360-degree flip function, the headless mode, and the one key return to home control. Moreover, the drone has a 120-degree wide- angle camera and a quick to charge battery.
Despite its great features, this drone might not be an option for pro hobbyists since it has a short flight time & distance, and its camera is of low quality. The Redpawz is a great budget vr drone that you can fly fpv style.
7. Promark VR Drone P70
Taking the last slot on our best list is the Promark P70 drone, an easy to use drone that would be an option for starters who are looking to gain the essential knowledge required in flying VR drones with advanced features.
Promark P70 VR drone has an integrated Wi-Fi signal that lets you stream live footages direct to your smartphone. Besides the ability to stream live footage, you can also opt to record and save the footages captured by the drone’s 720P camera.
For an immersive flight experience, this drone comes with premium VR 3D goggles that let you view the world from a higher plane. The Promark p70 drone battery can give you a flight time of 12 minutes.
You will also want to buy this drone because it supports a one-button flip, a one-key landing, a headless mode, and an auto take off function. These controls give you a smooth flight experience [http://promarkdrones.com/promark-virtual-reality-drone/].
While Promark P70 seems like an ideal option for starters, the drone has several downsides that you would want to take into account before you purchase it. For instance, some people complain that the FPV video streaming is cumbersome since the drone's signal is weak and that it is damaged easily.
Other Promark p70 vr done reviews and customers complain that their drone came with missing parts and it costs more than other entry level competitors. The Redpawz and the Bugs 6 drone with vr headset above would be much better alternatives.
Final thoughts
Investing in a VR drone is a great way to improve your drone flying experience. The virtual reality drones come with VR goggles that give you an immersive flight that is similar to that of a pilot in the cockpit. There are many virtual reality drones and options for headsets such as Zeiss VR. The best VR quadcopters have a powerful camera and a reasonable flight time. We hope that the drone reviews above helped you find a VR drone that fits into your budget as well as your flight needs.
