Halo headband
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A halo headband is a type of load-bearing headband for a head-worn computer that rests on the forehead and the back of the head.[1][2] The display housing hangs from a rigid ring in front of the eyes instead of being pulled against the face by elastic straps, so the weight of the headset is spread across the forehead and the back of the head instead of pressing on the face. The ring is usually tightened with a dial at the back of the head.[1][3] The same arrangement is also called a halo strap or halo head mount.[1][4]
Manufacturers present the design as a comfort feature. Oculus said the Rift S "introduces a new halo headband design for increased comfort, weight distribution" alongside a single-cable system,[5] and Sony kept the headband concept of its first headset for the PlayStation VR2 because of positive feedback on its ergonomics.[6] Reviewers are divided. Some describe halo headsets as easy to wear for long sessions, while others report forehead pressure and a trade-off between comfort and image clarity (see Reception and trade-offs).[2][1][7]
The design predates the Hololens 2 and the Rift S, both announced in 2019. MIXED credits the PlayStation VR (2016) with popularizing the halo strap for VR headsets,[1] and the first-generation Microsoft HoloLens of 2016 was also worn on an adjustable headband.[8] The layout later spread to Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Lenovo's own headsets, the Rift S that Lenovo helped design, the HoloLens 2, the PlayStation VR2, the Meta Quest Pro and the Samsung Galaxy XR.[1][9][10]
How it works
A halo headband is a single rigid or semi-rigid ring. Its front section carries a padded brow rest that sits on the forehead, and its rear section wraps the back of the head. In Engadget's description of the PlayStation VR, "the front of the band rests on your forehead", like wearing half of a helmet, while the rear portion sits against the back of the head.[2] The display unit (often called the visor or scope) is attached to the front of the ring and can usually move independently of it. On the PlayStation VR the user lengthens a telescopic front section, pulls back the rear of the headband and tightens everything with an adjustment dial.[2] On the Lenovo Explorer and other Windows Mixed Reality headsets the visor flips up, and a knob on the back tightens the headset once it is on.[3] Microsoft's instructions for the HoloLens 2 place the brow pad on the forehead and the back band in the middle-back of the head, and the headband is extended or tightened by turning an adjustment wheel.[11]
This differs from the straps used on headsets such as the original Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and Gear VR, which Road to VR described as three-point straps that go around and over the head.[9] Sony explained the principle when it showed the updated Project Morpheus prototype at GDC 2015: "The headband supports the weight of the unit on the top of your head, so there is no pressure on your face."[12] The 2025 design notes for the Galaxy XR describe the same idea as a structure that supports the forehead and back of the head so that the weight is evenly distributed across the head.[13]
Balance and counterweights
Because the display, lenses and electronics sit in front of the face, a head-mounted display tends to be front-heavy. A 2018 study in Applied Ergonomics by Takanori Chihara and Akihiko Seo had twelve subjects wear head-mounted displays with masses of 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 kg and posteroanterior center-of-mass positions of -7.0, 0.0 and 7.0 cm. It found that neck joint torque was significantly affected by both mass and center of mass and rose with mass in every posture tested, and that the center-of-mass position that minimized neck torque depended on the posture.[14]
Several halo headsets move mass to the rear band to offset the front of the device. Engadget reported that the back of the PlayStation VR band "has weights to help balance everything".[2] Microsoft said the HoloLens 2 gained comfort from "a more balanced center of gravity", light carbon-fiber material and a new dial-in fit system.[15] In its review, UploadVR attributed the headset's comfort to storing much of its compute at the back alongside the dial for the headstrap.[16] Meta put a curved-cell battery at the back of the Meta Quest Pro and called it "the slimmest and most balanced VR device" it had made.[17] Samsung took the battery off the head entirely: the Galaxy XR carries it on a belt or in a pocket, which Samsung says shifts the balance toward the back and top of the head.[13]
Top straps and eyeglasses
Most halo headsets have no strap over the top of the head. The Rift S is an exception; Road to VR noted that, unlike most halo-strap headsets, it keeps a top strap to better align the lenses with the eyes.[9] The HoloLens 2 has an optional overhead strap, which Microsoft says can keep the device secure when the wearer moves around a lot and may allow the headband to be worn looser.[18][11]
Since the visor is not strapped tightly to the face, many halo designs leave room for glasses. The first HoloLens visor could slide in and out to accommodate eyewear, and Microsoft advised that its nose pad "should rest lightly on your nose" when the headband was adjusted correctly.[8] The HoloLens 2 visor tilts to fit over glasses.[18] Engadget's reviewer wrote that he could wear the PlayStation VR "for hours on end with glasses without feeling fatigued".[2] Several halo designs also flip the visor up so the wearer can see the room without removing the headset, including the Lenovo Explorer and the HoloLens 2.[3][15]
History
Sony PlayStation VR
When Sony showed an updated Project Morpheus prototype at GDC in March 2015, Sony's Shuhei Yoshida said the headset had been made easier to put on and take off, "with a single band design and quick release button", and that the headband carried the unit's weight on the top of the head.[12] The retail PlayStation VR kept this design. Engadget's October 2016 review noted that the headset weighed 1.3 pounds, more than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but that it did not feel heavier "thanks to the smart ergonomics of the headband".[2] MIXED later wrote that the PlayStation VR "popularized the Halo strap for VR headsets".[1]
For the PlayStation VR2, revealed in February 2022, Sony said it had received positive feedback on the first headset's balanced weight and simple adjustable headband and "kept the same concept". It added a lens adjustment dial and ran testing across a variety of head sizes.[6]
Microsoft HoloLens
The first-generation HoloLens was worn on a headband that could be angled up or down and slid to a different position on the forehead. Microsoft's 2016 fit guide also described an overhead strap for users who moved around a lot.[8] Microsoft announced the HoloLens 2 at MWC Barcelona on 24 February 2019. It said the new device's balance, materials and fit system, together with a mechanism for putting it on without readjusting, "more than tripled the measured comfort and ergonomics of the device".[15]
Windows Mixed Reality and Lenovo
In 2017, UploadVR reported that all the Windows Mixed Reality headsets it had seen used "the same visor design, similar to Sony's PSVR", which put less pressure on the head and less weight on the face.[3] Lenovo used halo straps on the Lenovo Explorer and on the Lenovo Mirage Solo standalone headset.[9] Lenovo also helped design and manufacture the Rift S, which Oculus revealed at GDC in March 2019; its halo strap was a departure from the three-point straps of the Rift, Go and Gear VR.[9][5] Oculus executive Jason Rubin told Road to VR that the Rift S and the Oculus Quest came from different teams, and that "the fact that one has a halo strap and the other doesn't have a halo strap probably comes down more to the fact that one team thought that the halo strap was the right answer".[9]
Meta Quest Pro and later headsets
Meta used a halo layout again on the Meta Quest Pro, introduced on 11 October 2022. MIXED described it as "a rigid, non-interchangeable halo head mount, with a forehead pad above the visor, similar to Playstation VR", with a soft rubber rear mount that also houses the battery.[4][17] Samsung's Galaxy XR, whose design notes Samsung published in October 2025, also rests on the forehead and back of the head. Samsung supplies a forehead cushion in two sizes and a spacer to adjust the distance between the device and the eyes or forehead.[13][10]
Headsets that have halo headbands
| Headset | Maker | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation VR | Sony Interactive Entertainment | Headband rests on the forehead and back of the head, with weights at the rear for balance; reviewed October 2016[2] |
| Microsoft HoloLens | Microsoft | Adjustable headband with optional overhead strap and a nose pad meant to rest lightly[8] |
| Lenovo Explorer | Lenovo | Windows Mixed Reality headset with flip-up visor and rear tightening knob[3] |
| Lenovo Mirage Solo | Lenovo | Standalone headset with a halo-style strap[9] |
| Oculus Rift S | Oculus and Lenovo | Halo headband that also keeps a top strap; announced March 2019[9][5] |
| Microsoft HoloLens 2 | Microsoft | Brow pad, rear adjustment wheel and optional overhead strap; announced February 2019[11][15] |
| PlayStation VR2 | Sony Interactive Entertainment | Keeps the headband concept of the first PlayStation VR; design revealed February 2022[6] |
| Meta Quest Pro | Meta | Rigid halo head mount with the curved battery in the rear section; introduced October 2022[4][17] |
| Samsung Galaxy XR | Samsung | Forehead cushion and rear band; battery worn separately on a belt or in a pocket[13][10] |
Aftermarket halo straps
Third-party makers sell halo straps that replace the stock head strap of headsets that do not ship with one. In 2020 UploadVR reviewed the VR Panda Halo Strap Pro for the original Oculus Quest, an unofficial mod priced at US$38 (US$58 with headphones) that moves the weight from the face to a plastic ring with an adjustable dial and hinges. UploadVR found it "definitely makes for a more comfortable experience than the original Quest strap" but criticized its build quality and noted that the lenses did not sit as close to the eyes.[19]
Examples:
- BOBOVR M2 Plus: a head strap for the Meta Quest 2 from BOBOVR. The company describes its "halo style design", an upgraded rear pad with an adjustable tilt angle, and an extra set of honeycomb silicone pads. It was listed at US$29.99 on BOBOVR's store.[20]
Reception and trade-offs
Early reviews of the PlayStation VR praised its headband. Engadget said the headset avoided "ugly and crude straps" and was comfortable for hours with glasses.[2] Reviewing the HoloLens 2 in 2021, UploadVR's Jamie Feltham wrote that its brow pad kept the device off his nose and that it felt "far more comfortable than almost any VR headset" he had used.[16] 9to5Google wrote in 2025 that the Galaxy XR "rests on your forehead, as well as the back of your head, and never your cheeks or nose".[10]
Reviewers have also reported drawbacks. The first is a trade-off between comfort and clarity: because the lenses float in front of the face, a comfortable fit can leave the eyes away from the lenses' sweet spot. UploadVR found the Lenovo Explorer's sweet spot "much smaller" because the lenses were not as close to the eyes.[3] In its Rift S review, Road to VR wrote that "the user has to make a choice between ideal comfort and ideal clarity" with halo-style headbands; when the reviewer adjusted the headband for comfort, the field of view shrank and the periphery blurred.[7]
Forehead pressure is the second complaint. MIXED's review of the Quest Pro said the forehead pad was the only fixing point at the front, and that the pressure made the headset uncomfortable after an hour at most and left pressure marks.[4] In a 2023 opinion piece, MIXED's Tomislav Bezmalinovic cited forehead padding that becomes uncomfortable after about an hour and leaves deep pressure marks, a problem he said also affected him, and wrote that halo straps cover a lot of the head and can feel constricting.[1] He also noted that the adjustment wheel at the back of the head stops the wearer from leaning back or resting the head against a high chair back;[1] 9to5Google made the same observation about leaning against walls with the Galaxy XR.[10]
Bezmalinovic suggested that lighter headsets such as the Bigscreen Beyond might make simpler straps workable.[1] Road to VR described Lenovo's Mirage Solo as having "some of the worst ergonomics I've ever encountered on a major VR headset", while finding the Rift S "quite comfortable", which it partly attributed to the Rift S top strap.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2023-03-17). "I'm still not a fan of halo straps". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/playstation-vr-2-halo-strap/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Devindra Hardawar (2016-10-05). "PlayStation VR review: Great games outweigh limited specs". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2016-10-05-sony-playstation-vr-review.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 David Jagneaux (2017-12-05). "Review: Lenovo Explorer $450 Windows VR Headset And Controllers". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/review-lenovos-450-windows-vr-headset-controllers/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Benjamin Danneberg, Christian Steiner (2022-11-21). "Quest Pro Review: How good is Meta's first XR headset?". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/quest-pro-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Oculus Team (2019-03-20). "Introducing Oculus Rift S - A New PC VR Headset Coming Spring 2019". Meta for Developers. Meta. https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/introducing-oculus-rift-s/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Hideaki Nishino (2022-02-22). "First look: the headset design for PlayStation VR2". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2022/02/22/first-look-the-headset-design-for-playstation-vr2/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ben Lang (2019-05-21). "Oculus Rift S Review - A Good Choice for VR Newcomers, a Difficult Choice for VR Vets". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/oculus-rift-s-review-good-choice-for-newcomers-difficult-choice-for-vr-vets/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "HoloLens fit and comfort: FAQ". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. 2016-05-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20190719131135/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13405/hololens-fit-and-comfort-faq. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 Ben Lang (2019-04-09). "Oculus Explains Rift S Design & Manufacturing Partnership with Lenovo". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/oculus-explains-rift-s-design-partnership-lenovo/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Abner Li (2025-10-31). "Samsung Galaxy XR review: For those who have been waiting". 9to5Google. https://9to5google.com/2025/10/31/samsung-galaxy-xr-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Prepare a new HoloLens 2". Microsoft Learn. Microsoft. 2025-04-08. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/hololens2-setup. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Shuhei Yoshida (2015-03-03). "Project Morpheus: PS4 VR Upgraded, Coming in 2016". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2015/03/03/project-morpheus-ps4-vr-upgraded-coming-in-2016/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Galaxy XR Design Story". Samsung Design. Samsung Electronics. 2025-10-22. https://design.samsung.com/global/contents/galaxy-xr/index.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Takanori Chihara, Akihiko Seo (2018-04). "Evaluation of physical workload affected by mass and center of mass of head-mounted display". Applied Ergonomics, vol. 68. pp. 204-212. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2017.11.016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2017.11.016. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Julia White (2019-02-24). "Microsoft at MWC Barcelona: Introducing Microsoft HoloLens 2". The Official Microsoft Blog. Microsoft. https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2019/02/24/microsoft-at-mwc-barcelona-introducing-microsoft-hololens-2/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Jamie Feltham (2021-04-09). "HoloLens 2 Review: Ahead Of Its Time, For Better And Worse". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/hololens-2-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Introducing Meta Quest Pro, an Advanced VR Device for Collaboration and Creation". Meta Quest Blog. Meta. 2022-10-11. https://www.meta.com/blog/meta-quest-pro-price-release-date-specs/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "HoloLens 2 fit and comfort FAQ". Microsoft Learn. Microsoft. 2019-11-07. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/hololens2-fit-comfort-faq. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Jamie Feltham (2020-09-26). "Oculus Quest Halo Strap Pro Review: A Cozy, If Cheaper Fit". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/oculus-quest-halo-strap-pro-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "BOBOVR M2 Plus Head Strap". BOBOVR. BOBOVR Innovation Limited. Archived copy of 25 August 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250825080442/https://www.bobovr.com/products/bobovr-m2-plus-head-strap-compatible-with-meta-quest-2-enhanced-comfort-and-reduce-facial-stress-vr-accessories-m2-upgrade. Retrieved 2026-09-27.