If you are fine with Facebook then Oculus Quest is the sweet spot at the moment. It does not have photorealistic rendering like PC-based VR but it is self-contained, does not need a PC but can be connected to a PC to play PCVR titles, has solid library on its own and being wireless is huge advantage. There are strong rumours that they will announce new Quest model on September 16th at base price of 299$ - but do not quote me on that.

I'd avoid PSVR, it is obsolete in 2020.

For Occulus, you have to be fine being forced to log-in with your Facebook account to use it and giving FB a direct access to cameras + mics (+ a total access to anything on your PC with the Rift)

Given their total lack of ethics, I don't think Facebook deserves our $$$. But it's true that the Oculus price is attractive (as with everything where we pay with our privacy)

what about the valve index? Oculus' facebook connection makes it flat out not in consideration for me

The index is great, honestly. The knuckle controllers are fantastic (though there's some issues with the surface mounted joysticks not having great longevity), the HMD is fantastic, and the support seems pretty top notch (bad controllers being RMI'd).

The biggest thing seems to be the long lead times between ordering and arrival.

It is top of the line, but definitely in "$$$$" category. Personally, I've grown to dislike wired VR and cannot go back to it even though it has many advantages.

I've been eyeing ;) the HP Reverb 2 (G2 generation 2) which has one of the highest resolutions per eye of any headset.

I have Oculus CV1 and might upgrade to the Reverb this holiday season for the resolution.

I'd recommend finding something used cheap on ebay. If you decide that you like VR and actually use it you can always upgrade to something better. Mine only ever saw minimal use and I never bothered to set up the sensors in my current place the last time I moved.

You might just grab a used PSVR; it is somewhat obsolete technically, but you can’t beat the price.