The "dollar store" VR headsets at least matched the resolution or beat the resolution of the other headsets at the time. For example the Lenovo Explorer I bough

The "dollar store" VR headsets at least matched the resolution or beat the resolution of the other headsets at the time. For example the Lenovo Explorer I bought is 2880x1440 while the Vive at the time was 2160x1200. It was also truly inside-out tracking so it didn't need lighthouses to operate. All you have to do to use it in a new space is look left, right, down, and up. So cheaper by a good bit, higher resolution, didn't need lighthouses, far easier to set up for a space, simpler cable setup, and lighter. And it quickly got supported by SteamVR with most games having complete support for it. I don't have the space for a dedicated run around in VR kind of thing, so I mostly use it for racing and flight simulators where it's absolutely perfect at.