The Oculus Quest 2 is $299 and it fits inside a small case.
I'm not sure if you're joking or not, but your alternative is a giant, heavy, antique that's hard to find and that probably costs a few thousand dollars not including maintenance; and it plays only one game.
I would highly recommend at least trying modern VR (Google Cardboard doesn't count) before having a stronger opinion on it
https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8724