Is VR dead?

[RCHeliguy]

If it's any good for simracing i could see myself trying one until the Index 2 release.

I've recently heard some people say that with the Q2 that you would definitely notice the compression artifacts because of the limitations of the link cable and that if you are coming from a PCVR headset with a DP that you would see this more.

So no telling how the Q3 handles this. I was also told that some prefer the Pico 3 (DP) over the Pico 4 (link cable) even though the Pico 4 has more resolution.

However Q3 does have faster wireless connectivity, so that might be the way around the cable. Ideally you could have a USB-C charger on your rig to plug it in while using the wireless in your rig for extended run time. No idea how that will work.

But, it's questionable whether the wireless would be any better than the link cable unless they worked together. Wi-Fi 6E standard (802.11 ax) has a theoretical top speed of 9.6 Gbps.

Of course USB-C is just a connection spec.
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 = 20Gbps
USB 4.0 = 40Gbs
USB 4.0 V2 = 80Gbs

So "IF" they supported a newer USB spec, maybe they could do better.

Don't like the Thunderbolt nomenclature. Should be USB 4 with solid power delivery.

MSI Thunderbolt 4 PCIe Expansion Card - MSI-US Official Store

Intel® JHL8540 Thunderbolt™ 4

us-store.msi.com

 

[wajdi]

Bigscreen Beyond Review: Exceptional Comfort With Tradeoffs

Bigscreen Beyond features exceptional comfort with major tradeoffs. Our in-progress headset review:

www.uploadvr.com

 

[ltnordb]

Get the popcorn:

 

[RCHeliguy]

Get the popcorn:

I think people have very different expectations about how things work.

My experience with the Rift CV1 and Valve Index was that they were both ZERO fuss and just worked like a champ. I was not constantly futzing with settings or worried about device driver updates. They just worked. Absolute plug and play. The CV1 in the early days had a huge advantage in that the Oculus reprojection worked very nicely making the experience better before we had GPU's that could run without reprojection. I got the Index about the time that I could completely get away from reprojection.

The Aero is in a different category.
It required setup and many more steps to get the most out of it.
Since a recent Nvidia device driver update I have to unplug and plug it back in.
I have to run a short cut every time I start it up to use my Red-shift settings.
Then there were the OpenXR settings and plugins for various titles if I wanted DFR.

Karl could run many other headsets on his two PC's so it is hard to just say it's the fault of his computer, because many other people will fall into that category.

That doesn't mean that many people aren't having a fantastic time with their Crystals, but just that it may not be a good fit for some people.

By comparison I'm expecting that the Bigscreen will go back to being like my experience with my CV1 and Index where I just plug it in and it goes perfectly reliably with zero connectivity issues of any kind. It's a nice place to be.

 

[wajdi]

First customer review of the big screen beyond

 

[RCHeliguy]

Well, Let's see what we can do with this thing by the time it arrives.

 

[Terry Rock]

Get the popcorn:

Wow!
That is a lot of money to spend for that much frustration.
This poor chap is definitely at his wits end.
I bought the HP Reverb and modified it with the G2 cable and an updated aftermarket face plate.
I have not had a single issue with that thing.

 

[gamma123152]

Get the popcorn:

At least Gosling was so brave to try standalone and he even did his best to get it working. I don't dare to try that with my Crystal.

I also have issues with the Crystal now and for a part the same as him; DFR/eye tracking isn't stable because of a quality control issue: a magnet of my left lens got loose(I assume that this is the reason that it's not working all the time, still has to be proven with new lenses). Pimax send me a new lens set which is still on the way, so we'll see if that will solve the issue. So yes, Pimax it's quality control is not as good as you should expect from a 1900 euro HMD. I also have issues with the lighthouse faceplate, the tracking is not stable at all with 2 base stations (2.0), I ordered an extra base station which is also on the way. I'm even unsure if I get lighthouse tracking working stable at all. The camera tracking is good for sims only, but the controllers of the Crystal itself feel just so cheap that I don't even want to use them. If the lighthouse tracking isn't going to be stable then I keep the Crystal as a sim-only headset.

I'm still happy with the Crystal because it gives me an amazing unmatched experience in sim racing, flight sims and pinball. DCS looks amazing too with quad views eye tracked rendering. With 200% render resolution in the center it keeps 90fps locked and everything that I play runs stable software wise. Nothing at the market right now comes even close to this visual experience.

But yes Pimax as a company is a mess (despite the fact that they do give me great support, I must say that they really do their best) and you have to accept that you become a betatester after spending 1900 euro's. For an average user I could not recommend the Crystal, but for sim users that can spend some time into tweaking it I still recommend it if you buy it a local reseller so that you're able to return it easilly if you get a bad unit or run across warranty issues.

 

[Gelly916]

Is anyone here using SRS motion compensation with the Pimax Crystal?

 

[blekenbleu]

GitHub release: Virtual Desktop adds AV1 support for Quest 3
quote:

• AV1 has better image quality at the same bitrate compared to HEVC
• It produces more stable encoding/decoding times so less hiccups when teleporting/moving in games
• It is a bit more demanding on your GPU so you might not be able to reach the same resolution/framerates compared to HEVC on lower end cards

 

[RCHeliguy]

It's looking like there may not be a Valve headset announcement coming soon

I guess it will be easy to enjoy my Bigscreen without this coming, but I'm sure they will drop it when I least expect it.

 

[wajdi]

We won’t see any valve vr headset in 2024.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I think I'll make do with my Bigscreen beyond when it gets here.

Interesting that he is now saying that after spending time with it that the tradeoffs aren't so bad and other headsets now feel odd due to all the extra bulkiness and weight. He still says the Crystal has better optics and lack of glare, but is also saying that with a bit of super sampling the Bigscreen looks as sharp as the Crystal.

Anyway, this is sort of the way I see this headset affecting me. I do expect it to ruin me for other headsets and is likely a reason I'm now expecting that I'll live with the Bigscreen for a longer period of time than I initially expected.

 

[RCHeliguy]

So production mid 1st quarter to 2nd quarter.

 

[wajdi]

Somnium Space

A World Beyond Reality

somniumspace.com

Already done

 

[RCHeliguy]

I will give Somnium credit for their 35ppd spec. They list it as "peak fidelity" which is the case for all 35ppd VR headsets. None have uniform ppd across the display.

 

[wajdi]

It won’t be cheap at all. I think it will cost over 2K for the basic option without eye tracking, hand tracking… I personally preserved it with only eye tracking and I have to add 2 base stations for my motion system so it will be over 3K with base stations:

 

[blekenbleu]

only eye tracking

With eye tracking only, price may be similar to Crystal
- same LCD panels
- no standalone, but EU assembly

Hand tracking uses an existing sensor, may add only US$200 or so
Binocular 12mp 90 fps passthru video may add US$1K

 

[RCHeliguy]

With eye tracking only, price may be similar to Crystal
- same LCD panels
- no standalone, but EU assembly

Hand tracking uses an existing sensor, may add only US$200 or so
Binocular 12mp 90 fps passthru video may add US$1K

It would be impressive if they could pull that off.

The reason I say that is that a modular design is more expensive to produce than a uniform design with every unit being produced identically. They will likely run batches with different configurations.

They don't have a Snapdragon chip in the headset, or some of the other complexities that was built into the Crystal, but the assembly going on in the Czech Republic vs China is going in increase costs. Also the software development costs for the pass through software etc will be higher.

 

[blekenbleu]

They don't have a Snapdragon chip in the headset

... but they do have a lot of discrete components;
evidently did not do a deal to piggyback their needs into a related ASSP.