"Upgrade" from Reverb G2 V2 to Varjo Aero - not worth it? EDIT: Worth it!

User Support Hub Virtual Reality (VR)
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Perhaps some knowledgeable folks can help me out here…

I recently got into VR using my HP Reverb G2 V2 headset and I loved it so much that I decided to invest in a “better” headset. Make no mistake, I loved the G2 but my only complaint was that I couldn’t read small writing easily. This was particularly the case for the buttons on the G1000 Nxi PFD/MFD and also when dialing information such as flight planning etc. I would always have to zoom in or lean in really closely to see these things. Therefore I decided to invest in the Aero. Now this is no small undertaking. You not only need the headset but also two tracking stations, and well, not absolutely necessary but you may as well buy the hand controllers for other applications. You’re looking at nearly $3000 at the end of the day (compared to around $600 for everything you need for the G2). Now, I wasn’t expecting a quantum leap in terms of visual clarity but I was hoping for at least some improvement, perhaps to the point where I could read the items mentioned above. But to be honest, the little buttons and small writing are really no better than my Reverb G2, maybe even worse in fact. Furthermore, the G2 comes fitted with a really amazing audio solution with the built in “off-ear” speakers, and a mic. No such luck with the Aero - currently I have to put my Bluetooth headphones on over the headset.

In short, I’m a little disappointed. Are the visuals as good as it gets or can I improve it? If I can improve the visuals beyond what I was experiencing on my G2 I’ll regard the expense and audio hassles as worth it.

I haven’t really changed any settings anywhere. Pretty much just installed the Varjo base software and turned on the little button that says Optimize performance.

I should mention that I’m running:
GeForce RTX 3080
Intel(R) Core™ i9-10900K CPU
64 GB RAM

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To improve Aero visuals increase the resolution/PPD setting in Varjo Base software to “Highest”/39 PPD (this will really hit fps however). Don’t use Open XR Toolkits scaling functionality but use its foveated rendering option. Have MSFS render scale at 100%.

I’ve had an Aero with these settings, some of the buttons are just not that clear no matter what. I think for the price one can expect a night and day difference with the Aero compared to a G2 or a Quest 2 but it’s just not like that. It’s better but not like night and day.

Lastly, are you sure your eyesight is 20/20?

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Over the years, I’ve had Oculus CV1, Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest 2 (link cable) & just moved to Rverb G2. I ‘ve read other posts where ‘Aero’ users are expecting a big jump in clarity/resolution, performance, or both, based on the price &specs of that headset. As op stated, we’re just not there yet.

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Was the G2 much of a step up from the Quest 2?

I have the quest 2 and am thinking of getting the Reverb.

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This may sound like a completely daft question but where do I find the OpenXR settings?

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In the 2 weeks since owning it, I’ve managed to get very steady, smooth frames. Still tweaking with XRToolkit, but so far its a much smoother flight experience. And no more ‘Oculus home’ application errors.

The Quest2 is meant for standalone, wireless VR experiences, and it’s great for that . The resolution on Q2 is good, but I was always doubtful about running flight sims over USB “link” cable…

The Reverb, which plugs directly in to DisplayPort, just gives me better performance. HP putting the headset on sale caused me to jump. So far, so good. I run i9 and a GTX3080.

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Personally I’d wait for SU10 to release and let the dust settle, there will be Nvidea DLSS integration in partnership with Asobo, thinks should improve.

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I sorta felt the same way when I got the Aero. I had a G2 for a short time before getting the Varjo, but the G2 was a really good headset for what it was. Kinda wish I got the VROptician lenses for the G2.

My recommendation is to use the OpenXR Toolkit and a PPD of 35 to 37. Not sure if you’re in the SU10 Beta, but DLSS really blurs things something awful - but the performance can’t be beaten.

There are a couple of ways to increase visual quality.

  1. The first way is to reduce the Field of View in the OpenXR Toolkit. Drop it down to something where you can’t tell that the FOV has been reduced. For me, that’s around 84%. What you’re doing is condensing all of those pixels to a smaller area thus increasing clarity. Since the rendered amount of pixels are the same as before, there’s no performance hit with this method.

  2. TAA is the best anti-aliasing, unfortunately. With it comes a performance hit. My recommendation when choosing the best settings for clarity and performance is to use the same scenario over and over for bench-marking. Look at something in your immediate vision in front of you in the cockpit. Then look diagonally to the other side of the cockpt and find something there. Then look at something out of the window that is far away. Look at the same items whenever you change a setting to see if clarity improves or degrades.

The problem with the Aero is just how quickly you get used to the clarity. I find myself wondering if this is as clear as it’ll be, forgetting the headsets I came from.

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“Open XR Toolkit” (not to be confused with apps with a similar name) is an application that helps increase fps in certain games (MSFS is one of them) by scaling the image and/or foveated rendering (and it does other things too, it’s great), you need to download it, install it and run it. Read about and download it here :

There’s also a huge thread in this forum about it.
Or there’s Youtube vids on it, I think this one is good :

but note I’m not sure if it’s uptodate or not.

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Awesome, thanks.

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So if I may bug this thread about one more problem. I stopped using my bluetooth headset which I mentioned above because of course the sound isn’t “directional” with a setup like that, and tried for the first time the little earbud speakers that come with the headset and plug into the headset. Hey, they’re not bad! Only problem is, although I can get sound out of them in all my other VR applications I’ve tried, they’re dead as a doornail in FS2020. I hear nothing. “Sound” the FS2020 settings is set to system default. Any ideas?

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no idea. check your simulator sound settings in the general menu.

Another thing that has to do with clarity - headset placement. What is “comfortable” may not necessarily be the optimal view. I find that the headset has to sit fairly high up on my face to give the best picture.

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I have the G2 but in terms of trying something better, i tried the Pimax 8kx, and the Varjo Aero, at different times. I returned both and kept the G2. For the price it really cant be beat. I think it is a definite step above the Quest 2 in terms of smoothness of visuals, color and minimal shimmering, compared to the Oculus products ( which seem to have a lot of shimmer and blurriness). I initially came from the Ocouls CV1, then the rift S (which actually want a bad headset except for the burriness with fine clarity). But the Oculus Quest 2 was a dissappointment at least in my experience. It was not as comfortable as the Rift S, and the headstrap would give me a strange headache after a while. The link cable would keep dropping connection, and i would have to go into the Oculus home page and reset everything in 2D, then go into the Oculus VR home and reset the air link cable there. Also it seemed to actually work better in wireless mode, but i would have to keep recharging it every night.

There was also still a lot of shimmer specially towards the horizon and a ’ washed out; type of visuals specially for further out.

Anyway, my issue with the aero was that the FOV is very narrow in the vertical! I actually was surprised to realize how under-appreciated vertical FOV is, till i tried the Aero. you just dont get that immersion you would, because part of the beauty of flight is the immense expanse of the sky! (in the vertical axis). Thats what gives you that feeling of flight.

I found that with the Aero i also had to tilt my head straight down, for example to see my lowest cockpit switches or the trim wheel for example.

It was also buggy with the automated foveated rendering. it would keep lose eye tracking and would whir and try to reset itself. I also found the base stations with the Pimax 8kx and the Varjo very buggy. They would not get recognized in my steamVR app.

for $2500+ i would expect better FOV in the horizontal and vertical and at least inside out tracking.

Yes, for sure, the Varjo is as clear as they get and as true to the 2D colors in MFS, but in the end for me, it was not as immersive as the G2. Now if they had another version with wider FOV and inside out tracking i would buy it in a heartbeat. I did miss how 2D-like clear, the 3D lenses were. and a very light, comfortable headset too.

when i did return the Varjo and got back into my G2, i could really feel that ‘sensation of flight’ and immersion you get, specially for example on take off or on banking, (where you feel that change in depth perception).

So i would say getting the Varjo is not worth it, for $2800, specially since i want to see what the Pimax Crystal will be like, or the other Pimax 12k headset.

For now my G2 will do just fine.

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Whats wrong with the Pimax 8kx? I have one and its superb both sound and vision wise.
And it did`nt cost $2800.

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The short answer is yes. I had a Quest 2 and upgraded to a G2 late last year and the difference in quality and all round user experience is very noticeable. The only reason to hang onto your Quest 2 is if you like other games. It works great as a stand alone headset. You’re very much tied to your desk and computer with big cables with the G2. Other than that its a far superior headset as far as flight sims are concerned.

This is where I blame various Youtube influencers. Most if not all of the main VR flight sim youtube channels I watch massively hype the Aero yet the actual user reviews I hear or read tell a different story. Not that its a bad headset but that its just simply not worth the massive investment compared to the G2 for those that want to upgrade.

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I also changed the Reverb G2 for the Varjo Aero, and I understand your disappointment. While I was blown away by the clarity of the Aero, it felt uncomfortable and I hated the fact that there is no built in audio.

But after spending all that cash, I decided not to let disappointment win:-) Here is what I did:

New face plate (Amazon), one meant for the Pimax 8k - there are two types, I bought the thinner one. Result: more compfort

additional head strap and counterweigths, made my a guy in New Zealand. 30 bucks or so, but the additional level of compfort really makes this a good investment

Clip on headphones, from Amazon. They are meant for the Oculus (don‘t remember details).

  1. from Thingiverse: 3-D printed adapter pieces to attach the above headphones to the Aero. Result: sound-wise not as good as the G2 solution, but good enough. The headphone cups are on ear, not hovering over the ear, but they are miles ahead of putting an additional headset on.

All in all a lot of modifications and additions, but here comes my closing remark:
With the modified Aero, I would never, ever go back to the G2! At this point in time, I‘m sure I have the best VR goggles solution possible!

PD
On the Discord channel of VR Guy you will find more details on most of the a.m. mods. Good luck!

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I just could not get the steam VR base stations and the pimax app to work. They would erratically get recognized by steam VR. I would have loved to have the Pimax 8kx work due to the massive FOV, but it was just not worth it with the base stations and needing to buy separate controllers.

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Having spent quite some time really trying to get the Aero to deliver the wow factor that others have mentioned, I have come to the conclusion that it is only slightly better than the G2 in terms of visuals, and worse in pretty much every other category. (Except for the internal fan - that is great. I HATE it when my G2 fogs up but I guess that’s why they call it “Steam” VR ha ha)

This is my analysis (and I would be too happy to be proven incorrect, as currently I have 2500 dollars worth of VR headset that I feel is wasted)

  1. Visuals: I feel the Aero is slightly better than the G2, but not phenomenally so. I still cannot read fine writing on the G1000 Nxi or even clearly see the buttons on the Nxi. I have to lean in or zoom in. The general outside view is better with the Aero as it is less “grainy”.

  2. Tracking: My reverb G2 tracks more smoothly without jumping and stuttering, no doubts. Perhaps if I had a 3090 GPU instead of the 3080 there would be less of this with the Aero.

  3. Convenience: Hands down the G2 wins here. Everything you need arrives in the box. With the Aero you will need to buy tracking stations (probably 2), and you will need to buy hand controllers if you wish to use them (especially if you want to use the headset for other applications). You will also need to drill holes in the wall to mount your tracking stations and you need to remember to switch them off to minimize wear. Furthermore, the G2 will go to “sleep” if you set this up in Windows mixed reality, thus preserving the LED displays from “burn-in” if you remove your headset and forget to power it off. This is not the case with the Aero. It has an “idle” mode but the LED displays are still on. Varjo told me that the headset will become damaged if you forget to completely power it off for an extended period of time, even in idle mode.

  4. Audio: Despite what many people say, the Aero actually does have really good sound coming from the little earbud speakers. However, if like me you don’t like jamming speakers into your ears, things get complicated quickly as you try to juggle a headset, with headphones plugged into it, and getting that all onto your head. The G2’s built-in off-ear speakers are superb.

  5. Fan: Honestly I don’t know why they don’t build ALL headsets with a fan inside. My G2 fogs up often and it is so irritating. The Aero has a fan, and it works well.

  6. Cost: Here’s the BIG one. If you are just getting into VR and don’t have steamvr tracking stations and hand controllers, you will need to buy all that along with the Aero headset. You’ll be looking at a number somewhere north of $2700. The Reverb G2 costs $600 and has everything you need. Often it’s on special for $400.

Anyway my disappointing conclusion is that it is NOT worth it, but I’d be happy to be proven wrong.

EDIT: After reading some of the posts and after the recent SU10, I tried the headset on 39 ppd and set the resolution scale to 120%, similar to @V1ROTA7E. Wow! Wow! It is crystal clear. Of course, it is also unplayable as such because of terribly slow frame rate but in the future with perhaps a 4090 card, these settings will be workable.

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What set did you have before the PiMax? I’m considering upgrading from the Index. I’ve started flying IRL and the lack of peripheral vision is jarring.

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I agree to everything said above. I started with an oculus CV1, then upgraded to the Rift S, which was a great headset, except for the blurriness when trying to read instruments. Also those headsets, and the Oculus Q2 ( which was horrible due to the link cable and Quest wireless being buggy), all had shimmering and washed out colors and jaggies in the background specially. I was hard to pick out details in the horizon, specially when trying to spot an airport in the distance.

I then got the Pimax 8kX, and that had a lot of potential, but was a big , heavy headset, and i hated the Steam VR, and the base stations and controllers. They were buggy and my one Base station never seemed to get recognized. I even bought a new one and still the same.

I then bought the Varjo Aero and after about a week, returned that too, for all the reasons said above.

I have to say though, i did not like the narrow vertical FOV. That was my biggest pet peeve, and also it was just slightly more sharper than the G2, though yes, the sweet spot was huge.

But i returned the Pimax 8kx and Varjo ( which i had at the same time), and kept my G2.

It just WORKS , seamless, simple software, more immersive, very clear, has good vertical FOV and acceptable horizontal FOV . Colors are quite accurate, and with the right settings. ( I find that turning AA down to 2 or 4 seems to make it very smooth and still quite sharp) makes it work as a wonderful headset. Also, i dont have to mess w Steam VR or base stations or controllers., specially with my HOTAS setup. ( I use the mouse with my right hand if i have to manipulate anything in the cockpit.

So for now i continue to use my G2, while hoping someday soon there is a better headset, with inside out tracking, wider FOV, and more clear than the current G2

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