I’m considering a VR headset which will be purely for the sim, but which one?
I’ve recently upgraded my pc to an HP Omen; i9-13900; RTX 4080 with 32GB RAM. Router is apparently the best one BT do, the Smart Hub 2.
The pc came with Windows 11 pre-installed. I’m reading problems with both Oculus and HP Reverb regarding connectivity problems with pre-installed Windows 11, I don’t know how true these reports are.
So, which headset would work?
Can’t comment on the headsets you mention, but I moved from the original HTC Vive to the Pico 4 a couple of weeks ago and am very happy with the upgrade.
I’m running Windows 11 and a 2080ti BTW.
Thanks, did you upgrade from windows 10 to 11, or was windows 11 pre installed when you got pc?
I’m hearing of issues with pre installed.
I upgraded from Windows 10
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Consider waiting for Pimax Crystal. Nodoby knows how long. But the delay will allow us having some reviews available, before deciding, as it quite expensive.
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Thanks for that, I’ll watch, I’m in no rush.
$1600 is a bit of a push though.
I’d second the Pimax Crystal. I have it pre-ordered and can’t wait for it to arrive. The specs and what few reviews we have are, beta issues aside, very positive. Pimax is a small company who struggle to live up to release dates, but in VR image quality is paramount and the Crystal has it in spades and for a great deal less than the Varjo Aero.
At the moment the G2 and the Pico 4 (I own both) offer the best bang for the buck, but both come with issues, such as the disappointingly narrow sweet spot of the G2’s Fresnel lenses and the fact that the Pico 4 although it has nice pancake lenses, does not have a native display port connection and so comes with issues like compression artifacts using WiFi. Both have resolutions that is not as good as I want, whereas the Pimax and Aero do. The Aero is stupidly expensive and still needs tracking stations and headphones, unlike the Pimax.
Until VR matures and the likes of Nikon’s technical imaging division and/or Zeiss enter the market, headsets like the Crystal or Aero are the best we can hope for right now.
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I’m on a new pc with windows 11 pre installed, the Quest 2 just will not link up to it via the cable or air link.
No problem at all on my windows 10 laptop.
I’m reading similar issues with the Reverb (re pre installed windows 11, not updated versions).
I’ll watch with interest the Primax and windows 11.
For me with the G2, WIIN 11 is a no go as it has a bug that makes the image super sensitive to shaking, that for my wobbly head makes it unusable. I have tried Win 11 three times now and have had to revert to Win 10 each time.
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I wonder how long they’ve collectively had to sort out the apparent Windows 11 problems?
Is it any wonder people are reluctant to upgrade to Windows 11.
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My fairly new pc (i9 13900k (water cooled)/rtx4090, 32Gb 5200ram, z790mb, 1000w psu) came preloaded with win11 home and I haven’t had any problems with my wired OG Vive Pro or Oculus headsets (Q2 and QPro) with both Link and Air Link.
I’m actually getting very good results with my QPro using Air Link and 200mbps Fixed bitrate. The Pimax Crystal looks promising but I kinda doubt that I’ll be getting one, at least not before it’s out in the wild for a while and gets full functionality (+6-12 months I’d guess).
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Previously owned Oculus Rift, Rift S, Samsung Odyssey, HP Reverb G2 and currently own Pico 4 and Meta Quest Pro. I would put a lot of thought into whether you want a Displayport headset or are ok with overhead needed for USB-C to work.
If you are in the US, to me the race is between the Quest Pro and Reverb G2 V2. If money is not an issue, I would choose Quest Pro all day over Reverb. The Quest Pro at 1k is a go whereas $1,500, I would rather hold out for the Crystal or even make Varjo Aero considerations at that price. But since the Quest Pro dropped to 1k, it’s a great picture. The brightness color and clarity of the lenses in the Quest Pro make every other headset I own and have owned look inferior. I haven’t even picked up my Pico 4 in a couple weeks because it looks so washed out after using the Quest Pro.
I imported the Pico 4 to the US and the Pico has it’s own hurdles to overcome after it’s in US possession, the largest of which includes simply setting up payment method so you can buy Virtual Desktop. This process is different based on whether you run Android or iOS.
Anyway, not to go down that rabbit hole as you may be in Europe or elsewhere anyway. Your computer should be able to do just fine regardless of choice. I also am running a 4080 but only a 12700k. No matter what you choose there will ALWAYS be problems. You will get stuff setup perfect and then you will go down a settings wormhole or the sim gets an update and unwinds all your hard work. VR is never simple as plug and play unfortunately but it’s ALWAYS worth it haha. I have $1,500 in headsets sitting behind me solely used for the sim.
To sum this up from my POV, if you can wait and have the resources I would wait for the Pimax Crystal as I’m pretty sure that thing is going to be the pound for pound champ at release. I’m urning for something like the Quest Pro with a Displayport and I have a feeling thats what we are getting with the Crystal + 1k x 1k res bumb native per eye.
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I was limited by budget so the options were slimmed down. I went with the HP Reverb G2. Its taken some work to get it sorted out to where I am happy with it. I tried my brother in law’s Quest 2 before I went with the Reverb and the Reverb is definitely an improvement for a number of reasons. I wont bang on about it all for fear of boring you to death, but if you have any questions about the Reverb I’m more than happy to help out how ever I can.
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As others have mentioned at this point it would be wise to wait a little if you’re not in a rush, at least a few months.
Of the currently available headsets the Reverb G2 is arguably the best supported one for MSFS, but that doesn’t necessarily mean best overall, and every headset comes with compromises…
Reverb G2: Reasonable price, average fov, but tiny sweet spot, no longer in production and no successor planned, a possibly soon to be deprecated platform, and has issues with lateral tracking jitter on win11. Still, it’s well supported and there are proven workarounds for most issues, including performance issues, has good audio, and it’s as plug and play as headsets get outside of meta.
Quest 2: Inexpensive, decent performance in most areas, very plug and play, but average fov, and comes with all the issues a meta headset entails.
Pimax Crystal: On paper arguably the best near term option for simming, but with some caveats. Good resolution, inside out tracking, slightly above average fov with potentially wider fov lenses available at some point, but with somewhat dubious software. It’s also bulky and heavy, and its dependence on batteries is a fundamental mistake in my opinion, and it’s not yet a complete proven package with all functionality enabled (eye tracking etc). It’s also fairly expensive. Worth waiting for more in-depth reviews and software updates, which are starting to trickle in now.
Bigscreen beyond: Nice on paper, extremely light, small form factor, good resolution and colours, but tiny fov, no built in audio, and expensive, requires base stations.
Varjo Aero: currently the best proven headset available for raw resolution and clarity, and with very solid software, but average fov, no built in audio, and extremely expensive, also requires base stations.
Pico 4: Good resolution and colours, average fov, but serious and unnecessary performance penalties from being forced into wireless mode. A wired displayport version of this would be great, if it ever happens.
Most headset manufacturers these days are prioritizing form factor, weight, and wireless play over everything else, including performance unfortunately, which is the exact opposite of what we need as simmers. Even among wired headsets there’s a big difference between native displayport models and USB ones. A native displayport connected headset wins every time.
The only headsets designed with simming specifically in mind are the Varjo Aero and Pimax Crystal, and to a lesser but still valid extent the Reverb G2. Everything else is a compromise on clarity and performance due to manufacturer prioritization of standalone functionality. The bigscreen beyond is kind of a weird outlier. It’s wired and light, which are great, but the fov is so low I don’t think it will ultimately have a lot of pull with simmers.
If you’re in a hurry the Reverb G2 and Quest 2 are probably the safest interim headsets to buy. If you can wait a bit I would see how the Crystal shakes out over the next few months.
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Thanks for the replies to date, there’s a lot of thought gone into them and are certainly giving me food for thought. I’m a long time Quest 2 user for games from the oculus store (or should I say meta now) and think it’s absolutely genius.
Easy to get the quest 2 running the sim on my laptop, windows 10, (i9- 9750 with rtx 2060) but am disappointed with the resolution, or what I see in the headset. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise as I play Wander and all sorts so I should know it’s capabilities. I can’t imagine the power of the headset required to get it to tv sort of standard.
It just will not connect to my desktop on windows 11. I’ve checked the usb-c ports, they’re good, I’ve checked the oculus cable - that’s good, I’ve even tried air link……nothing even gets me a view of my desktop in the headset.
So I am being forced to look elsewhere, regardless of my perceived lack of resolution.
Dare I say ‘my quest goes on.’
I emailed Pimax asking if the Crystal would be compatible with windows 11.
Here is the reply: “ Of course you can, but it depends on the environment you are using it in. I can’t be 100% sure.”
Quick response I have to say, didn’t really expect a different answer. But that wasn’t the point of the email, I wanted to draw to their attention possible Windows 11 issues. I’ve now done that.
I so wish Microsoft would produce their own plug and play headset, compatible with both pc and the next generation Xbox.
@XboxMonkey4665 ,
Have you tried Virtual Desktop - the version available directly on your Quest 2? That should at least get you connected to your desktop (what video card do you have on it?). You have to run SteamVR with it though so that you can connect to MSFS as OpenXR active (Developer tab).
Havent tried virtual desktop yet. For me, its a definite Windows 11 issue.
Just got it running, pretty much immediately, on my old desktop - Windows 10; i9-9750; rtx 2080; 32gb ram. Not flown over London or New York…in Cessna 152, it is very smooth.
I am aware of virtual desktop, i’ll look at it.
I do still have issues with the in headset quality though.
From my month with the Reverb:
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floating audio speakers {designed by Valve) are next level amazing, I have no idea how off ear headphones work so well;
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tracking jitter was probably the biggest problem for me at first but was very well addressed by the Open XR over prediction reduction (I set it to -40);
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small sweet spot was definitely a problem for me at first but I have somehow grown accustomed to it, I think by moving my head to look at things rather than darting my eyes about. Also taking out the bracket so my eyes are closer to the lens has made a huge difference;
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a really big one for me is the comfort, it is seriously light and comfortable and you can take long flights without any issue;
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display port connection
I would obviously prefer to buy a Varjo Aero but I just didnt have the bucks at the time and I am really enjoying my sim in this headset.
The headset is allowing me to have a tonne of fun and that’s what it’s all about!!!
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