Looking for a vr headset

[Leanora]

Hello,

 

I've been looking at VR for some time now and always been on the fence due to the screen quality.

I figure that it has been long enough and sadly advances  in screen quality is not moving all that quick  ( or not as fast as I want it at least ).

In short I would like some advice on which one to get.

My current system:

CPU: 6600K

GPU: VII

Ram:32GB

 

CPU will be replaced in the near future for the new AMD series. GPU is in part used for work, no planned upgrade.

 

As for the VR Headset what I am looking for is:

Within a budget of 1000 euro.

room scale tracking

trackable hand movements

limited/no screen door effect ( I tried the rift but did not like it )

Text needs to be readable via the headset.

Able to wear over the ear headphones.

 

Optionable:

wireless or the option to upgrade to wireless down the road.

 

Use case:

Gaming ( I am really interested in the star wars content )

Messing around with UE4 vr dev

 

So does anyone have a recommendation?

[Origami Cactus]

Well the vive Pro + wireless kit + knuckles controllers is pretty much the closest to your requirements, but screen door is an issue.

 

Maybe the new Valve headset is better?

[AndrewMKlasen]

Maybe windows mixed reality. The Samsung Oddesy.

[Leanora]

3 hours ago, Origami Cactus said:

Well the vive Pro + wireless kit + knuckles controllers is pretty much the closest to your requirements, but screen door is an issue.

 

Maybe the new Valve headset is better?

Vive pro screen is not the best when reading text due to screen door, it's better than the previous version though. 

 

Valve index will be released next month I think?  I don't know anything about the  screen though. Some early reviews say that it's better, question is by how much.

 

2 hours ago, AndrewMKlasen said:

Maybe windows mixed reality. The Samsung Oddesy.

I actually didn't know about that one, thanks.

Screen seems okay, from reviews I've seen. The only downside is the tracking, it's only tracking from the headset and thus you need to keep the knuckles infront of you otherwise they are not tracked?? For the price though, you really can't complain.

 

You also have the Pimax 5k plus, but you need to get controllers and tracking from valve which pushes the budget

 

[Crushaderdk]

I've had a Rift since launch and I am enjoying it a lot. You said that the screen door effect bothered you. This hasn't been a problem for me, though I can see why it could be a problem. I have heard that it is better on the new Rift S though. I would get that. There is this new star wars vr game called "Vader immortal vr" which is an oculus exclusive and is currently only available on Oculus quest, though it will come to the rift and rift s soon. I am really looking forward to that game, as you can tell by my profile pic I am a big star wars fan too.

 

Also what does GPU: VII mean? 

 

 

[Leanora]

3 minutes ago, Crushaderdk said:

 

Also what does GPU: VII mean? 

 

 

VII is AMD's Radeon VII, 16gb mem and with gaming it scores around/close to the 2080 on 1440P

[Crushaderdk]

Just now, Marko Fowles said:

VII is AMD's Radeon VII, 16gb mem and with gaming it scores around/close to the 2080 on 1440P

Oh alright, well that is plenty of graphics horsepower.  

[Origami Cactus]

57 minutes ago, Marko Fowles said:

Vive pro screen is not the best when reading text due to screen door, it's better than the previous version though. 

 

Valve index will be released next month I think?  I don't know anything about the  screen though. Some early reviews say that it's better, question is by how much.

 

I actually didn't know about that one, thanks.

Screen seems okay, from reviews I've seen. The only downside is the tracking, it's only tracking from the headset and thus you need to keep the knuckles infront of you otherwise they are not tracked?? For the price though, you really can't complain.

 

You also have the Pimax 5k plus, but you need to get controllers and tracking from valve which pushes the budget

 

Well you could get the Pimax 8k kit for about a 1000, but that is not wireless, and i don't know if any kits will come out.

Other vr headsets all have screen door due to the low resolutions.

[trufret]

I'm currently running the Pimax 5K+ with a 1080ti mostly for flight and driving sims.

Going by trying to read cockpit instruments, it's on par clarity wise with a Samsung Odyssey (non + version. No SDE diffusion coating)

It's noticeably better then the original Rift or Vive but you can still see the SDE and while the hud is totally readable the 3 multi function screens in the F/A18 still require zooming in or getting close to read them.

The FOV is the big selling point of the Pimax headsets but i'll probably be keeping an eye out for when in Valve Index comes to Canada as it looks quite a bit more polished, has 135 degree fov, and has the better head strap and headphones included. 

 

The Pimax 8k uses an upscaled 1440P signal with a pentile display and the comparison images i've seen were showing the 5k+ being slightly more text readable due to it's RGB stripe display.

 

Pimax has promised a deluxe head strap, eye tracking, and wireless during the kick-starter but we've yet to see any of that release and probably wont until at least 2020.

 

I think if you want maximum readability you're looking at the HP Reverb but you are stuck with WMR style 2 camera tracking.

If you want the best all around headset you are likely looking at the Valve Index but I'd wait until it's been released and there are more reviews out before buying. 

 

[Leanora]

58 minutes ago, trufret said:

It's noticeably better then the original Rift or Vive but you can still see the SDE and while the hud is totally readable the 3 multi function screens in the F/A18 still require zooming in or getting close to read them.

 

I think if you want maximum readability you're looking at the HP Reverb but you are stuck with WMR style 2 camera tracking.

If you want the best all around headset you are likely looking at the Valve Index but I'd wait until it's been released and there are more reviews out before buying. 

 

 

A shame that you need to zoom in with the Pimax 5K+ to read the dials. For me I would find it easier to look left/right instead of needing to zoom in/ move forward,detail over FOV.

My issue is that I tend to fixate on the little lines that creates the screen door effect.

 

The index headset should be out later this month. I guess I'm stuck waiting on that to see how it performs.

HTC's Cosmos is cloaked in silence, no need to wait on that.

 

I figure that I either get the index or if that isn't hitting my checkpoints Samsung Odessey plus. If I need to compromise I might as well get the best bang for buck while waiting on the next generation. Especially since the Odessey is almost half the price of the

Reverb.

 

Thanks for the input!

 

[trufret]

25 minutes ago, Marko Fowles said:

 

A shame that you need to zoom in with the Pimax 5K+ to read the dials. For me I would find it easier to look left/right instead of needing to zoom in/ move forward,detail over FOV.

My issue is that I tend to fixate on the little lines that creates the screen door effect.

 

The index headset should be out later this month. I guess I'm stuck waiting on that to see how it performs.

HTC's Cosmos is cloaked in silence, no need to wait on that.

 

I figure that I either get the index or if that isn't hitting my checkpoints Samsung Odessey plus. If I need to compromise I might as well get the best bang for buck while waiting on the next generation. Especially since the Odessey is almost half the price of the

Reverb.

 

Thanks for the input!

 

I tend to do the same thing and I can 100% still see the lines on the 5k+ if I want to focus on them.

Unfortunately their isn't 1 HMD that is best in every area.

 

The Pimax has the widest FOV and Best Tracking (Valve Lighthouse base stations)*

 

The HP Reverb and eventually the new Acer WMR headsets will have the best resolution at 2160x2160 per eye but have the worst tracking

 

The Index will have the best controllers (knuckles), 2nd best FOV at 135 degrees, Best tracking (lighthouses), 2nd best resolution, best refresh rate (120hz or 144hz beta)*

 

Rift S is easiest setup along with the WMR headsets and is probably the best all around bang for the buck as 5 camera tracking is better than WMR 2 camera.

 

The Vive Pro has the best wireless solution but by far the worst price to performance* 

 

The Odyssey + is a great value when it's on sale for $300 US/$400 Cad but isn't the most comfortable I've tried and unless you're using it mostly for cockpit games or virtual desktop the controller tracking can be a deal breaker when you're trying to shoulder a rifle or reach behind your back or close to your head.

 

If you have a specific use case that makes 1 of those attributes the most valuable then buy based on that, but if your looking for a general use VR headset that can do a bit of everything id say:

 

Index for best overall set of features

Rift S for best overall bang for the buck

or

Odyssey + for cheap HMD with good optics but sub par controller tracking

 

* The Vale lighthouses have the best tracking but also have the most intensive setup (now that Oculus no longer uses external cameras) as you have to mount them to something like a wall or pole and power them.  If you want to bring the VR with you to friends houses etc.. it's something to think about and maybe a camera based system like a Rift S might be a better compromise.

 

Hopefully you can find one that works best for you.