vr Choosing a VR headset.

[TheWooks]

Hello everyone,

 

I was hoping for some guidance on VR headsets. I've saved up a good amount of "fun money" over the last 2 years which I would like to spend on a VR setup, so price is less of a problem for me, as long as its not outrageous compared to competitors (I'm looking at you Pimax). I already have a computer which should be more than capable of running any current gen headset from what I can tell (2080 Super + 3900X) so I can afford to splurge on the headset and peripherals. With that said, I want the best experience using the headset I can get from currently available products. I don't necessarily want the fanciest headset, I want the headset that I can use as a daily driver, if I could realistically use it as a 'virtual office' space for 5+ hours a day that would be ideal, I also place a high value on the 'It just works' aspect even if that means less frills. I was hoping you fine folks could help me figure out which headset that might be as I'm having some difficulty understanding the product stacks of some manufacturers, and how important of a human factor some of the specs are as I've really only been able to test drive the earlier headsets from library/school rentals etc.

 

Currently, I am leaning towards one of either the Valve Index, or one of HTC's headsets, though I'm open to others. This is because I think the Index or the Vives fit that 'it just works' model I'm after. I don't however understand

 

a) HTC's product stack; I don't know which headsets are aimed at consumers and which ones are aimed at developers or some specific niche use. I don't mind paying the high price tags of any of HTCs headsets, but I don't really understand what tradeoff I'm making if I choose a Cosmos, Pro, or Focus model. Are the "Pro" headsets strict upgrades to the cosmos? is the focus model just a gimmicky eye tracking thing I'll never care about?

b) How much weight should I place on frame rate and resolution? My intuition is that I should probably value fps over most everything (and thus choose an Index), but If someone has any experience with both a Cosmos and an Index and could give me a quick comparison of the eye-comfort from the resolution/fps tradeoff I would greatly appreciate it.

c) It's my understanding that the FOV of essentially every headset is problematic. With that in mind, should I prioritize it as much as FPS?

d) what is the optimal number of base stations? 4?

e) Cable management; what is the best method, and where do I find quality products for the purpose like extra long replacement headset cables or overhead cable rigs?

f) different controller schemes. I'm guessing some of this is personal preference, but are there controllers, or other peripherals, which are highly recommended? Relatedly, I have audiophile grade headphones, will I be able to use them with VR headsets? Are the built in speakers any good at all?

 

Finally, I'm in the fortunate circumstance of also buying a home. So, I would like to know anyone's recommendation for room design/size that has worked well for them.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Cozar465]

the valve index is the best one you can get for the price right now

[greenlotad]

I suggest reconsidering the virtual office idea, or at least lowering your expectations. I was looking into that recently, and it just doesn't seem like the technology is quite there yet. You need high resolution for text clarity as well as decent refresh rate, fov, and ergonomics. Probably the closest headset to fulfilling all those requirements is the HP Reverb G2, but that has it's own issues like the lenses and tracking. Importantly though, no headset has solved the issue of eye strain caused by staring at a close screen for hours, nor the issue of strapping several pounds of weight to your face. It's guaranteed to be fatiguing over time.

 

Also, you say you value ease of use. I don't want to scare you off from getting into VR, but in my experience, it can be finicky. (Admittedly, I have an unusual setup.) Just a warning so you don't find yourself disappointed.

 

Overall, I second the Index if you can afford it. Haven't used one myself, and it doesn't have the highest resolution, but I've heard pretty much endless praise.

 

To answer your questions as best I can: 

-HTC pretty much abandoned the consumer market to focus on businesses and VR arcades. I don't know the differences in their headsets, but I wouldn't bother with them. 

-Frame rate vs. resolution is definitely a personal preference, but generally resolution is important for non-gaming tasks and simulators while frame rate is for more action-oriented games.

-FOV is another thing where personal taste dictates whether or not low FOV bothers you, but I don't think I've heard a single complaint on the Index's FOV.

-base stations are outside of my knowledge

-can't help on cable management either, sorry

-Index controllers are widely regarded as the best VR controllers. Start out with those, and only upgrade if you find that you want more. Some options are flight sticks, racing wheels, the decamove, a 3d rudder, and I'm sure there are plenty of things I haven't heard of. Also, while the Index does have a 3.5mm audio jack, it's built-in speakers are supposed to be fantastic.

-space requirements are another thing I know nothing about

 

Hope that helps.

[MichaelDR]

HP Reverb G2 would be the optimal choice, for you.
Second choice would be the Quest 2; Index might have a better FOV than the Quest 2 (Not useful for desktop use, though), but the resolution is much lower, and believe it or not, Quest 2 is around 62.1% lighter than the Index... And the Quest 2 is a stand-alone headset.  Also there's the price difference.

You'd probably get more use out of a Quest 2, though, as Virtual Desktop running on the Quest 2 is magic.  I stream my Shaow instance all the time to my Quest 2.

Skyrim VR running on a Quadro RTX 5000 in the cloud... It's breathtaking.

Maybe just get a Quest 2 and if you like it, also buy a Reverb G2.

 

When I moved I got rid of my monitor and used my Quest 1 as my desktop monitor for a bit.  It honestly wasn't that bad, and my eyes did get used to it.
One tip I have is to keep the screen 1.2-2m (2m is ideal) away in VR, as that's the focal point of the Oculus headsets.

"It just works" is Quest 2 + Virtual Desktop in a nutshell.  Seriously.  I can boot up my Shadow Instance and it shows right up in Virtual Desktop and I can stream VR or the desktop, over Wifi, or if I had a 5G hotspot I could try that.