Best Vr headset?

dullahbadazz · November 8, 2023

Hello everyone first time poster long time fan!

I am currently using a rift s and well i wanted to upgrade. my gpu is a gb 4090oc so i think i have enough gpuing power for a good vr head set but i am just so confused i go down a rabbit hole look at reviews they all contradict each other or sponsored by the company so i begin to fear the reviews are not accurate i live in a small town so going to box store and trying one to get a clear picture is kinda hard to do. i play basic games like assetto .vital vr etc quit often just wanted to maximize my experience

Planet · November 10, 2023

This is strongly dependent on what you plan to do with it. If you're into simulation titles like Assetto Corsa and VTOL VR, my opinion is that you should pick a headset that prioritizes the headset itself over the controllers. The HP Reverb G2 is a classic choice for this, and very popular in sim titles for that reason. It's quite affordable especially against comparably spec'd displays. It also has inside-out tracking making it a lot easier to set up. However, the controllers are mid at best - I am also into sim titles - so I am typically using my sim rig with a steering wheel or flight controls along with the VR headset. Another con with the Reverb G2 is that the FOV is also very mid, not great not terrible. But the overall experience from the Reverb G2 is excellent for sim titles.

Other options that are popular with sim enjoyers would be any higher end choice from Pimax, Varjo Aero, or Big screen Beyond. Of these, I only personally have a Pimax headset. My Pimax is the 5k OLED. The display has fantastic FOV, but there's quite a bit of distortion and lensing effects that cancel out most of the immersion you gain from the FOV. You also have to pay extra to get their DMAS speakers if you don't want to strap headphones on over them. The color on my Pimax OLED is rather poor and overly warm compared to my Reverb G2.

Despite the cons: to my knowledge, Pimax has addressed a lot of these issues with their newer releases like the Pimax Crystal. I haven't tested it myself, so I would refer to YouTube reviewers to get a more detailed take.

As for the Bigscreen Beyond and Varjo Aero, these are higher budget options. Look at some YouTube videos and see what you think on those. There are also some great VR comparison websites like https://vr-compare.com/.

Since you have a 4090 and you're into sim titles, I would be willing to guess that you sound a lot like me and might be open to those higher budget options. For sim titles, resolution and refresh rate are king. My 4090 has no issues driving anything I've thrown at it on my Reverb G2, which is 4k (dual 2k panels I believe).

If you are interested in more active VR titles that make use of controllers, unfortunately the aging Valve Index is still the king in that regard imo. Maybe the new Vive too. But the Index controllers are simply hard to beat. Personally I don't play much of anything that uses controllers extensively.

Important: Before you buy anything, I highly recommend buying something in such a way that you can return it if you don't like it. The only real way to know if you like a VR headset is to try it yourself. Always make sure there's a good return policy and that they'll accept a return with an opened box as long as you have the serial number/receipt proving you purchased it from them.