Comparison of different VR solutions - pros and cons of different devices
- Thread starter Karamazov
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Good video. The Quest Pro is clearly the sharpest but I'm surprised at how bad the screen door effect is on it - as mentioned in the video i think this is because the clarity afforded by the pancake lenses simply make it more noticable. That and it's slightly worse resolution that the PSVR2.
I'd love to see how something like the Varjo Aero compares with it's Pancake lenses + much higher resolution. Or perhaps even more interesting is Big Screen Beyond that combines OLED screens, Pancake lenses, and very high resolution (2560x2560 per eye). Unfortunately that has no eye tracking and quite a narrow FoV. It seems like there's just nothing out there right now that combines all the must have features into a single headset. Although PSVR certainly has one of the most compelling mixes at an exceptional price.
The PSVR2 displays with the Pancake lenses would have been incredible. They're pretty expensive though I'm guessing.
I wonder what the Quest 3 will go with?
traditionnal pancakes with oled induces too much brightness loss.
vrx.vr-expert.com
micro LED + pancakes should be a good combo.
The difference between pancakes lenses and current fresnel lenses found on VR headsets - VRX by VR Expert
In this article you will learn about the most important difference between pancakes lenses and current fresnel lenses found on vr headsets.
vrx.vr-expert.com
micro LED + pancakes should be a good combo.
Is there scope for after-market lens swaps on headsets? Or are they fixed in place during manufacture?
GhostofWar
Regular
rumors are the quest 3 is pancake lenses with lcd screens, if thats because of price or brightness considerations no idea.
Think the Aero is actually using aspheric lenses.
traditionnal pancakes with oled induces too much brightness loss.
The difference between pancakes lenses and current fresnel lenses found on VR headsets - VRX by VR Expert
In this article you will learn about the most important difference between pancakes lenses and current fresnel lenses found on vr headsets.
micro LED + pancakes should be a good combo.
Bigscreen beyond will be interesting as it does use Pancake + OLED. I have seen one early impression though that did note it wasn't overly bright, so we'll see what happens there.
Also worth noting the plastic Kopin P95 lens mentioned in that article which will feature in the upcoming Panasonic/Shiftall MaganeX which further improve things over the current glass lenses in terms of size and weight while eliminating ghosting.
The MaganeX is claiming HDR OLED with these plastic pancake lenses at high res (2560 per eye) and 1000 nits (although not sure if that's what the user see's through the lens or the base brightness of the screens).
Shiftall Introduces MaganeX, World’s First 5.2K High-Dynamic-Range Virtual-Reality Glasses at CES 2022 Incorporating Kopin’s 2.6K x 2.6K OLED Displays and All-Plastic Pancake Optics
Shiftall Inc., a fully owned subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation, will reveal MaganeX, its stylish, lightweight, high-dynamic-range (HDR), virtual-reality (V...
www.businesswire.com
Yes my bad.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Another headset that is very light (you can remove the battery) that uses pancake lenses.
That's pretty impressive, other than price. The hand and finger tracking looks to be quite good. Not only does it have physical IPD adjustment, it also has physical diopter adjustment (so people with glasses don't have to get prescription lenses to use it like with Big Screen Beyond. It's larger than BSB, but also smaller than current existing VR headsets.
Video passthrough appears to be quite accurate with him mentioning being able to use his phone with the headset on. One drawback, IMO, is that there doesn't appear to be any hardware that can be used for eye tracked foveated rendering, something that will be increasingly required as resolution and fidelity increases.
Another drawback is price, but keep in mind this is an all in one like the Quest 2. So, it's about 100 USD more than the BSB, but it also has an SOC, memory, NAND flash storage and a battery pack. So, it's actually fairly reasonable but anytime you go over 1k USD, it's going to be relegated to niche status regardless of the fact that you don't need any additional hardware to use it. IE - the PSVR 2 is also over 1k USD if you consider that it's unusable without a PS5, but 2x 500+ USD price tags will always look more reasonable than a single 1k+ USD price tag at first glance.
Considering that you can remove the battery pack and use it with a PC, I'm hoping they sell a version without the battery for cheaper. Lithium battery packs on their own are often 100-300 USD (I'm going by cordless tools battery pricing here) depending on watt hours.
After looking at both the BSB and now the HTC Vive XR Elite, pancake lenses are the definite way to go. The PSVR 2 looks absolutely ridiculously massive compared to them. Granted, a big part of them not using pancake lenses is to keep cost down, so I'm not holding it against the PSVR 2 that it's so large. Just a statement of fact that it is absolutely massive compared to the new generation of VR headsets hitting the market.
So, the BSB and HTC Vive XR Elite are making significant progress in getting VR headsets down to a size that might be getting close to what is needed for mass consumer adoption, but the price is still far too high. It's good to see continued progress with PSVR 2 bringing tech that is absolutely needed in the form of universal foveated rendering and the new PC/standalone headsets bringing much needed smaller and lighter form factors.
But, looking at the state of both PSVR 2 and the new generation of PC/standalone headsets, I think we're still likely at a minimum 5 years away from a mass consumer acceptable VR headset and probably closer to 10 years. But hopefully these advances will at least expand the market somewhat.
Regards,
SB
That's pretty impressive, other than price. The hand and finger tracking looks to be quite good. Not only does it have physical IPD adjustment, it also has physical diopter adjustment (so people with glasses don't have to get prescription lenses to use it like with Big Screen Beyond. It's larger than BSB, but also smaller than current existing VR headsets.
Video passthrough appears to be quite accurate with him mentioning being able to use his phone with the headset on. One drawback, IMO, is that there doesn't appear to be any hardware that can be used for eye tracked foveated rendering, something that will be increasingly required as resolution and fidelity increases.
Another drawback is price, but keep in mind this is an all in one like the Quest 2. So, it's about 100 USD more than the BSB, but it also has an SOC, memory, NAND flash storage and a battery pack. So, it's actually fairly reasonable but anytime you go over 1k USD, it's going to be relegated to niche status regardless of the fact that you don't need any additional hardware to use it. IE - the PSVR 2 is also over 1k USD if you consider that it's unusable without a PS5, but 2x 500+ USD price tags will always look more reasonable than a single 1k+ USD price tag at first glance.
Considering that you can remove the battery pack and use it with a PC, I'm hoping they sell a version without the battery for cheaper. Lithium battery packs on their own are often 100-300 USD (I'm going by cordless tools battery pricing here) depending on watt hours.
After looking at both the BSB and now the HTC Vive XR Elite, pancake lenses are the definite way to go. The PSVR 2 looks absolutely ridiculously massive compared to them. Granted, a big part of them not using pancake lenses is to keep cost down, so I'm not holding it against the PSVR 2 that it's so large. Just a statement of fact that it is absolutely massive compared to the new generation of VR headsets hitting the market.
So, the BSB and HTC Vive XR Elite are making significant progress in getting VR headsets down to a size that might be getting close to what is needed for mass consumer adoption, but the price is still far too high. It's good to see continued progress with PSVR 2 bringing tech that is absolutely needed in the form of universal foveated rendering and the new PC/standalone headsets bringing much needed smaller and lighter form factors.
But, looking at the state of both PSVR 2 and the new generation of PC/standalone headsets, I think we're still likely at a minimum 5 years away from a mass consumer acceptable VR headset and probably closer to 10 years. But hopefully these advances will at least expand the market somewhat.
Regards,
SB
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I've been reading what people have to say about using it on the Vive Reddit channel. The software isn't quite there yet apparently. They've been waiting on Virtual Desktop. It's also using LCD panels which I'd rather not buy more of. Especially at $1100!
I hope they remember to size these dainty HMDs out for people with ~XXXL hat sizes like myself.
The Reverb G2 presses into my temples with the OEM face interface so I had to buy the VR Cover which is a weee bit wider. The G1 has a better fit for me. PSVR1 is at its limits and I often try to stretch it a bit to loosen up the tensioning spring inside lol. I leave Odyssey+ at full extension too.
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Silent_Buddha
Legend
The nice thing with the new VR headsets is that they are often significantly lighter than current headsets. That means that you don't need to have a lot of force to keep them on your face as you do with the Reverb, Quest 2, Index, etc. That also means a smaller contact surface area shouldn't be as much of a drawback. So, for example, Tested mentioned that the BSB was by far the most comfortable headset they've used due to it's light weight which consequently also meant less pressure on their face. From others who have commented on the BSB, despite it's small and narrow form factor, they quite often forgot they were wearing a VR headset which is unlike their experience with any other headset on the market.
For the HTC Vive Elite XR it appears that there isn't even a strap when the battery isn't connected. It looks like you wear it sort of like a huge pair of glasses (there's no strap, it's just got arms like a pair of glasses) which indicates it shouldn't exert much of any force on your face. I do wonder if it exerts a lot of pressure on the sides of your head though.
Unfortunate that it uses LCD panels though, but I guess that's part of why it isn't significantly more expensive than the BSB.
Regards,
SB
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That would be a great idea I have a friend that makes spectacles (out of wood no less) I'll ask him see if he knows anything about getting custom lenses made
The only lens replacements I've seen are with the Vive.
For example,
There are also some prescription lens overlays for many headsets, like from VR Optician.
The lenses on the Reverbs and Odysseys don't seem removable at all to me. At least not without substantial disassembly and destructive effort.
For example,
There are also some prescription lens overlays for many headsets, like from VR Optician.
The lenses on the Reverbs and Odysseys don't seem removable at all to me. At least not without substantial disassembly and destructive effort.
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GhostofWar
Regular
Might be for brightness to make sure the image after going through pancake lenses are still bright enough.
Looks like whatever way I decide to go VR wise later this year it will probably come down to if I'm prepared to pay more to avoid the meta ecosystem. Quest 3 rumors are saying it's more expensive than the quest 2 but cheaper than the pro (which is $999 now) so if it's around $600 and similar specced devices are around $1k it could hefty price to pay to give the middle finger to meta. I hope we get some more solid info on what valve are up to soon.
Some comparisons in here between the Pimax Crystal and PSVR2. This guy is very open that he loves PSVR2 and has regularly heaped praise on it over the last few weeks so I trust what he says.
The picture quality sounds to be a significant step up form PSVR2 in most respects (higher res, bigger FoV, no mura, no god rays, no distortion, big sweet spot). He says it's the best VR picture on the market although does state its not as bright as PSVR2 and the colours aren't as vibrant, but still notes it's very good in both respects.
He does note it's not as comfortable as PSVR2 though (at least for him) which is unlikely to be surprising to anyone given its weight and size.
It sounds like Pimax are still improving it too, so it'll be interesting to see how the wireless streaming works as well as the eye tracking in a week or so. I think it might also have face, hand, and possibly even body tracking.
GhostofWar
Regular
I find it mildly amusing as someone who has mainly played sims in vr since dk2 with elite dangerous that it is only just now that apparently sims/cockpit games are these ground breaking VR games. Yeh im aware why, it is what it is but i'm looking forward to some sims probably being used in most vr device reviews going forward from places that are not dedicated to sims which is where I only used to find them before.
More gamechangering! For a price!!!!
More gamechangering! For a price!!!!
Yeah Pimax Crystal + 4090 is already more than $3k! Probably another $k on the rest of the setup.
For those who don't fancy watching the whole thing though, the conclusion was that Project Cars 2 on this setup "obliterates" GT7 on PSVR2. And this guy absolutely gushes over PSVR2.
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