VR choice... crazy

Cavallino

Cavallino

Cavallino

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So I picked up a Rift S the other day but returned it without opening as I said to myself I would like to get a more top end product.

So initially I thought the Index, but then I heard about the Cosmos.
But some people are saying not a lot of difference between it and the Index....

But then I saw the Pixmax which seems to be a bit of a beast with higher resoltion and 200 degrees FOV?

Has anybody used the Pixmax and/or the Index?

I would love to hear your insights (especially if you have used the original Oculus Rift (which I currently have).

Games which I like to play most at the moment.

Project Cars 2
Elite Dangerous
Robo Recall.
 
I have both the Rift and the Rift S. The Rift S is a massive upgrade over the Original Rift. The Insight started out spotty but is getting better with every update. The new touch controllers take a little bit of getting used to. The only downfall to the Rift S for some people is the new sound system built into the straps. I bought mine with the full expectation of returning it. I was expecting it to have terrible tracking, crappy sound quality and slight increase in Clarity. Well, I had a few issues in the beginning with the sound and tracking, but the 1.39 update has made a major difference in both those areas. As for the increase in Clarity, it's on a whole different level. The desktop is totally useable in VR now. There are no Godrays, barely any SDE and such a wide sweet spot that you can move your eyes around and it doesn't get all blurry.

The Pimax is hard work, you need to do some tinkering to get it to work with different games. I don't think you would be happy with it. The 200 degree FOV is unusable. The software is buggy and support is non existent.

The Index is just out, seems to be a great headset. The increased refresh rate(you can select 120Hz and 144Hz) adds a lot according to the reviews. It's supposed to be very comfortable and has great sound. You have probably heard about the knuckle controllers? Well, they come with the Index. There seems to be a problem with the first batch, but I am sure they will be sorted out.

HTC Cosmos. We know next to nothing about this. And until reviews come out and people starting using it we won't know how good or bad it is. Specs don't tell half the story. Also, HTC support is terrible.

But, since you mainly like sit down games, apart from Robo Recall, maybe you might consider the HP Reverb? It has the best resolution out of any of the headsets. It's comfortable and light and can easily be worn for hours. The problem is that its a WMR headset and come with that tracking system(the same tracking solution as the Odyssey+) which isn't as good as any of the other solutions. Again, if you mainly play sims like PC Cars 2 and Elite Dangerous, than that won't matter as much to you. Another plus is that HP support seems to be very good.

It basically depends on your budget and how long you are willing to wait. The Index is arguably the best headset for mixed use out at the moment and it will probably be better than the Cosmos too. The problem is that if you want one you are going to have to wait until October.
 
Wow thanks for the extensive review bud.

The thing that put me off the Rift S:
Speakers
80Hz refresh rate.

Index:
Larger FOV
Higher refresh rate
Kick ass sound
Nice controllers

Reverb:
Read some reviews that it overheats?

Ugh too much choice :)
 
Rift S has awful sound. Other than that, its undeniably the best value for money headset on the market bar none.

Pimax is still just a work in progress product for enthusiasts which has the worst software, non existant sound and a flawed concept in regards to distortion, lenses, ergonomics.

The Index is going through some bad Quality control issues at present with its controllers. The left joystick button is playing up for everyone when trying to spring in games, the god rays are the worst out of every new-ish gen headset and I still haven't found anyone who has poses a meaningful argument for why its worth 2x the price of a Rift S.

The issue I have with VR gaming is simple. I am prepared to pay £1000 for the best in class gaming experience. Of course I am, and most of us on this forum are. We buy 4k panels, RTX 2080s and 2080tis, high quality components such as mice, keyboards, headphones, sound receivers... but the quality of VR software just makes me really hesistant to invest the big bucks.

For the price tag of the Index, I personally wanted to see far less compromises than we have gotten. I think I'll probably still end up buying one because I am really interested in the audio concept but I'm quite happy to wait 6 months or so for them to fix the controller issues with a very silent hardware revision and see where Valve stands on their software committment plans.

For now, I personally think there are 3 ways to approach VR:

1. PSVR - just get a PSVR and play RE7, Astrobot, Blood and truth, Borderlands 2, FWZH
2. Oculus Quest - and just have unetethered beautiful fun on all the most popular native VR titles
3. Buy a Rift S and suck up the issues it has (awful sound, static screens/blackouts which oculus are promising to fix in software).

I just don't see an Index as top of the priority list of purchases for anyone at present given the controller issue at launch and the lack of mind bending reviews stating why its worth 2x a Rift S.


I don't rate or think of any WMR headsets unless you're exclusively into sims.
 
Cavallino said:
Wow thanks for the extensive review bud.

The thing that put me off the Rift S:
Speakers
80Hz refresh rate.

Index:
Larger FOV
Higher refresh rate
Kick ass sound
Nice controllers

Reverb:
Read some reviews that it overheats?

Ugh too much choice :)
Click to expand...


The 80hz refresh rate is fine. The sound is awful.

The Index is the better headset. The question you need to ask yourself is is the Index worth 2x+ the price of the Rift S, and are you prepared to use Revive and deal with potential subpar experiences of the best Oculus VR titles. Lets be honest, all the best upcoming VR titles are Oculus exclusives. That means Index users are reliant on Revive and whatever software optimisations will or wont be possible.


If I had a bit more faith in revive, I'd get an Index tbh. Every headset has its compromises. However if the £500 difference is a lot to you, the Rift S is an easier choice. Heck for the price of an Index you can get a Rift S AND a Quest AND headphones!
 
Cavallino said:
Wow thanks for the extensive review bud.

The thing that put me off the Rift S:
Speakers
80Hz refresh rate.

Index:
Larger FOV
Higher refresh rate
Kick ass sound
Nice controllers

Reverb:
Read some reviews that it overheats?

Ugh too much choice :)
Click to expand...


No problem, glad to help, trying to be as objective as possible.

Things that put you off the Rift S.

Don't let either of these thing put you off. The speakers aren't awful, but, even if you don't like them, there is a £15 mod using the Koss KSC75 headphones that will give you sound as good as the Rift/Index. You will not notice the difference between 90hz and 80hz. I thought I did, but, it turns out it was just a game and a Steam VR update fixed it.

Reverb. Think that was initial teething problems. They should be fine now.
 
aoaaron said:
Rift S has awful sound. Other than that, its undeniably the best value for money headset on the market bar none.

Pimax is still just a work in progress product for enthusiasts which has the worst software, non existant sound and a flawed concept in regards to distortion, lenses, ergonomics.

The Index is going through some bad Quality control issues at present with its controllers. The left joystick button is playing up for everyone when trying to spring in games, the god rays are the worst out of every new-ish gen headset and I still haven't found anyone who has poses a meaningful argument for why its worth 2x the price of a Rift S.

The issue I have with VR gaming is simple. I am prepared to pay £1000 for the best in class gaming experience. Of course I am, and most of us on this forum are. We buy 4k panels, RTX 2080s and 2080tis, high quality components such as mice, keyboards, headphones, sound receivers... but the quality of VR software just makes me really hesistant to invest the big bucks.

For the price tag of the Index, I personally wanted to see far less compromises than we have gotten. I think I'll probably still end up buying one because I am really interested in the audio concept but I'm quite happy to wait 6 months or so for them to fix the controller issues with a very silent hardware revision and see where Valve stands on their software committment plans.

For now, I personally think there are 3 ways to approach VR:

1. PSVR - just get a PSVR and play RE7, Astrobot, Blood and truth, Borderlands 2, FWZH
2. Oculus Quest - and just have unetethered beautiful fun on all the most popular native VR titles
3. Buy a Rift S and suck up the issues it has (awful sound, static screens/blackouts which oculus are promising to fix in software).

I just don't see an Index as top of the priority list of purchases for anyone at present given the controller issue at launch and the lack of mind bending reviews stating why its worth 2x a Rift S.


I don't rate or think of any WMR headsets unless you're exclusively into sims.
Click to expand...

You should list awful sound for the psvr too. It had little earplugs which offer probably the same audio quality as the rift s.

Both headsets need headphones

I’m most disappointed that no one seems to be able to release a headset that doesn’t have issues. VR itself is enough of a headache to get working, the least you can expect is not to have additional issues from poor design and quality control.
 
Cavallino said:
So I picked up a Rift S the other day but returned it without opening as I said to myself I would like to get a more top end product.
Click to expand...

The issue I have is that, as others have stated, spending more money on a "top end" product doesn't seem to really give you a noticeably better experience than the Rift S.

My personal feeling is that the only VR headsets worth buying just now are the Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest and Playstation VR.

The rest don't have anything special enough justify their price tags and seem to have an awful lot of issues for what are supposed to be premium products. Others may feel differently but that's my opinion right now!

What didn't you like about the Rift S which you think would be improved by spending more money?
 
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Cheers silvagti.
The main thing is having the audio "open", I liked to have the earphones on my ear.
Also the FOV, have a larger FOV sounds good.
The resolution is not so different to the Rift?


Those are the main things....
 
I think this thread is painting the wrong image about VR.

i think we are quite spoiled with choice, but there are little quirks which most headsets have....
The fundamental technology is very good!

Just about picking the product which satisfies the right performance/price point.
 
chroniclard said:
Can you play all VR games on all VR headsets yet?
Click to expand...

Yeah, other than a few platform exclusive titles pretty much. The problem right now is that titles tend to be designed first and foremost with the Rift/Vive in mind so you often find Windows mixed reality and less popular headsets can have issues.
 
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I'm playing on a Pimax 5K+. Wide FOV has gameplay benefits (e.g. in Eleven Table Tennis), and more immersion - Pokerstars VR I can see everyone on the table at the same time.

I prefer it over my wireless Vive Pro which only gets used now for demoing VR.

That said, it's not an HMD for VR noobs because of all tinkering and fitment issues that need to be dialled in for the perfect experience. Plus a beast of a PC is needed to max it out.

There's also some hidden costs to the Pimax, which make it more of a Vive upgrade than a standalone HMD - controllers, base stations and the DAS headstrap need to be factored in. Pimax will sell all of these in the future, but they aren't available right now.
 
In same position as OP. Have pre-ordered index but just does.not seem like it is worth the extra bunce at the moment. Keen flight simulator vr player so reverb has got some benefits but looms like software is a nightmare. Currently got cv1 so.may just get rift s and sit on cash until next round of headsets.
 
kevman said:
In same position as OP. Have pre-ordered index but just does.not seem like it is worth the extra bunce at the moment. Keen flight simulator vr player so reverb has got some benefits but looms like software is a nightmare. Currently got cv1 so.may just get rift s and sit on cash until next round of headsets.
Click to expand...

After reading everyones post and also yours... this is something Im leaning towards as well tbh.

Plus if we sell it minimises the price of the Rift S further...
 
Yeah I was all for buying a valve index but the recent reviews (sound apart) just don't sound promising to define its value between the Rift S. Its not a question of the Index being worth 1k, its is VR worth 1k?
 
Hi, upgraded to a Rift S from the original and as everyone has stated it's a lot better than the specs suggested. Bang for buck, ease of use, controllers, software, it's all great. Sound is bareable and is easily fixed if you want. Up close it looks good, though you do lose some detail due to the resolution on distance objects. I.E cars, ships in elite.

Tried the reverb and struggled with it. Clarity is great in the middle but move your eyes around and things start to get blurry. Not so noticeable in games though. Elite and sims look great. While I found it comfortable it was quite tight inside compared to the S for my glasses. Controllers are just about ok but you have to contend with windows MR software which isn't great. Oh and the cable is a heavy piece of crap. It went back. Just too many small niggles for something costing £600.

VR is very much a moving target at the moment. So many headsets to choose from. My vote is for the Rift S at the moment. It's a great all rounder.
 
I see no mention of GPU requirements mentioned.
Very much worth considering.

I get the impression that you really need a 2080 or better to run the reverb well. If you have that, to me the reverb seems to obvious choice.

If you don’t and aren’t comfortable splurging for the 2080, then the Rift S looks like a good solution as it’s the easiest of the new gen headsets to run.
 
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