G2 dead, what next?

[danswan]

I wasn't a regular user of the G2, occasional seated driving sessions was all I used it for, but now it's dead I'm missing it.

It just died abruptly yesterday - I'd already had a replacement cable so pretty sure it's not that, I just got blue screen in the headset at the end of a session, it went off and I can't get it back on again - no error, no light on headset. I do have the light on the breakout box on the cable, so I think it's getting power, but tried all possible combinations of USB ports and DP ports, it just seems like it's stone dead, and I'm out of warranty.

I've got a Quest 2 and it's OK, but image quality is noticeably worse than the G2. I toyed with the idea of getting another G2, but the mixed reality experience, and the three times this one got RMA replacements before it finally died, have put me off.

I'd kind of hoped by the time it died there would be an obvious alternative for PC Sims in VR, but I don't think there is. What are my options?

 

[Ravenger]

Quest Pro. G2 levels of sharpness across the entire lens. Can be used wirelessly or using a link cable. Plus you can use your entire Quest library too.

It is expensive though, but the price should drop tomorrow.

 

[bigmike20vt]

price now showing as £999 if you are tempted

 

[mattyg]

Quest Pro. G2 levels of sharpness across the entire lens. Can be used wirelessly or using a link cable. Plus you can use your entire Quest library too.

It is expensive though, but the price should drop tomorrow.

Will the drop in resolution not be too obvious?

 

[Tykey]

Pico 3 Link is similar to a G2 in that it's display port connection so no compression, it's under £400. Resolution is a slightly lower than a G2 though. If you already have a Quest 2 then i don't think a Pico 4 is a big enough upgrade to justify spending another £400 imo. Quest Pro is a good suggestion by Ravenger but is it beyond your budget at iirc £999, looks worth it though.

 

[bigmike20vt]

Will the drop in resolution not be too obvious?

I have not used a pro but apparently not. has a slight bump in FOV over the G2 as well.

I have a G2 and at a grand the pro is probably not for me. foveated rendering support Does tempt me however. there is a glut of them on eBay for £700-£750 . thos are tempting me but I am a little suspicious of the price

 

[drakulton]

I wasn't a regular user of the G2, occasional seated driving sessions was all I used it for, but now it's dead I'm missing it.

It just died abruptly yesterday - I'd already had a replacement cable so pretty sure it's not that, I just got blue screen in the headset at the end of a session, it went off and I can't get it back on again - no error, no light on headset. I do have the light on the breakout box on the cable, so I think it's getting power, but tried all possible combinations of USB ports and DP ports, it just seems like it's stone dead, and I'm out of warranty.

I've got a Quest 2 and it's OK, but image quality is noticeably worse than the G2. I toyed with the idea of getting another G2, but the mixed reality experience, and the three times this one got RMA replacements before it finally died, have put me off.

I'd kind of hoped by the time it died there would be an obvious alternative for PC Sims in VR, but I don't think there is. What are my options?

It may be worth contacting Vince on here, as he does some amazing work with his pointy sticks.

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...e-repairs-mods.18940033/page-46#post-36241614

 

[mattyg]

I have not used a pro but apparently not. has a slight bump in FOV over the G2 as well.

I have a G2 and at a grand the pro is probably not for me. foveated rendering support Does tempt me however. there is a glut of them on eBay for £700-£750 . thos are tempting me but I am a little suspicious of the price

I have a G2 also, And i'm happy with the resolution just not the sweet spot which is pretty small. I play DCS and theres lots of buttons and text so the small sweet spot is a bit annoying....

 

[kevman]

Currently looking for an upgrade to my index as we speak.
Sim enthusiasts are crying out for high res, good fov, pancake lenses and displayport tethered with a reasonable price.

HP could just release the g2 with pancakes and most would upgrade i reckon

Pico 4 is close but the faff of no displayport is putting me off.

Currently nothing on the horizon which is going to provide that full shopping list.

Bigscreen beyond is looking to fill most of those reqs but it is their first entry into vr, quite expensive and lower fov.

My current thinking is to buy a g2 and look to sell if the bigscreen beyond is the business

 

[bigmike20vt]

personally i would not consider a G2 an upgrade over an index.. sure it has a nicer image quality.... but only at the centre, the sweetspot is not great.

the only one i know of which MAY tick all your boxes is the pimax crystal which is not out yet and also eye wateringly expensive.

it boggles my mind no one has made one yet, to my untrained eye it does not seem rocket science, all the bits are there and all are used in one headset or another just no one put it all together.

(i am surprised there is not an index V2 yet....)

 

[Toekiller]

As a former G2 & Quest 2 owner who moved to the Pico 4.... It can be as sharp as the G2 but with a much larger sweet spot and clarity across almost almost of the lenses. Getting it running is a piece of cake. You start Virtual Desktop Streamer, put on the headset and open virtual desktop. From there you can start games directly or start Steam Vr and start your game externally into VR. It no more of faff than the G2 IMO. The only flaw is the Hardware requirements. To get the best out of it you need a 3080+ and a good 5ghz Router.

At the price it is it's worth a look. You can always send it back I'm looking at the Crystal for my Sims but at what cost!

 

[kevman]

(i am surprised there is not an index V2 yet....)

My plan was that i would buy into the steam ecosystem and get the index 2 when it arrived.

With no official announcements from valve i presume there will be nothing this year at the very least.

The rumours seem to suggest a device that will work with the steam deck so more standalone rather than pcvr but valve could throw in a dp connection

 

[kevman]

he only flaw is the Hardware requirements. To get the best out of it you need a 3080+ and a good 5ghz Router.

I have a 3090 and want to run dcs, il2 and iracing.

Do you think this would be beefy enough to get better perf than the g2?

From what i gather online people are saying 4080/4090 is really required

 

[Toekiller]

I have a 3090 and want to run dcs, il2 and iracing.

Do you think this would be beefy enough to get better perf than the g2?

From what i gather online people are saying 4080/4090

I had a 3080TI and I was always trying to tweak the best performance out of it. Better performance? No, because of the overhead the wireless adds. It depends though on your requirements. You might get it by turning the graphics down a notch on the relevant game and finding a balance you are happy with.

 

[Andy D]

Biggest upgrade for me for overall VR experience has been going from 3090 to 4090. IMO seemed more than 1080Ti to 3090. Seems you just need enough grunt to get things running at 90 fps properly

 

[kevman]

Biggest upgrade for me for overall VR experience has been going from 3090 to 4090. IMO seemed more than 1080Ti to 3090. Seems you just need enough grunt to get things running at 90 fps properly

Would love to but made promise to self that i would keep the 3090 until 5000 series. Plus it is nearly april so potentially 1/4 through the gpu cycle already - too late for me

 

[stephenb]

Currently looking for an upgrade to my index as we speak.
Sim enthusiasts are crying out for high res, good fov, pancake lenses and displayport tethered with a reasonable price.

In a similar position, although still rocking the original CV1, and was thinking the other day about a HMD targeted at those who play seated cockpit simulations. I wondered if Fanatec might have their eye on the market.

 

[kevman]

In a similar position, although still rocking the original CV1, and was thinking the other day about a HMD targeted at those who play seated cockpit simulations. I wondered if Fanatec might have their eye on the market.

If Fanatec do get into the vr game it would be a real suprise to me.
I have a fanatec wheel and pedals great products

 

[bigmike20vt]

If Fanatec do get into the vr game it would be a real suprise to me.
I have a fanatec wheel and pedals great products

i like most fanatec stuff.... its not all been good however.... yes my clubsport pedals are proper nice now but the 1st pedals i bought off them, their initial non clubsport pedals were woeful and should never have been sold. (I got through 2 sets before getting full rrp knocked off the price of the clubsports and free postage).

Also my current GT2 racing wheel has been well behaved for me but it is my 2nd one, my 1st one failed in warranty, but my mates GT3 did not last as long as imo it should have before failing.

 

[danswan]

Thanks for all the advice. Still slightly annoyed the G2 died, and unlike a PC I can't really troubleshoot. Will try to recoup some cash by selling for spares, but as I don't actually know it it's the cable or the headset that died it's hard to know how to price it...

As to a replacement, Pico 4 probably looks like the best option, based on price. It does appear that there would be an image quality and FOV upgrade from the Quest 2, and the Quest pro still doesn't strike me as worth the money, even after the price drop.

As others have said, we're crying out for a proper displayport connected HMD at a decent price, ideally without the shenanigans of WMR. I guess the market is still too 'niche' to justify it, given HPs exit from the VR scene.