good for you. there's issues with fs2020 3 years later and just about every update screws up something else that was working fine. did anyone really think 2024 would be any better??? if MS has their hands in it you can be sure it's a mess
PSVR2 suffers from the same issue as Quest 2 and Quest 3s - Fresnel lenses. Not really suitable for reading cockpit dials. He actually put your VR headset on the list at 10:48 If you want an actual high end OLED panel VR headset there are much better options like the Bigscreen Beyond
For the price (sale $350) it's great and in ways is better than the G2 and Quest 3. The OLED screen is great with perfect blacks and colors with the extreme brightness.
I've literally just replaced my G2 with a Q3. I didn't realize how clunky the G2 was until i tried the Q3. Also, once dialled in, the q3 lenses are gorgeous and it seems to run a lot smoother than the G2. I'm only running wireless pcvr as well!! A real upgrade.
There is always going to be a better headset next year. So you will just wait forever. I own a Reverb G2, Crystal and Quest 3. A Quest 3 is a very very good replacement for the money.
@@moncimoov I admit I am 54 and probably haven't exactly got 20/20 vision these days but for me, it's at least comparable to the G2 or slightly better. This is using virtual desktop and stock lenses. I haven't tried it wired yet. But I haven't noticed any jarring differences (apart from the odd frame drop at spa in Ams2) between the 2 headset visuals. For me, it's very impressive indeed. It's so much easier to hook the headset to the pc when starting a game. With the G2, I'd sometimes get the constant spinning orbs or I'd start a game and the headset would ask to look left, right and at the floor or it just wouldn't leave the home area. With the Q3 from VD it's always 100% successful. As much as meta does like to violate privacy, they do make a good headset.
@@DaWorstPlaya You're right. The title of the video is about headsets not to buy in 2025, so I took "this year" as meaning 2025 (which I suspect is truly what he meant since that would be correct). But it could also be taken as 2024, "this" as in right now since we're not quite into 2025 yet at the time the video was published.
Wow, that was impressive. Talk about giving the people what that ask for. That video was great and I appreciate you sir for doing that so quickly. I was asking about the Aero just yesterday and here we are with the comparison I requested. I know it’s probably laborious create the content all the time, but that was truly impressive turn around time. Happy holidays and keep knocking them out as you are the authority for VR reviews! I may even say the Sheriff of VR!
At the moment i only use a quest 3 and a psvr2,the funny thing is that i like the psvr2 on pc more in most games..Far better 3d,field off view(for me),better brightness colors and blacks,better rumble on the controllers..Let say modded skyrim is for me so much better on my psvr2(even with the mura) then on my quest 3.On the quest 3 it feels like i am looking at a dull 2d picture..(if you know what i mean).. i realy hope there comes a good oled vr headset on the market with great brightness and field off view..
I did A-B comparisons between PSVR2 and Quest 3 and found them to be neck and neck for PCVR. The Quest 3 is sharper, but the PSVR2 has better colors and black levels. Also displayport means no latency or video compression artifacts. Measuring the clarity of the two headsets objectively, the Quest 3 only scores one line higher (23) versus the PSVR2 (22), not as much as you would expect. The Quest 3 _feels_ like it's much sharper, but it isn't really. For reference, the Bigscreen Beyond scores 9 lines higher (32), substantially higher clarity than either of them. Whether you like PSVR2 more or Quest 3 more depends on how you value the different aspects and what you're sensitive to because these two headsets are strong and weak in pretty much diametrically opposite ways.
There's already great OLED VR headsets on the market, Bigscreen Beyond exists. I would also argue that better clarity when reading cockpit dials is more important that contrast, colours and black levels. I think you're the third PSVR2 owner that I've had to point out that your headset is on the list of "Not recommended VR headsets" in this video, at 10:48. PSVR2 is fine for other VR games but not flight sims.
As always, enjoyed the video. One thing I'd mention though is that three of the headsets you don't recommend (Aero, OG Crystal, and Vive Focus Vision) are the only consumer priced headsets I'm aware of that have eye tracking and therefore can natively support DFR, leaving no affordable recommended headset with eye tracking left. As one who found the difference DFR made in DCS alone pretty revolutionary, I'm not sure it is good for the future of DFR development for sim advocates to be removing recommendation on literally every affordable headset with eye tracking, since it appears we don't consider it important. I know for a fact I wouldn't want to trade my OG Crystal for a Crystal Light and lose my eye-tracking as I consider this one of its most important native features (far more than wide lenses or wireless, though wireless if we ever get it will likely depend on this too for foveated streaming).
I am pretty sure one of the 3 supers is going to be the top HMD of 2025! And with the new pimax payment plans (with no credit needed) they are actually affordable.
Phew! So glad my Pico 4 is on the list! Pimax is interesting. When they first came out they had real issues with supply (vs demand) but at some stage, (perhaps 2019/20?) they started to manufacture higher volumes. BUT, the downside of this (IMHO!) is that their R&D department appears to be on speed! They've churned out all these models but, like a bored child, discards after literally 6-8 months with some models and moves onto the next design.
The Quest 3 with the Kiwi H4 Halo strap is the best I ever had. I am wearing it without a face gasket. To give you an impression, the rubber sealing between the lenses sits lightly on my nose which means the lenses are about 5 mm (or even less) away from my eyes. You should try it, its Amazing. It does away with the 'through a pair of binoculars' view completely. It is now like one huge oval screen with amazing fov. Besides that the binocular overlap seems improved to see small objects at 5 cm distance with both eyes still. If wearing glasses or using lens insets then unfortunately this is not possible to achieve.
I have actually been using my Quest 3 the same way, but only with the Bobo VR S3 Pro since the summer, and I agree with all your points. As a bonus, it even makes grabbing drinks much easier. I recently put my AMVR facial interface back on for a day just to see if I'd enjoy the increased immersion but loosing that FOV and having the binocular effort back was enough for me to ditch it again.
Thanks for a great video, was really helpful to me. I'm still running my Reverb G2 and although I knew WMR's time was limited, I forgot with Win11 it was sooner rather than later, and I was planning on upgrading soon. Will stick to Win10 until I eventually stop using the G2. Was considering a Pico4 Ultra but as my G2 now has pretty much no 2nd hand value, and I still think it's a great headset (bar the issue below), I'll keep going with it in the short to medium term. I love the G2, I only play Elite Dangerous but wish that I could understand why when I initially play the game the FPS is solid 60 until I do something in the game that tanks the framerate, you see this also playing on a monitor but because the fps is way higher it's less noticeable, and on a monitor it always recovers, but in VR it rarely does leaving a horrible experience, causing me to play less in VR. I don't think it's the headset as it's just a display (no processor) and you see the same effect on a monitor. Just wish I could get VR to recover the framerate, maybe it's WMR but I don't know. Any advice from anyone very welcome thanks
Add Meta headsets to the list: A cautionary tale for current and prospective Meta Quest VR headset owners: I'm now on day 67 of Meta holding my Quest headsets hostage. I've been using Oculus/Quest devices from the day they started making them (10 years ago?), and I have not been required to give my date of birth to Meta in all this time. But they recently demanded my DOB under threat of disabling my Quests, and they made good on that threat 67 days ago. *Meta can metaphorically brick your headsets, any time they want, and for any reason they want, and there's NOTHING you can do about it.* Conclusion: Think carefully before you BUY anything from Meta; The thing you BUY will not be yours.
You know he uses a Quest 3 right? The DOB requirement is due to a change in the law : All users are required to verify their age now to stop young kids using VR headsets which can damage their developing eyesight. Doesn't really work as parents can set the device up for them using their DOB, but that's why it's there. You only have to verify your age once. Every single one of us on Quest have had to do this, and so do you.
You are making a problem out of something that is not a problem. Of course you are required to state your age because there are many games that are not suitable for children. But if you are still a child, I understand that writing your age truthfully is a problem for you.
@@acurisur _All users are required to verify their age now to stop young kids using VR headsets which can damage their developing eyesight._ Citation needed.
@@imacmill Citation? Ask Meta, if you want to be that guy go ahead, I'm not going to play this game. Everyone else had to verify their age but you're special I guess.
Once again Steve you are hitting it out of the ballpark with your advice. I just brought a PCL which is an upgrade from my Valve Index which I sold for $300.00. So far I am loving the headset.
I was looking to move to the Crystal Light from my Quest 2 however on going to their site and clicking on the order I get a update saying I have 14 days to trial it after receiving and after that I will be charged $288 per year membership if I want to continue using the headset? Am I reading this right that for the Pimax Crystal you have to pay an annual subscription on top of the purchase price?
I love my Aero - I bought it at the price break for a reasonable (for what you got) $990. But, they really made everyone think local dimming was coming, and they never hinted at the price break that it was basically going to be abandoned and they were leaving the market. I never would have bought one - or at least would have tempered my expectations. It's a shame - the headset works great, I have very few issues, and other than a narrow FOV the display clarity is fantastic. Then, they made it sound like the XR4 was going to be available to consumers within a reasonable timeframe. Over a year later, they nearly doubled the price and apparently don't even talk about selling to consumers any longer. BUT, I continually see posts and videos of people playing MSFS and DCS with an XR4 - so there MUST be some way to con one out of them. However, after the shaft we received from the Aero, I wouldn't buy one anyway and certainly not for $6k. Which brings me to my Somnium VR-1 ... continually "two weeks away" since last June, I sent them $3k and STILL not only don't have a headset - but they won't even tell you where you are in the queue. Turns out the product (still) is not FCC approved for sale in the US. Now, to be fair that isn't Somnium's fault ... but no one told me when I swiped my card for $3k that the product couldn't even be sold in the US yet. And still can't. The state of VR in general is terrible IMO. Sorry for the rant.
Somnium doesn't inform anyone properly. I saw a customer getting timed out for 7 days after complaining. He said he refuses to write a mail to the support because he heard he will receive the exact same rough estimate that is just an empty promise. CEO accused him of spreading misinformation, got angry and timed him out. Few hours later another customer posted a screenshot of his message from somnium support when asking about delivery date and the response was exactly just a rough estimate - exact same one that CEO was throwing around on discord at the time that obviously didn't come to pass as that customer still doesn't have a headset. So writing to their support doesn't tell you anything more than the bullshit that CEO would try to sell you. Another user confirmed to have the same experience today as well. Extremely shady practices from the CEO. I saw a lot of people getting banned and timed out before and I am considering to cancel my order. It's absolutely disgraceful behavior from the company. the CEO and his employee have even made fun of/mock people who had issues with lenses distortions and blur - claiming that the QA is perfect and there is no way they see anything that should bother them in the slightest. What proffessional company does nasty stuff like that? It's disgusting to see. Edit: My another comment under this video talking about truths regarding lens flaws and CEO making fun of customers have been officially removed by Steve. Not surprising since he was working closely with Somnium for a while. Very sad and shady though. Protecting such company is a mistake
Great advice to anyone looking into VR for 2025! Agree 100% about the Quest3S... absolutely the wrong choice for most people IMO. Nice to have another person in that corner with me.
Ive had the index since it was first released and i was hoping to upgrade to the crystal light. Once i received the crystal i was really underwhelmed by the comfort, fov and audio quality. The index is my preferred headset for now until i find a worthy upgrade. Im waiting to see what valve is working on.
I'm glad I did not pull the trigger on a PSVR 2. I have a Quest 3 which I use with virtual desktop and it's been great. I play mostly on high or ultra settings and the imagine quality and latency is great 99% of the time with only a minor hiccup here and there. I've also personally become extremely spoiled by being fully wireless as I normally play from my recliner and my rig is easily 15 feet away. I have a link cable for my Quest but almost never use it. I would consider a wired PCVR headset but I need pancake or equal lens. I have my old Quest 2 still and sometimes for the hell of it, A/B test it and I feel like I need glasses when I look at the fresnel lens in the Quest 2 after long periods of using my Quest 3.
@@SargonDragon Microsoft have delayed moving people to 24H2 while they work on fixing it. I have automatic updates on and I've still not been moved to 24H2
You put Aero in don't recommend. I use and love my Reverb G2 and also have an 8kx. I am talking to someone about getting a used Aero for $500 USD. I have considered a crystal light, but got scared off by the bad quality control reviews. Also I know from the 8kx that I need better comfort and smaller form factor (I mostly do room scale VR and only in STEAM VR). I am considering the AERO as a holdover while I wait for the Meganex superlight (maybe). I still love my G2. Do you think the AERO is worth it at that price for a upgrade to G2 ?
Well you did not mention the Pimax Crystal Super that will be available in January 2025 that may be a super high res VR headset... Also no mention of the XR-4 from Varjo but that's really expensive and once you are in that budget range the VR1 will have to be your main focus maybe? Nice recap. Still using my HP Reverb G2 V1 without any issues. Windows 11 version 23H2 will be around for very long time with all the latest security updates so no worries but me personally will get the Pimax Crystel Light or Super in 2025... Don't know yet...Please help us out to decide on those two 🙂
Reverb G2 now and Win10. G2 getting the heat problem now and have to modify it (drill holes for cooling ...). Planing for 2025 getting Nvidia 5080 and will see what reviews the Pimax Crystal Super are getting and how Pimax is dealing with their customers when you need support.
I've had my Pimax Crystal light for 3 days. I love it but was very disappointed in the image quality. After messing with settings for days, I realized DCS looks so good on my monitor because of Reshade. Yes, as clear and fantastic as the Crystal light is, it will not look as good as a 1440p monitor with Reshade.
I think its more risky to buy a new Pimax headset from Pimax (re- quality control issues) versus buying a second hand one. At least you can most likely test the 2nd hand one before buying
@@VRFlightSimGuy pretty sure end of support was mentioned as end of 2025 in their Discord. There is still more than a year of support left for the Aero. "What does it mean for the future of the device? Official support will continue until the end of 2025 - but don't worry, you still will be able to use the device after that date. The end date means that there will be no more Aero-specific updates in the software."
@@VRFlightSimGuy also love these types of videos. People really need to hear more about the negatives of all the headsets on the market so they can make a more informed decision. Keep up the good work.
PCL. No issues with mine - software works well, clarity is great. - replaced my Reveeb G2. Was going to buy a Somnium VR1 but that company is run by a psychopath and gave it a hard pass. Don’t give that guy some money. PCL will be a placeholder until the super or new Valve headset releases.
i can't answer your question but I can say that the OS of the Quest is based on Android so even if they purposely locked it down I think people would be able to hack it back to full functionality. In terms of pure compatibility it should not be an issue. Drivers would probably be the biggest headache if even
For cheap people like me the Pico 4 is wonderful, light, well balanced and works brilliantly with VirtualDesktop and SteamVR. MSFS 2024 is great if you care about nature or countryside like for low altitude helicopter flying. Otherwise MSFS 2020 has less bugs.
I just picked up a PSVR2 for $500 CAD after tax. Its my first time owning a PCVR headset and although I want a Q3 it is simply too much money at $720 CAD. All this talk about mura is putting me off but maybe it will be something I can adjust to. I would really love to play Half Life Alyx, Alien Isolation or any survival horror game on it.
I’m spending money on my 9800x3d upgrade from my 5800x3d Which of course is not a cheap upgrade with new board /cpu /ram So I’ll stay with my g2 for abit longer yet but the only one I would be interested in is the quest 3 tbh As I just don’t trust pimax as the company headset is abit of a lottery and just don’t want the hassle
I've got reverb G2 V2 here again now, went through effort of installing win 11 23h2 on different drive just for it. Used it for a couple of days and it's back in box again and back to the neo 3 link which I keep defaulting to on PC, overlap, edge to edge (what people refer to as sweetspot) brightness and crucially, game performance, controllers, tracking and general stability is miles beyond the G2. Built in audio, sucks. Faceplate, sucks (like G2, you need to get close to get best out of it) Other than that, that is the reverb G2 alternative, nothing like quest 2 image and certainly nothing like dpvr awful image, if you can still find them that's a sensible and cheap tide over still until the new wave of headsets come.
Out of curiosity, if you're recommending that people not by the Varjo Aero in the video, which I think is a good call, why still encourage purchasing it as the "BEST VR headset on the market" with a link in the video notes?
Slower processor, no passthrough, there's a reason it's $50-60 on Ebay. My old Quest 2 is sat gathering dust in a cupboard, although I also don't own a 3s either - I own the full fat Quest 3 because the pancake lenses are a massive step up from the Fresnel in the Quest 2 and 3s
@@acurisur Not sure the processor matters for flight sim use, as the PC is doing all the work. Does your "no pass through" comment imply no PC flight sim viewing? (seems unlikely as the chap on this video didn't mention that when talking about the 2 vs the 3S,.. AND I think I've seen him using one in the past!). Personally, I have no interest in "local" VR games or anything run on the headset. As long as it can be used to view PC sims or play videos off my network, that's fine. I''d still prefer a full Q3 with ALL it's advantages, but my point was about the 3S not being worth 5x-6x a used 2.
@@poneill65 No passthrough means you can't see your yoke or flight stick in VR. On Quest 3 and 3s the headset can make a mixed reality "cut out" so you see your flight stick or yoke in VR, while still staying in VR for the rest of your field of view. This channel actually did a video about this feature only 2 days ago. The processor does matter as PCVR on the Quest has to be compressed by your PC and then fed to the Quest, and on the Quest 2 the amount of compression needed is a lot more than on the 3 or 3s because it's a less powerful processor. Also VR Flight Sim Guy hasn't used a Quest 2 on this channel for ages - because it's obsolete.
finallybsomeone who agrees woth me about the psvr2 on pc everyone just crap talks me about it on here especially when i say the q3 has a far cleaner and crisper image
Ordered a pimax Crystal light 2 weeks ago, not sure how long I will be waiting for it to turn up, already received my VR optician lenses and studio form comfort goodies for it.
@@paulsleighty mine are from vr wave and they are plastic, very disappointed in their performance. In the end I just used my glass reading glasses with the vr wave lense socket/surround over the pimax lenses so not to scratch them. Lost some fov but at least the image is clear.
@@vangoghoff5521 I read a way to check if the lenses were plastic or glass, suggested scratching the edge of the lens lol, like yeah I'm really going to do that aren't I. Flipping idiotic suggestion.
I can guarantee you did not use the proper 1.7x res on steamvr for your psvr2! You most likely used 1.4x or lower 1.7x is the correct setting as stated by sony/polyphony because of the wider barrel distortion correction needed vs other lower fov headsets! That is why you were getting blurry image!
good onya moneybags some of us are poor wich brings second hand old and its the best we can afford and precious spoild child.... running our old second hand gear we still are happy the old ones are perfectly fine
@@ThrobbGoblin I uninstalled all the Oculus software because it's really cumbersome. I bought "Virtual Desktop" on STEAM, which works much better and also works better over WiFi than over a wired connection to the PC. Which surprised me because I always thought that a wired connection must be technically better. Through Virtual Desktop, the image has no artifacts caused by image compression.
@@ThrobbGoblin So use Virtual Desktop, it eliminates two of the problems you listed - compression (using the AV1 codec) and the Link software. Aftermarket headstraps are dirt cheap, if you can afford the Quest 3 you can afford a headstrap.
@@ThrobbGoblin Virtual Desktop takes care of the compression and bypasses the Link software. Aftermarket headstraps are dirt cheap. Hoenstly, these are very poor critiques.
I ignored all the simmers in forums who had bad lenses. There were plenty of people who didn't have issues. Unfortunately the moment I looked through the lenses, I knew my recently purchased Crystal Light was jacked up. Thankfully the return process went well.
Which VR headset are you using at the moment? Let me know in the comments below 👇👇👇
I have a quest 3 and I have a rx 6800. Can you recommend settings for a GPU that doesn't have av1 encoding using virtual desktop?
I am using a Quest 3.
G2
G2 8-) but megane X and Crystal Super is ordered. time to step on the next level
Quest 3
Just got a refund for MSFS 24 this game just isn't ready yet full of bugs I'd give it a year.
2020 is good enough for me.
If people want to pay a lot of money for the privilege of being Beta testers, that's their choice.
good for you. there's issues with fs2020 3 years later and just about every update screws up something else that was working fine. did anyone really think 2024 would be any better??? if MS has their hands in it you can be sure it's a mess
I did get the PSVR 2 with the new PC adapter. Was really Impressed by the Image, comfort, fov and oled Brightness.
PSVR2 suffers from the same issue as Quest 2 and Quest 3s - Fresnel lenses. Not really suitable for reading cockpit dials. He actually put your VR headset on the list at 10:48
If you want an actual high end OLED panel VR headset there are much better options like the Bigscreen Beyond
For the price (sale $350) it's great and in ways is better than the G2 and Quest 3. The OLED screen is great with perfect blacks and colors with the extreme brightness.
The mura is real though.
@@acurisur And who is he? The godfather of VR?
@@eichof01 why why yes ...yes he is....
My G2 will see me out until a replacement comes along. Nearly bought a Q3, but I’ll wait until 2025 🎉
I've literally just replaced my G2 with a Q3. I didn't realize how clunky the G2 was until i tried the Q3. Also, once dialled in, the q3 lenses are gorgeous and it seems to run a lot smoother than the G2. I'm only running wireless pcvr as well!! A real upgrade.
@@sneakyglowormQ3 compression is unplayable for me
In my opinion Q3 is a valid replacement for G2 at least for now … I love mine and the G2 is gracefully retired 😂
There is always going to be a better headset next year. So you will just wait forever. I own a Reverb G2, Crystal and Quest 3. A Quest 3 is a very very good replacement for the money.
@@moncimoov I admit I am 54 and probably haven't exactly got 20/20 vision these days but for me, it's at least comparable to the G2 or slightly better. This is using virtual desktop and stock lenses. I haven't tried it wired yet. But I haven't noticed any jarring differences (apart from the odd frame drop at spa in Ams2) between the 2 headset visuals. For me, it's very impressive indeed. It's so much easier to hook the headset to the pc when starting a game. With the G2, I'd sometimes get the constant spinning orbs or I'd start a game and the headset would ask to look left, right and at the floor or it just wouldn't leave the home area. With the Q3 from VD it's always 100% successful. As much as meta does like to violate privacy, they do make a good headset.
I think varjo aero will be supported until the end of next year (2025) according to their website FAQ. Cheers
That's what he says in the video.
@@SargonDragon no he says the support ends at the end of THIS year, which is incorrect.
ua-cam.com/video/TxJcLravzXQ/v-deo.html
@@DaWorstPlaya You're right. The title of the video is about headsets not to buy in 2025, so I took "this year" as meaning 2025 (which I suspect is truly what he meant since that would be correct). But it could also be taken as 2024, "this" as in right now since we're not quite into 2025 yet at the time the video was published.
i own a quest 3 and a Pima crystal light, just get the quest 3, works the best with all games and dont need a 5090 to power it
Quest 3 is great for games, but not for cockpit gauges
Wow, that was impressive. Talk about giving the people what that ask for. That video was great and I appreciate you sir for doing that so quickly. I was asking about the Aero just yesterday and here we are with the comparison I requested. I know it’s probably laborious create the content all the time, but that was truly impressive turn around time. Happy holidays and keep knocking them out as you are the authority for VR reviews! I may even say the Sheriff of VR!
Your comment made my day thankyou. I work so hard to get these videos out so I really appreciate that. Have a great weekend!
At the moment i only use a quest 3 and a psvr2,the funny thing is that i like the psvr2 on pc more in most games..Far better 3d,field off view(for me),better brightness colors and blacks,better rumble on the controllers..Let say modded skyrim is for me so much better on my psvr2(even with the mura) then on my quest 3.On the quest 3 it feels like i am looking at a dull 2d picture..(if you know what i mean).. i realy hope there comes a good oled vr headset on the market with great brightness and field off view..
Exact l’y the same for me.
I like the PSVR2 much better as well. Gave the Quest 3 to my kid because it collected dust for over 3 months.
I did A-B comparisons between PSVR2 and Quest 3 and found them to be neck and neck for PCVR. The Quest 3 is sharper, but the PSVR2 has better colors and black levels. Also displayport means no latency or video compression artifacts.
Measuring the clarity of the two headsets objectively, the Quest 3 only scores one line higher (23) versus the PSVR2 (22), not as much as you would expect. The Quest 3 _feels_ like it's much sharper, but it isn't really. For reference, the Bigscreen Beyond scores 9 lines higher (32), substantially higher clarity than either of them.
Whether you like PSVR2 more or Quest 3 more depends on how you value the different aspects and what you're sensitive to because these two headsets are strong and weak in pretty much diametrically opposite ways.
@@SargonDragon its indeed very personal.For me its the high brightness,colors blacks and better 3d i think why i use the psvr2 more for pc..
There's already great OLED VR headsets on the market, Bigscreen Beyond exists. I would also argue that better clarity when reading cockpit dials is more important that contrast, colours and black levels. I think you're the third PSVR2 owner that I've had to point out that your headset is on the list of "Not recommended VR headsets" in this video, at 10:48.
PSVR2 is fine for other VR games but not flight sims.
As always, enjoyed the video. One thing I'd mention though is that three of the headsets you don't recommend (Aero, OG Crystal, and Vive Focus Vision) are the only consumer priced headsets I'm aware of that have eye tracking and therefore can natively support DFR, leaving no affordable recommended headset with eye tracking left. As one who found the difference DFR made in DCS alone pretty revolutionary, I'm not sure it is good for the future of DFR development for sim advocates to be removing recommendation on literally every affordable headset with eye tracking, since it appears we don't consider it important. I know for a fact I wouldn't want to trade my OG Crystal for a Crystal Light and lose my eye-tracking as I consider this one of its most important native features (far more than wide lenses or wireless, though wireless if we ever get it will likely depend on this too for foveated streaming).
Great video, loving the honesty...!
Thanks Dave means a lot!
I am pretty sure one of the 3 supers is going to be the top HMD of 2025! And with the new pimax payment plans (with no credit needed) they are actually affordable.
Great review. I endorse your comments about the PSVR2. Same experience for me, and I'm glad to have your validation
Wish i got 8KX instead of PCL. Just can't get used to small FOV and lens issues.
That's why I got the Somnium vr1 . I am getting 136°h and 110°v fov with this headset which is mind-blowing
@@x32i77 Did have any issues getting it to run properly? Any distortions or weird wobbles in the display?
@@efirehawk there is a little bit of wobble but absolutely no issue in-game . The visuals are absolutely phenomenal . Vr1 is definitely a keeper
Some awesome footage captured here! So much more entertaining than just watching someone sitting as a desk talking through the comparisons!
"The ones you do recommend in description below?" Where ?
Phew! So glad my Pico 4 is on the list! Pimax is interesting. When they first came out they had real issues with supply (vs demand) but at some stage, (perhaps 2019/20?) they started to manufacture higher volumes. BUT, the downside of this (IMHO!) is that their R&D department appears to be on speed! They've churned out all these models but, like a bored child, discards after literally 6-8 months with some models and moves onto the next design.
Much needed video .. Thanks Steve. Hoping the Crystal Super will deliver on what was promised.
The Quest 3 with the Kiwi H4 Halo strap is the best I ever had. I am wearing it without a face gasket. To give you an impression, the rubber sealing between the lenses sits lightly on my nose which means the lenses are about 5 mm (or even less) away from my eyes. You should try it, its Amazing. It does away with the 'through a pair of binoculars' view completely. It is now like one huge oval screen with amazing fov. Besides that the binocular overlap seems improved to see small objects at 5 cm distance with both eyes still. If wearing glasses or using lens insets then unfortunately this is not possible to achieve.
This is the headset I’m looking at.
I have actually been using my Quest 3 the same way, but only with the Bobo VR S3 Pro since the summer, and I agree with all your points. As a bonus, it even makes grabbing drinks much easier. I recently put my AMVR facial interface back on for a day just to see if I'd enjoy the increased immersion but loosing that FOV and having the binocular effort back was enough for me to ditch it again.
Thanks for a great video, was really helpful to me. I'm still running my Reverb G2 and although I knew WMR's time was limited, I forgot with Win11 it was sooner rather than later, and I was planning on upgrading soon. Will stick to Win10 until I eventually stop using the G2.
Was considering a Pico4 Ultra but as my G2 now has pretty much no 2nd hand value, and I still think it's a great headset (bar the issue below), I'll keep going with it in the short to medium term.
I love the G2, I only play Elite Dangerous but wish that I could understand why when I initially play the game the FPS is solid 60 until I do something in the game that tanks the framerate, you see this also playing on a monitor but because the fps is way higher it's less noticeable, and on a monitor it always recovers, but in VR it rarely does leaving a horrible experience, causing me to play less in VR.
I don't think it's the headset as it's just a display (no processor) and you see the same effect on a monitor. Just wish I could get VR to recover the framerate, maybe it's WMR but I don't know.
Any advice from anyone very welcome thanks
It's possible with proper Windows 11 update settings, to still receive security updates for the Reverb G2.
But how does that affect the MR api? I mean, it's being removed from the core OS?
Even if it is, it won't be for long.
Add Meta headsets to the list:
A cautionary tale for current and prospective Meta Quest VR headset owners: I'm now on day 67 of Meta holding my Quest headsets hostage. I've been using Oculus/Quest devices from the day they started making them (10 years ago?), and I have not been required to give my date of birth to Meta in all this time. But they recently demanded my DOB under threat of disabling my Quests, and they made good on that threat 67 days ago.
*Meta can metaphorically brick your headsets, any time they want, and for any reason they want, and there's NOTHING you can do about it.* Conclusion: Think carefully before you BUY anything from Meta; The thing you BUY will not be yours.
You know he uses a Quest 3 right? The DOB requirement is due to a change in the law : All users are required to verify their age now to stop young kids using VR headsets which can damage their developing eyesight. Doesn't really work as parents can set the device up for them using their DOB, but that's why it's there. You only have to verify your age once.
Every single one of us on Quest have had to do this, and so do you.
You are making a problem out of something that is not a problem. Of course you are required to state your age because there are many games that are not suitable for children. But if you are still a child, I understand that writing your age truthfully is a problem for you.
@@michalpetrilak3976 You are misunderstanding the ramifications of what I wrote, as so many do. That's on you.
@@acurisur _All users are required to verify their age now to stop young kids using VR headsets which can damage their developing eyesight._
Citation needed.
@@imacmill Citation? Ask Meta, if you want to be that guy go ahead, I'm not going to play this game. Everyone else had to verify their age but you're special I guess.
Once again Steve you are hitting it out of the ballpark with your advice. I just brought a PCL which is an upgrade from my Valve Index which I sold for $300.00. So far I am loving the headset.
Nice one! Thankyou for watching. I have another video about the PCL coming soon!
I'm thinking about pre-ordering a Pimax Crystal Super 57PPD... Not sure if it's a good idea or not, my G2 cable is dead.
I was looking to move to the Crystal Light from my Quest 2 however on going to their site and clicking on the order I get a update saying I have 14 days to trial it after receiving and after that I will be charged $288 per year membership if I want to continue using the headset? Am I reading this right that for the Pimax Crystal you have to pay an annual subscription on top of the purchase price?
I love my Aero - I bought it at the price break for a reasonable (for what you got) $990. But, they really made everyone think local dimming was coming, and they never hinted at the price break that it was basically going to be abandoned and they were leaving the market. I never would have bought one - or at least would have tempered my expectations. It's a shame - the headset works great, I have very few issues, and other than a narrow FOV the display clarity is fantastic. Then, they made it sound like the XR4 was going to be available to consumers within a reasonable timeframe. Over a year later, they nearly doubled the price and apparently don't even talk about selling to consumers any longer. BUT, I continually see posts and videos of people playing MSFS and DCS with an XR4 - so there MUST be some way to con one out of them. However, after the shaft we received from the Aero, I wouldn't buy one anyway and certainly not for $6k. Which brings me to my Somnium VR-1 ... continually "two weeks away" since last June, I sent them $3k and STILL not only don't have a headset - but they won't even tell you where you are in the queue. Turns out the product (still) is not FCC approved for sale in the US. Now, to be fair that isn't Somnium's fault ... but no one told me when I swiped my card for $3k that the product couldn't even be sold in the US yet. And still can't. The state of VR in general is terrible IMO. Sorry for the rant.
Somnium doesn't inform anyone properly. I saw a customer getting timed out for 7 days after complaining. He said he refuses to write a mail to the support because he heard he will receive the exact same rough estimate that is just an empty promise. CEO accused him of spreading misinformation, got angry and timed him out. Few hours later another customer posted a screenshot of his message from somnium support when asking about delivery date and the response was exactly just a rough estimate - exact same one that CEO was throwing around on discord at the time that obviously didn't come to pass as that customer still doesn't have a headset. So writing to their support doesn't tell you anything more than the bullshit that CEO would try to sell you. Another user confirmed to have the same experience today as well. Extremely shady practices from the CEO. I saw a lot of people getting banned and timed out before and I am considering to cancel my order. It's absolutely disgraceful behavior from the company. the CEO and his employee have even made fun of/mock people who had issues with lenses distortions and blur - claiming that the QA is perfect and there is no way they see anything that should bother them in the slightest. What proffessional company does nasty stuff like that? It's disgusting to see.
Edit: My another comment under this video talking about truths regarding lens flaws and CEO making fun of customers have been officially removed by Steve. Not surprising since he was working closely with Somnium for a while. Very sad and shady though. Protecting such company is a mistake
I have Pimax Crystal Light. The image quality is amazing, so sharp! And really good colors too.
Great informative vid as usual. Thanks Steve.
Thanks Dave much appreciated :)
Great advice to anyone looking into VR for 2025! Agree 100% about the Quest3S... absolutely the wrong choice for most people IMO. Nice to have another person in that corner with me.
Yeah Quest 3s isn't really being aimed at flight simmers, it's for casuals who will mainly be using standalone apps running on the headset.
Cheers Mark much appreciated :)
@@acurisur Agreed, but for $200 more the Quest 3 is SOOOO much better!
Ive had the index since it was first released and i was hoping to upgrade to the crystal light. Once i received the crystal i was really underwhelmed by the comfort, fov and audio quality. The index is my preferred headset for now until i find a worthy upgrade. Im waiting to see what valve is working on.
Anything Pimax (lot of issues) or mixed reality (dead) is a big no. Anything else is ok, even Valve index or quest 2/3s
I'm glad I did not pull the trigger on a PSVR 2. I have a Quest 3 which I use with virtual desktop and it's been great. I play mostly on high or ultra settings and the imagine quality and latency is great 99% of the time with only a minor hiccup here and there. I've also personally become extremely spoiled by being fully wireless as I normally play from my recliner and my rig is easily 15 feet away. I have a link cable for my Quest but almost never use it. I would consider a wired PCVR headset but I need pancake or equal lens. I have my old Quest 2 still and sometimes for the hell of it, A/B test it and I feel like I need glasses when I look at the fresnel lens in the Quest 2 after long periods of using my Quest 3.
Am i wrong?? Windows 11 security updates are seperate from the newest 24h2 build. Im stil updating 23h2 regularly just not onto 24h2
You'll still be able to do that for a while, but it won't be long before the only way to get updates is to move to 24H2.
@@SargonDragon Microsoft have delayed moving people to 24H2 while they work on fixing it. I have automatic updates on and I've still not been moved to 24H2
I only use my PC for gaming, so less updates is not a problem till I really need to replace my G2.
Nie kupię jeszcze długo. Sparzyłem się Pimax'ami Crystal Light i muszę ochłonąć. Nie mogę pojąć jak można wysłać w Świat taki złom?
You put Aero in don't recommend. I use and love my Reverb G2 and also have an 8kx. I am talking to someone about getting a used Aero for $500 USD. I have considered a crystal light, but got scared off by the bad quality control reviews. Also I know from the 8kx that I need better comfort and smaller form factor (I mostly do room scale VR and only in STEAM VR). I am considering the AERO as a holdover while I wait for the Meganex superlight (maybe). I still love my G2. Do you think the AERO is worth it at that price for a upgrade to G2 ?
Well you did not mention the Pimax Crystal Super that will be available in January 2025 that may be a super high res VR headset... Also no mention of the XR-4 from Varjo but that's really expensive and once you are in that budget range the VR1 will have to be your main focus maybe? Nice recap. Still using my HP Reverb G2 V1 without any issues. Windows 11 version 23H2 will be around for very long time with all the latest security updates so no worries but me personally will get the Pimax Crystel Light or Super in 2025... Don't know yet...Please help us out to decide on those two 🙂
Let's be honest will anyone even be able to run the super without a 5090
This is a list of headsets he recommends avoiding, not buying.
Did you fully understand the meaning of the title of this video?
HP Reverb v1 + Win10 for me. Until something comes along to beat it and not cost a ton of money, I'm staying there.
Im so mad at HP for not making a G3 , and even more mad at MS for no support in 24h2.
F them both
So sad about the G2. I have windows 10 right now.
Reverb G2 now and Win10. G2 getting the heat problem now and have to modify it (drill holes for cooling ...). Planing for 2025 getting Nvidia 5080 and will see what reviews the Pimax Crystal Super are getting and how Pimax is dealing with their customers when you need support.
I've had my Pimax Crystal light for 3 days. I love it but was very disappointed in the image quality. After messing with settings for days, I realized DCS looks so good on my monitor because of Reshade.
Yes, as clear and fantastic as the Crystal light is, it will not look as good as a 1440p monitor with Reshade.
I think its more risky to buy a new Pimax headset from Pimax (re- quality control issues) versus buying a second hand one. At least you can most likely test the 2nd hand one before buying
You might want to make a minor correction Steve. Varjo Aero support doesn't end this year. It ends at the end of NEXT year (2025).
Thanks for this, support ends Q1 of next year, so basically end of this yr :)
@@VRFlightSimGuy pretty sure end of support was mentioned as end of 2025 in their Discord. There is still more than a year of support left for the Aero.
"What does it mean for the future of the device? Official support will continue until the end of 2025 - but don't worry, you still will be able to use the device after that date. The end date means that there will be no more Aero-specific updates in the software."
@@VRFlightSimGuy also love these types of videos. People really need to hear more about the negatives of all the headsets on the market so they can make a more informed decision. Keep up the good work.
PCL. No issues with mine - software works well, clarity is great. - replaced my Reveeb G2. Was going to buy a Somnium VR1 but that company is run by a psychopath and gave it a hard pass. Don’t give that guy some money. PCL will be a placeholder until the super or new Valve headset releases.
Nicely incisive, might save some folks from disappointment.
Is it worth upgrading from a Valve Index to a quest3? I do a lot of Linux VR gaming so Im concerned a non native steamvr headset will be a nogo..
i can't answer your question but I can say that the OS of the Quest is based on Android so even if they purposely locked it down I think people would be able to hack it back to full functionality. In terms of pure compatibility it should not be an issue. Drivers would probably be the biggest headache if even
I really like the Sony psvr2 ,i do have quest 3 and pico4 too.
For cheap people like me the Pico 4 is wonderful, light, well balanced and works brilliantly with VirtualDesktop and SteamVR. MSFS 2024 is great if you care about nature or countryside like for low altitude helicopter flying. Otherwise MSFS 2020 has less bugs.
Hey man, did you see that Pimax just released the new Pimax Play Software supporting quad views. Does this matter for us VR pilots?
Just realized it's old news ;-) Would still be thrilled if it worked in VR on MSFS2020.
I just picked up a PSVR2 for $500 CAD after tax. Its my first time owning a PCVR headset and although I want a Q3 it is simply too much money at $720 CAD. All this talk about mura is putting me off but maybe it will be something I can adjust to. I would really love to play Half Life Alyx, Alien Isolation or any survival horror game on it.
are Pimax planning to have a subscription monthly payment for their new devices ?
Now that you said what you do not recommend I would like very much to hear about what you would recommend to buy in 2025 …
I'll keep using my HP as long as possible. 7800x3d system is GPU bottlenecked. Next upgrade is a new GPU in 2025.
Damn, my OG Crystal cost more than my first car…
I’m spending money on my 9800x3d upgrade from my 5800x3d
Which of course is not a cheap upgrade with new board /cpu /ram
So I’ll stay with my g2 for abit longer yet but the only one I would be interested in is the quest 3 tbh
As I just don’t trust pimax as the company headset is abit of a lottery and just don’t want the hassle
I've got reverb G2 V2 here again now, went through effort of installing win 11 23h2 on different drive just for it.
Used it for a couple of days and it's back in box again and back to the neo 3 link which I keep defaulting to on PC, overlap, edge to edge (what people refer to as sweetspot) brightness and crucially, game performance, controllers, tracking and general stability is miles beyond the G2.
Built in audio, sucks.
Faceplate, sucks (like G2, you need to get close to get best out of it)
Other than that, that is the reverb G2 alternative, nothing like quest 2 image and certainly nothing like dpvr awful image, if you can still find them that's a sensible and cheap tide over still until the new wave of headsets come.
Out of curiosity, if you're recommending that people not by the Varjo Aero in the video, which I think is a good call, why still encourage purchasing it as the "BEST VR headset on the market" with a link in the video notes?
Obviously it's a typo. Thx for letting me know
The Quest 2 regularly goes for the $50-60 region on eBay, so I do not see much reason to pay $300 for the 3S!
Slower processor, no passthrough, there's a reason it's $50-60 on Ebay. My old Quest 2 is sat gathering dust in a cupboard, although I also don't own a 3s either - I own the full fat Quest 3 because the pancake lenses are a massive step up from the Fresnel in the Quest 2 and 3s
@@acurisur
Not sure the processor matters for flight sim use, as the PC is doing all the work.
Does your "no pass through" comment imply no PC flight sim viewing? (seems unlikely as the chap on this video didn't mention that when talking about the 2 vs the 3S,.. AND I think I've seen him using one in the past!).
Personally, I have no interest in "local" VR games or anything run on the headset. As long as it can be used to view PC sims or play videos off my network, that's fine. I''d still prefer a full Q3 with ALL it's advantages, but my point was about the 3S not being worth 5x-6x a used 2.
@@poneill65 No passthrough means you can't see your yoke or flight stick in VR. On Quest 3 and 3s the headset can make a mixed reality "cut out" so you see your flight stick or yoke in VR, while still staying in VR for the rest of your field of view. This channel actually did a video about this feature only 2 days ago.
The processor does matter as PCVR on the Quest has to be compressed by your PC and then fed to the Quest, and on the Quest 2 the amount of compression needed is a lot more than on the 3 or 3s because it's a less powerful processor.
Also VR Flight Sim Guy hasn't used a Quest 2 on this channel for ages - because it's obsolete.
@@acurisur OK, thanks for the info, but perhaps lose the attitude or take a chill pill next time, lest people think you're a bit of a douche
finallybsomeone who agrees woth me about the psvr2 on pc everyone just crap talks me about it on here especially when i say the q3 has a far cleaner and crisper image
its just sucks that my pimax crystal showed up with so many issues. Thankfully they have a VERY generous return policy
Ordered a pimax Crystal light 2 weeks ago, not sure how long I will be waiting for it to turn up, already received my VR optician lenses and studio form comfort goodies for it.
Are your lenses plastic or glass?
@vangoghoff5521 good question, do you mean the VR optition lenses? They are plastic I'd say, which is a bit disappointing considering the cost.
But Google says that vr optician lenses are made from Zeiss glass.
@@paulsleighty mine are from vr wave and they are plastic, very disappointed in their performance. In the end I just used my glass reading glasses with the vr wave lense socket/surround over the pimax lenses so not to scratch them. Lost some fov but at least the image is clear.
@@vangoghoff5521 I read a way to check if the lenses were plastic or glass, suggested scratching the edge of the lens lol, like yeah I'm really going to do that aren't I. Flipping idiotic suggestion.
Pimax crystal
I can guarantee you did not use the proper 1.7x res on steamvr for your psvr2!
You most likely used 1.4x or lower
1.7x is the correct setting as stated by sony/polyphony because of the wider barrel distortion correction needed vs other lower fov headsets!
That is why you were getting blurry image!
I use a PSVR2 and its good!
Pimax crystal DCS multiplayer and Pico 4 for soloplayer
Dude the PSvr2 is fine i use mine on PC and PS5. You're better of getting one of them and spend the extra cash that the others cost on a new gpu.
The Pico 4
good onya moneybags some of us are poor
wich brings second hand old and its the best we can afford
and precious spoild child.... running our old second hand gear we still are happy the old ones are perfectly fine
What's your point? You're poor so what?
Quest3
👍👍👍
Another great video Steve . Thanks for the shout out on the PS VR2 headset loan 🍻. Waiting on Pimax Crystal Super coming (fingers crossed) in Jan 2025
Quest 3, perfect and the most affordable 👍🏻
Compression, janky Oculus Link software, requires aftermarket headstrap to even be usable.
It's far from "perfect".
@@ThrobbGoblin I uninstalled all the Oculus software because it's really cumbersome. I bought "Virtual Desktop" on STEAM, which works much better and also works better over WiFi than over a wired connection to the PC. Which surprised me because I always thought that a wired connection must be technically better. Through Virtual Desktop, the image has no artifacts caused by image compression.
@@ThrobbGoblin So use Virtual Desktop, it eliminates two of the problems you listed - compression (using the AV1 codec) and the Link software. Aftermarket headstraps are dirt cheap, if you can afford the Quest 3 you can afford a headstrap.
@@ThrobbGoblin Virtual Desktop takes care of the compression and bypasses the Link software. Aftermarket headstraps are dirt cheap. Hoenstly, these are very poor critiques.
Aero
Pimax crystal light will be a nice upgrade of my G2...
As long as you get good lenses
@@MrZoops17 I've seen no report of bad sets of lenses ? Do you have any data?
I ignored all the simmers in forums who had bad lenses. There were plenty of people who didn't have issues. Unfortunately the moment I looked through the lenses, I knew my recently purchased Crystal Light was jacked up. Thankfully the return process went well.
@@oczhaal no reports? lol.