Recommend Best VaM Friendly VR Headset in 2023?

[The Vamalorian]

I might be looking to sell my HP Reverb G2 and get another headset. I'm looking for recommendations of sets that of course look good, but the big thing I want is a headset that just "works" without a bunch of controller glitches. In surfing the web and forums, I find the G2 and VaM have a prickly relationship. Please, share your recommendations with functionality and ease of use/setup and compatibility being the primary benefit:

My Specs (Willing To Upgrade)
i5
32GB Ram
Windows 10
eVGA RTX 3070
And, of course I'm Windows Mixed Reality and SteamVR

Many thanks,

 

[atani]

You should put a price range in your topic, a 400€ quest/pico is no match for >1000€ devices.

I have a Pico 4, previously a G2 as mentioned in the other topic. I am very happy with the purchase, nice to be cable free, mostly using it with Virtual Desktop and ocasionally ALXR for some passthrough fun. The pancake lenses are great, a huge focus point compared to the G2 fresnel lenses and good brightness. Where the G2 wins is in the color saturation and sound, both were top notch.
The Pico doesn't need a WMR layer and VD/ALXR takes care of Steam stuff. You don't even need to use SteamVR if using VD with VAM.

 

[DJ]

I've used the vive, vive pro, reverb, and Index. The reverb had a great picture, but was a constant struggle to make it work. The Vive Pro was incredibly uncomfortable and wouldn't sit tight on my face.

The index just works, and is comfortable enough to wear all day long.

Early in my VR experience, I was all about that image quality. These days, I'm all about comfort and hassle free use. The index might not have the highest resolution out there, but it's good enough, and its other qualities would make it hard to jump ship to a newer headset.

 

[The Vamalorian]

I've used the vive, vive pro, reverb, and Index. The reverb had a great picture, but was a constant struggle to make it work. The Vive Pro was incredibly uncomfortable and wouldn't sit tight on my face.

The index just works, and is comfortable enough to wear all day long.

Early in my VR experience, I was all about that image quality. These days, I'm all about comfort and hassle free use. The index might not have the highest resolution out there, but it's good enough, and its other qualities would make it hard to jump ship to a newer headset.

Sorry for the slow reply to you both. Had to go on a work assignment.

I'm at the place too where I just want the friggin thing to work. And, if you look on eBay the G2s are selling dirt cheap... perhaps vam is not the only incompatibility problem.

I'll take a look at the Index. Thanks.

 

[DJ]

I don't think it's a Vam issue so much as a WMR issue.

 

[Jocks3D]

I've been using a Quest 2 with VaM for quite awhile and have not had any issues. I recently upgraded to the Pro controllers and the experience is even better. I'll probably get a Quest 3 when it comes out this fall.

Am I missing something and the Index and Vive offer something extra not found on the Quest?

 

[Saint66]

If you are low on budget wait for Quest 3, if not get a Quest Pro (saying that because they are broadly supported by 3rd party apps). Pico4 might also be an option

 

[Jocks3D]

if not get a Quest Pro

I thought I read that the Quest 3 may be a better value than the Quest Pro, having most of the best features of the Pro but at a better price. I also heard there may be a Quest Pro 2 coming out. So I'd be cautious about getting a Quest Pro now.

 

[Lytanshade]

i upgraded from a Quest1 to a Pico4 a while back and really, really miss the inky blacks from the OLED screen of the Quest1. I thought FOV+clarity was king, but the LCD screen in VAM is a worse experience for me. My next headset will definitely prioritize that!

 

[The Vamalorian]

So, budget is not the problem. I'm absolutely fine to invest in something that just works. I'm narrowing it down I think between the Quest 3 this fall and an Index. If anyone has other thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for everyone's advice.

 

[atani]

Under 500 € and available now I like a lot my Pico 4. This the competitor to the Q3, while the index is on a different ball park regarding characteristics and pricing.

It may all come down to how and in what ways you use your VR headset. I currently use it primarily with VaM, where cordless is not essential but very convenient, and the controllers compared to the G2 are more compact and do a better job overall for VaM needs. Potentially could use it connected by USB for unlimited playing time, but I found the battery to hold on quite well if I don't abuse the hours playing in VaM.
If you're interested in Passthrough capabilities, the Pico has a single color camera, which works well but the lack of depth perception impacts its use. The Q3 may improve on this, at least it has 2 cameras, but who knows how it will be. For this functionality, the Quest Pro and others over 1000 € headsets are clearly the best experiences with Passthrough/AR so far.

The Index is claimed as a very stable and comfortable headset, but it's quite dated now and you need base stations to use it. People claim it as a very solid headset, I believe them, and I recall considering it some years ago when searching for a headset, ending up buying a G2. It's unfortunate you have tons of problems with the G2, mine disappeared over time, and if it wasn't for that I'm not sure where the Index would be better than the G2 you have currently.

 

[cbkstudios]

I've been using a Quest 2 for some time now. I use the wireless link which seems to work pretty well.

However, I have read that headsets like the Quest that are typically used without a PC connection will never be quite as fast as headsets that are intended for PC connection as a standard. I'm not sure how accurate that is and don't have another headset to test. However, I typically see 60-70 FPS with 2 characters, environment, multiple assets, 2 lights, ect with my Quest 2 and a pretty good laptop setup. I've never noticed a difference using the cable link vs air link.

I'm in the market for a newer headset by the end of this year and leaning towards the Quest 3 unless, I can verify that cable linked headsets pull a significantly better FPS.

 

[keycode]

I've been using a Quest 2 for some time now. I use the wireless link which seems to work pretty well.

However, I have read that headsets like the Quest that are typically used without a PC connection will never be quite as fast as headsets that are intended for PC connection as a standard. I'm not sure how accurate that is and don't have another headset to test. However, I typically see 60-70 FPS with 2 characters, environment, multiple assets, 2 lights, ect with my Quest 2 and a pretty good laptop setup. I've never noticed a difference using the cable link vs air link.

I'm in the market for a newer headset by the end of this year and leaning towards the Quest 3 unless, I can verify that cable linked headsets pull a significantly better FPS.

you mean (if you get a honest display port headset) no latency and no need to compromise some visual quality (with graphic data-compression) for a fucking virtual desktop app. or for an usb fucking cable ? f[r]aps per second should be not related at all or just minimally, to the mentioned different connections.

 

[keycode]

You should put a price range in your topic, a 400€ quest/pico is no match for >1000€ devices.

I have a Pico 4, previously a G2 as mentioned in the other topic. I am very happy with the purchase, nice to be cable free, mostly using it with Virtual Desktop and ocasionally ALXR for some passthrough fun. The pancake lenses are great, a huge focus point compared to the G2 fresnel lenses and good brightness. Where the G2 wins is in the color saturation and sound, both were top notch.
The Pico doesn't need a WMR layer and VD/ALXR takes care of Steam stuff. You don't even need to use SteamVR if using VD with VAM.

still waiting for an important "experienced" resume from atani (would be great benefit for us reverb peones) with pico4+cable ... maybe... hopefully before I invest on my vam fap-future selling half kidney of mine, my fapping dignity to zukkiniberg, for a bastard meta quest 3.

Is it really so bad, a pico 4 playing quality, so much different (negatively) than that damned virtual desktop wireless streaming (besides being cable bound)? Is it noticeable any latency issue with a usb 3 cable? do the animations look fluid like with a reverb g2 or not??

(sorry for this direct question: there is near to nothing, no serious review about pico4+usb on the net, so I ask specifically to you because I was often reading your opinions and answers, always an useful and precious value for basic peones users like me, still with relatively modest hardware struggling with vam-beast)

 

[atani]

You're waiting for a review of mine using the Pico 4 with a cable?
Well, after 6 months with a Pico, the only reasons for which I connected the USB cable was to charge it and to copy over some apk files. I've had no need to compare it from using WiFi or USB as everything works similarly to what I used to have with the G2. Actually, I would not be able to use it with a cable because my longest USB-C cable is just 1 meter in length. I would barely be able to move my head using it connected to the PC

I'm quite confident that I would not notice anything worthwhile from wired to wireless in VaM, even though I did not try it and as such I can be in for a complete surprise.
The reasons for my assertion are:

• used previously a corded DP headset that is close enough in specs for some comparisons (G2)
• my wifi setup and network is reliable, low latency, close proximity to a dedicated router (single wifi client) and no congestion with the chosen channels
• immersion experience in VR using VaM

Streaming involves encoding and decoding of what is happening in the PC, so this can lead to "lower quality visuals" and artifacts. I don't know how it works with a USB cable, or if a DisplayPort would be very different than how USB operates on a android device like this. With the G2 it was a real screen, but here it may need some intermediary to connect to a standalone android device, which could lead back to the video encoding/decoding method.
On USB for a Pico, I suspect this is what is used, and if such what would be the main differences is bandwidth and latency. Considering that wifi 5 with a proper setup and good conditions has more than enough bandwidth and latency (can't see what I get client wise) seems to be good enough for a fluid use.

Now considering that a corded connection could deliver a little more fluidity or slightly better visual quality, would that be wortwhile? Note the bolding earlier on my assertion reasons. This would come with a cost, the cord, you're now bound by a wire and you do feel it regardless of what system you use. Being wireless helped my immersion experience, even if it potentially came with the cost of diminished visuals, fluidity, or FPS. To me it was worthwhile the change as I gained in what I wanted, immersion.

If you can't create a suitable WiFi setup for decent latency, then being wireless will suck. In the same way, if you can't make a cord setup to get it out of the way, you'll either stress about breaking the cable, the headset or your PC by accident, or may even end up doing it. Choose your poison

If you're sitting still a cord will possibly not be noticeable, and there you can take advantage of its benefits with higher bitrates. Or in fast paced games latency improvements may make a difference. For VaM, if you can have a reliable wifi setup, the freedom of cordless lets you enjoy more things and not care if that small skin detail is less visible.

 

[keycode]

You're waiting for a review of mine using the Pico 4 with a cable?
Well, after 6 months with a Pico, the only reasons for which I connected the USB cable was to charge it and to copy over some apk files. I've had no need to compare it from using WiFi or USB as everything works similarly to what I used to have with the G2. Actually, I would not be able to use it with a cable because my longest USB-C cable is just 1 meter in length. I would barely be able to move my head using it connected to the PC

I'm quite confident that I would not notice anything worthwhile from wired to wireless in VaM, even though I did not try it and as such I can be in for a complete surprise.
The reasons for my assertion are:

• used previously a corded DP headset that is close enough in specs for some comparisons (G2)
• my wifi setup and network is reliable, low latency, close proximity to a dedicated router (single wifi client) and no congestion with the chosen channels
• immersion experience in VR using VaM

Streaming involves encoding and decoding of what is happening in the PC, so this can lead to "lower quality visuals" and artifacts. I don't know how it works with a USB cable, or if a DisplayPort would be very different than how USB operates on a android device like this. With the G2 it was a real screen, but here it may need some intermediary to connect to a standalone android device, which could lead back to the video encoding/decoding method.
On USB for a Pico, I suspect this is what is used, and if such what would be the main differences is bandwidth and latency. Considering that wifi 5 with a proper setup and good conditions has more than enough bandwidth and latency (can't see what I get client wise) seems to be good enough for a fluid use.

Now considering that a corded connection could deliver a little more fluidity or slightly better visual quality, would that be wortwhile? Note the bolding earlier on my assertion reasons. This would come with a cost, the cord, you're now bound by a wire and you do feel it regardless of what system you use. Being wireless helped my immersion experience, even if it potentially came with the cost of diminished visuals, fluidity, or FPS. To me it was worthwhile the change as I gained in what I wanted, immersion.

If you can't create a suitable WiFi setup for decent latency, then being wireless will suck. In the same way, if you can't make a cord setup to get it out of the way, you'll either stress about breaking the cable, the headset or your PC by accident, or may even end up doing it. Choose your poison

If you're sitting still a cord will possibly not be noticeable, and there you can take advantage of its benefits with higher bitrates. Or in fast paced games latency improvements may make a difference. For VaM, if you can have a reliable wifi setup, the freedom of cordless lets you enjoy more things and not care if that small skin detail is less visible.

...so, I wish you (indeed) the best (clothed?) immersive vamPicoVamFun sir!! and my apologies for stealing your time: I am waiting for that fucking meta quest ... and can be I will test some fun with the pass-through stereo-vision. Not kidding, it seems a nice progress that meets even my crude taste on the VR argument. Can also be that my router (a very good wi-fi 6 model) will treat nicely even my newb wireless expectations. No more fights with that nervous long (5mt) dp cable ? would be good!

thanks a lot for your nice answer

 

[HolySchmidt]

I'm still using my Index and am willing to change it for something better for a long time now.

Has anyone experience with Pimax 8K+? I'm still really interested in what it feels like with a FOV of 200. I wont go beneath of what the Index offers regarding FOV.
What would be your pick if money is no factor? And I mean consumer market, not business headsets.

 

[keycode]

I'm still using my Index and am willing to change it for something better for a long time now.

Has anyone experience with Pimax 8K+? I'm still really interested in what it feels like with a FOV of 200. I wont go beneath of what the Index offers regarding FOV.
What would be your pick if money is no factor? And I mean consumer market, not business headsets.

probably you will enjoy it (left in a box?) for a long time if this review is honest https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pimax-vision-8k-plus. I would take the same, of course, if money was not a problem, together with the cheap zukkiniberg last toy, looking even at what they will offer with pico 5 .

...actually don't you care about a 3d_depth color passthrough? (together with the clarity of pancakes lenses, psychologically very very immersive ... imho, maybe more impressive than an expensive "compromise" wide FOV heavy magic box).

Sorry for my intrusion in the argument, but let me fart some impressions about quest 3 VD color passthrough performance: the "depth" stereo effect is excellent and the digital noise or visual fidelity/details are depending obviously (mostly) from the room ambient light. So a good quality of the quest cameras is unexpected even for an old photographer (with lot of analogic and digital reflex experience). I am speaking of vam experience with quest.

The best "environmental" vam scenes they seem suddenly banal when you consider the "natural" feeling that a good 3d passthrough can give. The subjective impression of a 4k vam skin rendering becomes magically more "true", as I was saying, because ... of the stronger psychological mix in your mind between a fantasy 3d character and your everyday reality. You can get that with one click and that fucking VirtualDesktop.

ps: maybe you have already tested or bought a quest-pro and quest 3

 

[HolySchmidt]

No I haven't, so thanks for your input! Actually the Index is the only headset I used so far so I have zero comparison but still pretty happy with it.

But there's a desire for higher resolution and wider FOV. Audio should be equal. I'd love to see an Index 2.

I watched some videos about the Quest 3 and it seems it's a pretty good headset. Will do some more research.

 

[HolySchmidt]

I just found out about the Somnium VR1. The specs look amazing. So will be the price I think.