$499 VR Headset VS $1599 VR Headset // What's The Difference? (Quest 3 & Pimax Crystal)

[@claybomb1064]

I have both of these headsets, I had the cash and I don't have a life or a girlfriend, so I bought the crystal The clarity is amazing, but honestly now that I have a quest 3 I'm regretting my crystal purchase. cheers beardo

[@toututu2993]

Yea most of the pcvr is overpriced like hell. Just need to wait for $600 self tracking pcvr headset with pancake lenses with a displayport connection

[@TRX25EX]

Exact same situation with me, Q3 is like Porsche car, Crystal is like Ariel Atom car, one can only be useful on track, other useful on every way while good enough on track

[@nikolibolokov4521]

Your not on your own I have no life or girlfriend either

[@xxjohnnyxrocketxx]

Bought my Crystal on Amazon, returned it. If you get it seated just right it is very clear. However for some reason it was slightly distorted for me and gave me massive headaches. My Q3 and Index did not do this to me. Pimax has a lot of work to do to get me to buy another one of their headsets.

[@supersprit5733]

Finding your Life should be your goal, give up Internet for 2 years, stay away from everything( especially from all people) then your Life will find you. Don't allow society, relationships or anyone to dictate your lif You are boss of ur life take charge of it. don't give a shit to whole world (n what others say). Start living it's never too late.

[@Nobody-Nowhere]

You can use dynamic foveated rendering on Skyrim to get it running well, as crystal has eye tracking.

[@bigbangerz5856]

yeah he could if he wants to, and some dark scene comparisons, situations where u get reflections in the pancake optics, off ear audio etc I guess we'll see if he comes back to it for a more detailed look or if it was 'a Meta Content piece designed to put the Quest3 in a good light' I hope not as there is enough of that nonsense on social media already. Quest 3 is better value though for most users I think we can agree on that...

[@SChristianCollins]

I think the biggest reason for "muddy" visuals on Quest 3 in a game like Skyrim is due to the video compression required to play wirelessly. Highly detailed scenes (such as a forest) take the biggest visual hit compared to interiors, city streets, etc. In addition, games that use deferred rendering (e.g., Skyrim, Asgard's Wrath, Lone Echo) have a lot more shimmering in the image, which also stresses the video compressor. Half-Life: Alyx uses forward rendering for a much smoother image that compresses better.

[@chromaticgrey4360]

That's definitely it. The compression in scenes/games with a lot of foliage and detail really make the compression stand out and look very blurry. The pimax has better colors, blacks, and more resolution of course. If the q3 had a display port, it would not have the issue. It still wouldn't have the black levels, but the clarity would be near on par.

[@betonman9]

with like 700mbit bitrate skyrim looks fine in forests....

[@jeanroger3506]

I usually play skyrim with wired link because of that

[@wingsoficarus1139]

Yep, which lets be honest isn't luckily the biggest moment right now in VR since those games are still are the more niche side and are the minority for VR games right now, but No Mans Sky(one of my favorite chill sorta games) is literally unplayable because of how much it stresses the Oculus Link cable. Its a shame.

[@desmond3245]

When I play Dirt Rally 2.0 I need 300mpbs bitrates on VD to not see the red tint compression artifacts. For most games I only need 150mpbs.

[@gamermovil_com]

This is a joke right? Comparing a full installation Pimax Crystal setup time to get into the game, to a already configured wireless network and router for Quest 3 as "seconds", it's just bad journalism. If you wanted to be fair, compare how long it takes to get Crystal to connect to PC from the first minute install, to setting up a brand new Oculus Quest 3 from the moment you turn it on, then you install the router, configuring the router, setting up correctly virtual desktop / oculus service, and play the game. That would be a close comparison, because once you have set up Pimax, the time to get ready for HL Alyx would be minutes at most, similar to Quest 3.

[@vicktorfilmbusker5492]

Thank you for covering the crystal! I've been disappointed how most vr channels have largely ignored this hmd. I'm a proud crystal owner and I absolutely love it. I agree with you that the controllers feels cheap though, but other than that, I think everything is perfect. When I first plugged it in, it was working right away, plug and play. I've actually had lots of more issues with my quest and virtual desktop than with the crystal. You should try the eye tracking enabled dynamic foveated rendering for skyrim without vr toolkit but just with pimax play, and you'll have much better performance. The eye tracking with both auto ipd and dfr is one of the most impressive features of the crystal imo.

[@TonyDrecaps]

Well said

[@Snack.Dragon]

How about mura effects on Pimax, do you see it same Q3 with mura layer in white background ?

[@vicktorfilmbusker5492]

@@Snack.Dragon I haven't seen any myra at all. However, I have noticed other small imperfections and artifacts on occasions. Strangely enough, even with such extremely high resolution, a slight screen door effect can appear on some white/bright uniform areas. Although, this seems to be very unpredictable, because sometimes it's not there in places I thought it would be and vice versa. The second thing is chromatic abberation, which is quite noticeable in sharp gray lines like menus and such. Though, this is an optic artifact and can be reduced to pretty much nothing simply by correcting the hmd's position on your face. For me, that's the only weakness in the image of the crystal, while the clarity sweet spot is huge, the "optical sweet spot" is small, and if you're a bit off it'll affect the colours and it feels like you're changing the white balance. Anyhow, with the eye tracking on, the hmd will tell you when you're wearing the hmd correctly, so it's not really an issue.

[@Helltech]

Also index controllers (and basestations) take the crystal to the next level.

[@tigerman7038]

i really have hopes for the new crystal light, what we need as everyone else has said is a cheap headset with high resolution, pancake lenses and direct pc connection, in my case with or without insideo uot tracking, as i have already steam base stations. we need an headset that can beat q3 specs at the same price range, even without stand-alone features, wireless thing can be a big plus but not mandatory in my hopinion, a linked headset is lighter on your neck and much cheaper, and doesn't suffer from compression, it is lighter for the pc too as it doesn't have to compress the video. Wireless can be an extra piece, that maybe you can put on your pants, like the vision battery so it will not hurt your neck, i'm very sensible to weight.

[@Delver639]

Meta should have done something to allow the use of Thunderbolt/USB4 on their headset, thus making it possible to tether the Quest 3 to be used with no compression. With modern accessible hardware finally bringing Thunderbolt/USB4 to the masses, that would make a huge impact in the market. Adding a small chip to deal with TB4/USB4 and bypassing the compression stage in the pipeline would make PCVR even more appealing and accessible, maybe saving battery and allowing higher graphics settings in games

[@ComplexAutist]

They gotta save that for Quest 4 tho, perhaps once they have the tech it could be used on q3 as some sort of passthrough adapter? Who knows what the future holds

[@masamasa1815]

In any tech sector that moves quickly don't spend huge amounts of money unless you have a ton of disposable income. It doesn't matter if it's a TV or a VR headset next year the new latest and cutting edge will come out and the resale value of your cutting edge tech will be far lower and you'll be left wishing for the new features. In my opinion the VR space moves far to fast at this point to be spending thousands of dollars on a headset.

[@toututu2993]

Yea right now most of the pcvr offering is not just expensive, but also lack updated technologies that will become obsolete within 2 years. I'm not saying that they have to charge their headset as low as Meta Quest. They just need to add all the latest techs in their rediculus $2,000 priced headset

[@BowserSmb-t2k]

Exactly im still rocking a samsung odyssey I bought used for $180 in 2017. The image quality still looks good when I crank the resolution scale past 200% Once Aero quality headsets are 500 used ill upgrade.

[@batterynerd8779]

That‘s true. But the bottleneck is actually the PC. The VR headset is just a display. If you get a crystal light for 699$ it‘s really a good price.

[@kaneblaireau4864]

I’ve got my Q3 brightness down around 30%. Your eyes adjust to the overall brightness and the darks look better!

[@eeeeyuke]

Also, night mode with warmth about 1/3 of the way up gives more realistic colors.

[@TrevorJones1]

Oh hey, try AirCar on the Crystal and prepare to have your jaw drop. Just make sure to go into the ini file and disable AA if your perfomance isnt good enough. (AA isnt really necessary at the 5100 pixel native resolution and is known to tank performance for little discernable benefit)

[@Nobody-Nowhere]

I think air car even supports foveated rending, it should run really well on a 4090.

[@TrevorJones1]

@@Nobody-Nowhere ha, most things run really well on a4090.

[@GodslayerXUL]

This hub is optional. The standard way to connect the Crystal is to use the rather simple single cable with one plug for the Crystal and 3 plugs for the PC (1xDP, 2xUSB). It's really not complicated at all. I also have to say my experience with software was a lot better than your's. The new Pimax software is rather easy to use. Yes, at first you probably should install the latest firmware (as you also do for other devices). But after that it's very simple to load up games. I had no issue with HL:Alyx. Just worked out of the box. So did every other game so far, except Lone Echo (which sadly has a color space bug for non-Oculus headsets and looks a lot darker than it should). The software part was my biggest fear before buying the Crystal, but it turned out to be pretty alright. I agree on the controllers, though, they really should have been on Quest level at least.

[@directorscut4707]

Lone Echo 2 has that bug too? :(

[@therealbagface9388]

Its garbage,FANBOY.

[@TrevorJones1]

My Crystal has 1dp and a single usb.

[@vicktorfilmbusker5492]

I had the same experience. I honestly think that setting up a quest and virtual desktop from scratch (making a meta account etc) is a lot more fuzz than installing pimax play and plugging in a couple of usb cables. Also, if you don't have a dedicated router very closer to your place space, it's kind of nd of a pain to play pcvr with on a quest, and the compression and latency kind of kills it for me.

[@WigganNuG]

@@vicktorfilmbusker5492 Yea, but wired PCVR is literally useless unless your just interest in flying and racing. Roomscale wired PCVR is not going to be an acceptable thing for most people. Its fucking stupid. And watching people play roomscale VR games seated in fucking chair makes me want to club a baby seal!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@axev133]

It's like watching a comparison of a Volkswagen with a Porsche. They both move you from A to B, but the Porsche is way faster and driveable but costs three times as much. Yeah right... FYI I have the Pimax Crystal i.c.m. I9-13900K and RTX4090. I had no issues with the Pimax software and I mainly use this VR set for flight simulation (DCS/MSFS2020). I can't run sims on cheap VR sets anymore because I'm spoiled with the clarity of the Crystal now. I do agree that the controllers of the Pimax aren't what you might expect, but for flight sims, I don't use them anyway.

[@howdareyou5800]

It's more like a Toyota vs a BMW Jaguar is the apple vision

[@Bell_Arclide]

I think it was a little unfair to compare the set up times between the two when you already had the quest 3 set up. Its a little disingenuous to say that it took 40 mins to set up the Pimax and only seconds for the Quest because if you were also setting up the Quest for the first time there are also like 40 mins worth of updating and downloading the virtual desktop software for the first time

[@NextWorldVR]

No. No it wasn't. The Quest 3, is wireless, doesn't really require setup, The Pimax I had, was a nightmare to setup EVERY SINGLE TIME I used it. The software is primitive, finicky, and actually unpredictable.

[@metalceesie219]

To compare,you better had to use the link cable with the right settings in the debug tool(990MBS SETTING,LINK SETTING ON QUALITY) with the quest 3..Then you had way less compression in a game like that and looks way better...Try it!But great video!

[@maegnificant]

You can use 200mbits of AV1 encoding without a cable. Looks better.

[@metalceesie219]

@@maegnificant no with big open games you have more compression then with the link cable with the right settings

[@maegnificant]

@@metalceesie219 i will try that when I get my cable

[@betonman9]

no it doesnt...av1 looks like shit in skyrim open areas....@@maegnificant

[@wingsoficarus1139]

@@metalceesie219 The link cable also has compression issues too unfortunately. Luckily, its only noticeable with games with a ton of visual effects or foliage. No Mans Sky is near unplayable for example on some planets.

[@Haruchai01]

Really appreciate the video. Having read, and heard about, the Pimax this is the first time I have seen a direct comparison. Very interesting. 👍

[@NitroVipers3]

I dont know why you have so many problems with the Crystal. I had it set up and running Alex in 15 minutes. It is hooked to my pc and all I have to do is launch the pimax app, then steam vr and I can play anything with no adjustments. This video feels like a misrepresentation of the Crystal. You didn't even talk about eye tracking and auto IPD and foveated rendering.

[@psyedk]

really cool vid man it's distracting listening to all the 'VR Pros' talking about supposed perfect PPD values and comparing FOV of different HMDs and all that crap but comes down to it there's a sweet spot of quality at a price, and as you go up double, triple that price, unfortunately the quality doesn't increase in step 🤔🤔🤔

[@viktorianas]

For those who want EVEN MORE bang for your Buck, Pound or Euro or Yen or any other currency, PICO 4 is still the KING 👑(unless you are deep in Metaverse ecosystem already).

[@demonpride1975]

i have used both, and honestly it may surprise you the conclusion i came to, the crystal has a sweet fov black levels and speakers. problem is that it took me a while to set up everything. i had similar problems with the software. but the fov is a huge upgrade. the quest 3 while not as black, has decent speakers, black levels are fine nothing spectacular. but the controls on the quest 3 are far superior. i found the tracking on my quest 3 to also be a bit better. the problem being tho, that i don't see the pimax price being justified for only 3 things that may be slightly better.

[@supersprit5733]

Aero selling @999, when Pimax stocks pile up they will also sell below 1000( if they care business). Interesting to see somnium and Aero 2 Headsets.

[@Zerinth]

@@supersprit5733 are both of them a decent upgrade (fov and display clarity) on the reverb G2 ?

[@supersprit5733]

@@Zerinth G2 is good what it offers for its price. But it's lens is outdated, quest 3 lens changed the equation now, G2 has small sweet spot.if clarity (& resolution) is your priority crystal, aero and Big screen beyond are in top of the list, if price is constraint go for quest3 it's an all rounder.

[@roberthartmanleonard3349]

The mixing of wireless with wired makes me question the usefulness of this comparison. This video looks only at image quality, but it ignores the fact that the Quest 3 is connected wirelessly. I previously used the HP Reverb G2 with Index controllers and I switched to the Quest 3 for wireless PCVR. It's hard to quantify how annoying a wired connection can be. It's even harder to make the apples-to-oranges comparison between image quality vs the immersion loss caused by a tether. But, for me, this has been the most important trade-off I've needed to consider. I have an RTX 3080 so I can't use AV1, but I have a dedicated Wifi 6e connection for the Quest 3. I've tried both H.264+ at 500 Mbps and HEVC 10-bit at 200 Mbps, and both show *significant* compression artifacts in Skyrim. Due to snow and fog, Skyrim is a torture test for compression algorithms. Compared to the G2, the image quality is much worse, but this is entirely due to compression. At the end of the day, I prefer the Quest 3 due to the wireless capability. Due to the loss in quality caused by image compression, you should compare wired vs. wired and wireless vs. wireless (yes I know the Quest uses compression when wired; but that would be a more apples-to-apples comparison). Also, when discussing a wireless PCVR setup, it is important to discuss the bit rate and compression algorithm used. I'm curious to see what I'm missing out on by mot having AV1. I'm also curious to see what the compression will look like when the Pimax Crystal Wigig adaptor releases. A final note: Remember that KZbin adds it's own compression artifacts to videos. If you decide to make a video looking at image compression, I suggest using zoomed-in still images in the video.

[@nese1]

I don’t play skyrim, but the games I do play (half life alyx) has completely lost all compression artifacts after using av1. I also use wifi 6e router and my graphic card is 4080, so the experience for me is seemless. This of course might not appeal to many people since the cards with dual av1 encoders (4070ti and up) will cost a lot of money.

[@ghostazp3377]

I agree the setup time is was a dealbreaker with the reverb g2. Quest 3 so easy

[@666Azmodan666]

I've had pimax for years and starting a game involves turning on pitool (because I personally turn it off, which is not the default setting) and selecting the game title, so I'm not complaining. The fov in the Crystal is still low compared to other Pimax models. Now it's black friday and crystal costs 1300...

[@TrevorJones1]

yeah but compared to a Quest 2 it's like 20% bigger.

[@666Azmodan666]

@@TrevorJones1 20% creates a wow effect, now think what the almost 50% larger fov, i.e. 170 in Pimax 8k, does. Personally, when I play at 170 and switch to 150, I feel a lot of discomfort and lack of immersion.

[@maxwellsmith5627]

I want to sell my Index for a Quest 3. Should I?

[@theLuwieCat2.0]

yes

[@quidnunc01]

I still use index for some games (when performance matters) but it's hard to play any games where the graphics matter because the index resolution is so low (even with 200% SS). Maybe test Quest 3 then sell index after

[@maxwellsmith5627]

@@quidnunc01 how would I test the quest 3? I don't really know anyone that owns one.

[@quidnunc01]

@@maxwellsmith5627 you can return within 30 days when buying from meta, and likely others like Amazon too

[@claybomb1064]

yup

[@Steve-ei2vh]

I own one and when asked in setup, how high of the floor, the best way is to put the head set on the floor and input zero (0) then it will automatically no how high the head set is when you are wearing it and scale accordingly. the floor will be perfect every time and so will your height very quick to set up.....

[@Madeyes6]

Every time I watch someone review VR headsets they go on about the setup for PCVR systems. Why? Why is it such an issue? It’s a one time thing. You set it up & you’re done & until you buy a new PC or headset you never have to touch it again. For that you get better tracking, no battery issues, no lag & generally a much better headset. Yes you’re tethered but for anyone who’s used a PCVR for a long period of time it’s never an issue. It may get a little inconvenient now & again but it’s a lot less inconvenient as having to recharge your headset. In fact one of the thing I don’t like about the crystal is the fact it has batteries. No PCVR user cares about the setup time. I wish you’d all stop going on about it. As to issues setting up with the game. I bought the game, downloaded it & stated playing immediately. You don’t have to set the headset up each time you start a game so it has nothing to do with the actual review.

[@barnold62]

I like sims and I tried them both and the crystal just blows you away with the clarity and colors. If you are playing standing up and moving around then I go with another. I still think the Varjo is #2 headset if you can get one and have the video card to run it.

[@KusholaCam]

PSA: My quest 3 left controller broke after 10 days of use. I've since returned it

[@The_Supreme_Savage]

How 🤨

[@ClinchRiverHomestead]

Just put the pimax on the floor and set the height to 0 and calibrate lol you don't need to measure your head from the floor 😂

[@andrewmutavi590]

Anyone with a 4090 can own a pimax or varjio headset,I mean they literally are in the same price bracket,everyone else,its a huge no no

[@Paulie8K]

Great video. I have Quest 2 and recently got a Quest 3. I also have a gaming rig with an RTX 3080. The dedicated PCVR headsets are impressive but I'm so spoiled by being completely wireless and despite the fact that I'm a big flat screen gamer, I find myself using VR more for the social apps such as VRC, Horizon, Big Screen etc. I have HLA and still only on chapter 4 after 3 years. I'm hoping that valve is making a stand-alone upgrade to the index as that's something I would be interested in.

[@ZerocoolsPropsandCollectibles]

Get a cheap wifi 6 router I played thru most pcvr games wirelessly on my quest and quest 2.

[@LouRaX]

im using the quest 3 only via cable for PCVR... there is no compression no lag no battery problems

[@Paulie8K]

@@LouRaX nice. To each his own. I actually have a third party link cable but barely use it. I just do Virtual Desktop or now Steam LInk for PCVR. Mine also doesn't play and charge at the same time so my Q3 has to be fully charged for me to justify using the cable.

[@LouRaX]

@@Paulie8K you need a PC with a PD Port or like i i own a amazon combine charge cable that works via USB 3.0 but does have a 2nd port usb-C to connect to a power outlet... it just combines the USB Data with the USB POWER from the brick

[@Paulie8K]

@@LouRaX I see. My desktop doesn't have a PD port but I have a Alienware also with a 3080 (long story) and in the back it has a USB C I believe thunderbolt port that can be used for external GPUs. Maybe I'll try to see if that can play and charge as to your original point, compression is a non issue on the wire which I do like.

[@stevebobowski3507]

For me it was more about who i gave my money to and I wasn't about to be a Zucker if you catch my drift.

[@samcurmudgeon]

Don't forget that Pimax's "customer service" makes Dell, AT&T, and Comcast customer service look good.

[@netgeek3010]

Was about to say something similar they have the worst customer service period. I could not get my Primax 8K working with my 3090Ti and that I requested a software update but even then it was a microcode update and was hit or miss and required approval first. I gave repeated requests and no email response for my brand new Primax 8K. Someone online said just upgrade to the 4080 should fix the issue? I am not about to throw away a 1500 dollar card to dump another 1300 to not even sure will fix the problem setup. I have owned my Quest 3 now for over a month and it just with updates gets better and better. The through the lens technology is fantastic like really amazing and the lens clarity and FOV is way better then my HP Reverb G2 the nonsense that HTC Vive Pro 2 has 120 degree FOV is completely wrong the Quest 3 has at least 110 degree FOV and is better then the Pro 2. It also works fantastic wirelessly even boosted the frame rate to 120hz no problems.

[@theayatollahofrockandrolla]

Where's that GTA that was promised? I'm not even going to look at VR till it comes out.

[@BowserSmb-t2k]

Rockstar makes alot of promises they cant keep. The GTA 5 VR mod is pretty good though.

[@ComplexAutist]

That initial statement on Q3 being good for time to go for 90% of users.. 💯

[@onikaze8445]

I either missed or you didn't mention what those settings were, like wireless/wired, airlink or Virtual Desktop, bitrate, compression method(.264, av1) , etc. specifically for the skyrim portion. I think the foveated rendering , which already downgrades the image at certain point coupled with the compression/bitrate could have a compounding effect. Perhaps turning the foveated off in the ovr setting for the q3 might improve it a bit esp since you didn't think it was working in the pimax for a more apples to apples comparison.

[@didrickkazowski2340]

Exactly the review I was looking for. Thanks!

[@boitmecklyn4995]

My mum uses an ultrawide monitor just to see text better and I am thinking of getting her a quest 3 to see if it'll make her work on a PC easier because you can have a larger screen appear over a physically large screen. Games are secondary.

[@lowdownbrown2002]

What's up Beardo? Love your channel. I have a question. When you have three monitors up on the quest three, is there any way to remove the Task Bar . Is there a way to set it where it only comes up when you move the controller around. And if anyone in the community knows anything about this I appreciate the response.

[@metrotyler]

your question is very unclear but I can try to answer with two things: - you can use WIN+P to access projection settings and choose only monitor which is recommended for VR - if you go into your taskbar settings, you can choose to show the taskbar on only one display by unticking "Show my taskbar on all displays"

[@natemck7131]

Half life has monsters? I thought it was a puzzle game. We need this for PSVR2!!!!!!!!

[@jamierichards925]

HL a puzzle game 😂were you been since 1998

[@potatoglizzy3212]

I'm someone who on average spends about 30 hours a week in VR playing racing sims (you could say an enthusiast) and have been in the market for a headset to upgrade from my trusty Valve Index for the past year. The Crystal almost had me, until I saw the size of the damn thing. Spending sometimes 6 hours of a day in VR there is no amount of money you could pay me to have a brick that large strapped to my head. Regardless of image quality there is just too much wrong with the Crystal to warrant the price. Bigscreen beyond almost had me, but OLED scares me due to screen burn in, the small FOV, god rays and lack of ability to share the headset, again, put me off. I have now ordered a Quest 3 after doing lots of research and I honestly can't wait to get my hands on it. The price, visual quality, plug and play nature and small form factor just can't be beaten, even for nerds like me who basically spend a full working week playing fake cars with lenses glued to my eyeballs

[@clownanaround7996]

I’d still buy the oculus 2 for 100 dollars

[@Weeem]

I just transitioned from Rift S to Quest 3. It doesn't have the black levels of my OLED TV (and I guess PIMAX) but the fidelity and new lenses make it a huge upgrade from the RIFT S. The plus being I can take it anywhere as its not longer bound by a cable to the PC (unless I want to). The only negative I've experienced is the short battery life on the Quest 3. I can stretch it to 3hrs and it's good that it makes us take a break in long gaming sessions, but the 2hr+ recharge it too slow imo. Reminds me of old RC cars where the play time is short vs the recharge time. Make it feel more of a toy than a serious gaming device.

[@inabearsuit2425]

so my question is whats the difference between air link and virtual desktop??

[@jokalee]

Some people swear that you get higher quality than with Air Link though I've seen some videos that show otherwise.

[@BowserSmb-t2k]

I thought the quest 3 was 200 or 300 for some reason. Personally I wouldnt buy one for more than that. I Only kinda want one because they are now making games that are exclusive to it that wont come to PC.

[@diruuu]

For what reason? Meta is at loss for producing Quest 3. The production cost itself is almost $500. This is the best VR headset you can get right now in term of price/feature ratio.

[@BowserSmb-t2k]

@@diruuu Its Just not very good compared to what we have on the PC market. But if this is my only way to play all these new games coming out I might get a used one.

[@andysonofbob2599]

Need to up bitrate when using Link. 500 doesn't cut it for Skyrim. You will need to copy and paste at least 750 to the Debug Tool. I use 800. Obvs not as clear as DP but it's way better than the default.

[@mithrillis]

I think at this point, direct output wired headsets still have a significant visual advantage over streaming headsets even with similar display quality. Even with a Reverb G2 (similar display resolution to Quest 3) you can notice much cleaner textures and better distant objects vs the Quest 3. But you can get very close with wired oculus link at maximum bitrate. Using commonly available home Wi-Fi (5G without 6/6E) you will still notice frequent compression artefacts. Maybe in a few years, the average home Wi-Fi speed will be sufficient to support better wireless experience, and we will have better device-side upscaling or even frame generation to reduce the data needed to be transmitted.

[@dharkbizkit]

well, i have no experience in that department so iam going off reddit post. and people there basically say: even when wired, with maximum allowed bitrate of 900(?) you will still have strong compression artefacts in foliage heavy games like skyrim because smal moving parts like gras and leafs, are the arch nemesis of compression. so if one is sensetive to that sort of thing, theres no way around that on the quest 3, just because meta decided not to go with displayport via usb protocol like playstation or the aero, which to me, sounds like an intenational downgrade to not make this a perfect pcvr headset, because then the meta store would sell less

[@_bob_8170]

Great content Ben. Peace out

[@privileguan9127]

1600$ is just too much considering you could get a whole gaming rig for that price tag. The cables would bother me as well. On the other hand, I'd never support Zuckerberg's data kraken.

[@dllsmartphone3214]

my main reason to buy the quest 2 over any other headset was the fact that you dont need external cameras and cables. walking freely around my space is a minimum requirement for me when using vr. and that there are still "up to date" hardware that still need cables connected to the headset and external cameras is just a shame! and most of them cost also more... i will buy myself the quest 3 for chrismas :-)

[@vicktorfilmbusker5492]

Same reason I originally bought a quest 2. However, with a wire pulley system installed in the sealing, the cable is unnoticable on the crystal, and you don't need any base stations or cameras. Also, it's going fully wireless soon with a little wigig module wich will be released in a couple of months from now.

[@firestuka8850]

Really, this reinforces the quality of the Quest 3 for its price. Simply, if you want VR, you use the Quest 3. If you are a person who has an RTX 4090, then you're probably going to pay for premium, regardless of price, then the conversation for/against top shelf is irrelevant. Simply: 90% of us would get a Quest 3 and be happy. Done. Going for $1100 more for a slight visual upgrade, for me, from a 3070 to a 3070ti is not worth the price jump. This is a good way to show us and reinforce the ease of access to VR for most of us. Thank you, Benjo.

[@NextWorldVR]

I got a Pimax 5K after they updated to 120fos, but the Software for it was so primitive, I spent far more time trying to get it to work than actually using it,... I will get one again when i hear it has 'gotten there'..

[@zombygunslinger]

I just got a Quest 3 after using a Reverb G2. It is a lot easier to set anything up and being able to play simple games, like Beat Saber, wirelessly without even remote desktop is great. I haven't had success with Virtual Desktop, it seems to have terrible lag and stuttering, I may have to do some troubleshooting, but with a cable it's great. I'm glad there are companies pushing the envelope, but I'm pretty happy with the quest 3 so far. On the subject of controllers, the controllers on the G2 had a very weak implementation of rumble/haptic feedback. The Quest 3 controllers have much better haptic feedback.

[@Descenter1976]

IMO it a huge blunder thry did not make the Quest 3 with oled screens. If the had, i would 100% have bought one. My 65" LG tv, my Chromebook and my 34" ultrawide PC screen are all oled screens. I simpelt cant go back I have a feeling that we will get a Quest 3 version 2 with oleds and a bit better battery and few other minor upgrdes within a year.

[@mikegc3816]

My Daily Driver is the Q3, I am umming and ahhing (If thats spelt right!) about the pimax for sim games. Apparently the Q3 lenses are better.

[@christophermorton914]

How much does a Quest 3 cost if you want better storage, better battery life, a charging station and for it to feel comfortable on your head?

[@cheeeeezewizzz]

about 800-900 usd

[@dharkbizkit]

0:55 i feel like iam in the 10% here.. and the 5% of those, who dont wanna spend 3 times as much on a crystal. what iam looking for, is something between the q3 and the crystal but thats the market thats basically dead on current gen terms. because there is no reverb g3 or index 2 etc. but overall. theres always deminishing returns with stuff like this, so dollar to pixel compering isnt really possible and when one competitor gets sold around production cost and the other doesnt, its even harder to say. my biggest problem: i cant stand sde, so thats the factor for me and its THE factor, thats the most cost intensive to manufacture. vr and 3d is cool, but it doesnt carry all the weight for me. sure i was impressed by my first vr experience, but i wanna enjoy that, without have to tolarate backsteps on different parts. its liking playing half life 1 on 8k with 8k texture, sure that res is impressive and the texture are soo clear, yet, they are still applied to a 80 polygon model. SDE went away from displays over a decade ago but now with vr, its back. and to my eye and my perception, its a backstep. i understand why its there and so on, but i cant help to feel like its a tradeoff. get depth but that leads to sde on the other side of the coin. i really hoping for the pico 5 series but if we put it differently: what would your opinion be, if the pimax, even with its software hassle, would be a 899 dollar device? also added: the worping is due to the aspheric lenses.. not that i wanna defend it, but you if have prescriptionen glasses, which you can also get in aspheric, you will have the same effect with them everywhere you look. so the glasses wearer of us, know this effect and i have to say: you get used to it and stop noticing it, talking from experience here. i bet, if i tried the crystal, i wouldnt notice the effect but then notice that it isnt happening, on the quest 3 and feeling like "well, this feels strange"

[@patfish3291]

HL scared me with my old Vive way more than with the Q3 because of the OLED Screens

[@Helltech]

As much as I appreciate this video anyone with a crystal is going to have basestations and index controllers... Yes more expensive but greatly enhances the experience. I just wish the quest had oled.

[@beedykh2235]

Though less technologically impressive, Quest 3 is cheaper and more performance friendly. It's a winner for me.

[@Orain88]

The fact that psvr headsets have used oled displays from day 1 has kinda ruined most other lcd display headsets for me. That said, quest 3 is far and away the best lcd display for contrast ratio I've ever experienced and I do find it way more tolerable than my hp reverb g2.

[@Orain88]

The fact that psvr headsets have used oled displays from day 1 has kinda ruined most other lcd display headsets for me. That said, quest 3 is far and away the best lcd display for contrast ratio I've ever experienced and I do find it way more tolerable than my hp reverb g2.

[@HH-zh2os]

Played HL Alyx on CV1 (OLED), darkness matters in VR. I have the Q3 now and I just can't get over the dark areas being gray AF. I am trying to get used to it. Here's hoping for a VR OLED resurgence. Micro OLEDS from here on out for future headsets I hope.

[@Jdb63]

I feel the same way when I switch over to the Quest 3 after playing my PSVR2. The clarity is great on the Q3 but the color vibrancy and darkness contrast that OLED brings matters a lot more than most VR content creators let on. Everything feels washed out after switching to the Quest 3. Regardless, I love both headsets

[@FibonacciMan42]

Great review, and subscribed. But try to get out of the habit of saying "around" and then specifying an exact number. "Around 14 dollars and 99 cents" is a crazy phrase. "On average", or "usually" would work so much better. "Its like i asked you how old you were and you said "Roughly 28 years, 4 months, 3 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes old". The roughly just sounds comical by that stage. Having said all that, love your work man, great reviews.

[@WigganNuG]

I can't believe you didn't mention comfort. That Pimax is WAY to big. Its really only meant for racing and flying as you can't viably play roomscale games wired without tripping on cables or having to "get gud at cable sense" which is just dumb. This is really no longer a debate; Wired PCVR will not be accepted except by only a VERY small niche of people who ONLY play racing and flight sims... maybe 100 people in the world? lmao.. j/k. Just on comfort alone, let alone its a wired VR headset, I would NEVER drop even $500 for that Pimax, let alonge 1500. Total rip off.

[@dathyr1]

Well for me, this is a no brainer. For me, Cost is the first main factor. Before I got my Quest 3, I watched many video reviews on it and people that play the same SIM racing games I do. All of them said it was a great VR headset for SIM racing. Plus the Quest 3 is allot lighter on the head and I have a better 3rd party head strap for comfort. The Quest 3 works very well with all my SIM racing games. I connect my Quest 3 via a USB link Cable for best results. Seems to work well for me. Maybe the PIMAX Crystal or Crystal lite maybe a better VR headset, but I will stick with my Quest 3 for a while. Take care.

[@georgemcgnarly3144]

I have both of these headsets. I prefer the Pimax because of the video quality and that it uses the DP. I can't compare these headsets outside of using them because the quality is so much better when using OBS because it isn't capturing what the headsets are showing. A major issues I have with Pimax is the sound quality if you don't have the dmas. I'm currently waiting on the Varjo.

[@gluehoof573]

I'd love to see a like for like comparison, i.e. wired vs wired and wireless vs wireless _when_ Pimax finally releases wireless. If it's already got the hardware and it's literally just a software/firmware update required, then that is a huge red flag. It means that they have to downscale the visuals _so_ much to get wireless working practicably, that they haven't dared enable it yet and piss off users and turn away potential users. My bet is they're hoping for a miracle that can improve it enough from where they've gotten to so far.

[@manuelkimpel3788]

You should try the Varjo Aero which has similar amazing crisp image quality like the pimax crystal. The cable setup is just less painful than the Pimax because its a native PCVR Headset so you are not going to run out of battery which means no charger has to be plugged.. :) But i have to admit that the FOV and the colors are much lower. But that didn´t bother me after 10 mins of gaming. I guess you can use the Valve index controllers with the pimax crystal and they are thebest hand controllers i used so far. You dont even have to hold them on your hands because they sticked to your hands.which was very comfortable for me. Thankyou for the video! :)

[@ellensamir374]

VR glasses are too heavy, leave red marks on my face. Would love to upgrade my quest 2 to quest 3. 😊

[@betonman9]

buggy, overcomplicated...lags on 4090....no thank you

[@jamieh8240]

I own both of these headsets and after a week I was starting to regret purchasing the Pimax. After 2 weeks, when I finally got the Pimax settings sorted for the flight sim I wanted it for, its clarity leaves the Quest for dead. Not that there is anything wrong with the Q3, it's still my go to for games like Half-life Alyx where I don't want to be tethered but it's so much better for flight sims. Having said that, for ease of use, buy the Q3. If you have the patience and knowledge to set it up, the Pimax is the better headset, but then it should be for the price.

[@rottieman]

Whats the face gasket youve got on your quest 3?having trouble with comfort on my q3 as it feels like a heavy brick digging into my cheek and brow...and yes i own a halo headstrap🤷‍♂️

[@sheep7255]

imo, there are four options for vr headsets. From cheapest to most expensive, Quest 3, BSB, Somnium VR1 when it comes out pretty soon, and Varjo XR4. This is a very small list, but these headsets do pretty much everything you could want, good price whilst being standalone with pretty good visuals, weight over everything, very high fov and as open source as can be, and top notch visuals with some of the best eyetracking and mr. The quest 2 is soon probably going to be discontinued, and there's soon going to be a quest 3 "lite", so I don't like including it.

[@Snack.Dragon]

Different is Q3 = polycarbonate vs Pimax = glass, Q3 = pancake lenses ( milk+ sugar = mura effects) vs Aspheric ( curve effects ), Q3 = 530 grams vs Pimax = 990 grams

[@maxzeblade]

Lets just say it why lie? You eather know allot about VR or you don't. You know Quest 2/3 if you want to play PC games you need a cable and you need to buy another so it charges and play PC games yet still drains the battery. You know the Quest 3 has a bigger battery yet drains allot faster. You know many will want a new head strap you know most will want a bigger battery which just those two are not cheap which you oddly left out at the start. So I watch searching to find all those that owned or are reviewing the Pimax Crystal and.. lets see how would you say it 90% of them said and I quote "fast/easy". Steam Index? Ever use one? I think you have one.. hello cables. yeah one is for wireless and Meta the other is PC gaming. A sorry mate but if you want that clear conection getting the true output to your headset you need cables power and graphices card. You know this yet you put it down. Please you don't know if its 90% or 10%. So sorry to break it to you but we all don't want META store Meta Horizon which is dead... been playing there. Its just empty... Did you know the Quest 3 has a blur around the edges? Everyone talks about it. I mean no disrespect but man what happen to you been watching you for so many years.. you a bit different. Anyway one headset made for Wireless NOT PC gaming. its made for Meta games you know this its not made for PC games. You still can not plug it in to your PC and charge. Odd called them out before but today.. we don't even talk about that any more just the Quest 3 is good enough for 90% You got this info where? yeah speak truth its nothing but speculation. Tell us how Horizen is doing. Tells us about Meta the year 2022 as they burned up 15 billion. Tell us about Meta in 2023 as they burned up 11 billion. Tell us how the new Quest 3 is not selling tell us how Meta had to cut the sells going into 2024 because again Quest 3 is not selling. Tell us about Pico (TicTok) how they canceled the Pico 5. Look at Meta last two years and how GREAT VR is NOT doing. So they don't have to compete with Meta they are going after Apple. Go watch Aline Tech he gave a great review of the Quest 3 he doesnt care if META likes it or not. Man people real people not rich people watch you and listen. Think about them not what Meta might do or I should say stop doing.

[@KiteoHatto]

I think expensive VR is just not currently worth it(anything that costs more than q3). The vr tech and games are playing catch up to console and pc gaming, currently it's as good as xbox 360 era(2009). If you get the standalone vr then you are fighting with battery life and poor graphics. If you get pcvr, you are fighting with cables, heat, fov and still get subpar graphics(nothing will be as crisp as looking at the monitor directly). The only thing you get from vr is immersive gameplay and games don't need to be pretty to "be there". Pimax pricing is over the top. Q2 if you want to dip your toes in and not pay much. Q3 if you want bang for your buck. Index if you want full body tracking and just hang out in vrchat.... Pimax if you have money to burn and all you do is play sims with racing seat setups and cockpits that take half a room.

[@nemisis_wolf]

Great video with what I think is the correct end conclusion for the"average" gamer that just wants to get home get online and play in minutes. The Q3 will as you say satisfy 90% of gamers more than readily. The Pimax is and they always have been for the high end user that likes to tinker with settings and options and also tend to be used by VR simulator players that have spare money to spend on high end sim cockpits. Racing sims, MSFS, DCS World ect where a wireless option is not needed neither are controllers as your sitting down using your steering wheel or Hotas system not controllers. Pimax do seem to be improving thier own software and the "get in and get going" ability quite rapidly now as they do seem to be wanting to grab the lions share of this high end simulator market but also wanting now to grab the mid/low end users attention with the upcoming Crystal light. But if you just want good usable graphics and get in and play experience for a low entry price then the Q3 is definitely the way to go.

[@nekron75]

With the new Pimax Crystal Light costing only 799$ (local dimming version, excl. taxes), I think this comparison does change somewhat. I has no wireless though and no option to add it later so there's that.

[@JAMAL-gf2fs]

I bought the meta 3 for wireless and travel. Not a huge deal is someone steals or anything else. I also bought the pimax crystal light for first person shooters and 2d games and use as a projector on my face when sitting down. Still have the controllers in case something happens to my meta 3 for vr

[@bluebell1]

Great video Ben! I think the Pimax looks great but it just too big, requires a beast of a PC and too much monkeying around.

[@Joric78]

Yeah... I'd certainly be prepared to pay more for things like increased resolution, better FOV, micro QD-OLED displays, better lenses, eye tracking, better audio, better ergonomics, better materials and better wireless connection. I'm not prepared to pay more for only a couple of those benefits with the sacrifices the Pimax Crystal makes in terms of still no standalone capacity (and you're paying for the XR2 chipset), the weight, the cords, the weird battery issues, the crappy controllers and the general jank of both the hardware and software.

[@dsjf]

I have both headsets (mainly for simulation, especially Pimax). My problem is that since I've been using the Crystal, I hate it more and more when I put on the Quest3, even though it's not a simulation. I can't help it. and it's getting worse! :)

[@matthewschneider2072]

i just want a headset that has -Human FOV -NO screen door effect -no light bleeding or god rays -Wireless with low latency -1 to 1 tracking -light weight -the size of sunglasses (roughly) -4-6 hours battery life

[@warkmard-dw4dw]

I'm worried about the wireless radiation traveling through my head on a daily basis. The famous O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnny Cochran died of brain cancer caused by being in his cellphone for hours every day. Constant wiireless radiation is a health hazard. When I get my headset it's going to be wired 100% of the time

[@Blusterbus]

I will never spend over a $1000 on a VR headset again, because the technology advances too fast, for whatever you decide to go with. I wouldn't mind spending less than $500.00 ever few years, but I can't see me spending $1000.00 every few years, and we know from experience that 2 to 3 years from now the advancement are going to be so overwhelming we are going to want to take the hook and run with it again.

[@Skill4Sho]

I was going to get Pimax, but I realized alot of people dont like is their software since it is insanely bad. Bought Aero for sim games, never look back...every sim racing Aero is just simply amazing...and their software is simple to setup, rare cases there will bug out. But all in honest, most high end VR headsets are their lenses since those lenses can push much more higher PPD than Pancake lenses which helps for sim racing by alot.

[@marywow9659]

Yeah thanks do NOT get the Quest if your only doing PCVR. its by far not the best at all. It always compresses the video and you need more then one cable to make it last a few hours. For META wireless its the best duh no other can use META.

[@death-by-ego]

$1000 for a VR headset is my absolute cut off. And that is with an extended period of time of deep heavy breaths before clicking the pay button. I watched this video and did a bit of testing. And no.. i seem to be unable to click that button even with the sale. Looks like ill be going the Q3 with additional 3rd party accessories.

[@FromDesertTown]

Remove the light guard on the Quest 3 to get the approximate FOV of the Crystal (since you can pull it closer to your eyes using a halo strap like your BOBOVR).

[@johncrichton4341]

I feel that about my Pico 4 - it's not perfect in any of the main areas - but I plug it in, it runs, no bother with reflections/tracking etc. I can O/C in Steam by over 150% with no problems.

[@DiscoMachine-78]

Regardless of ones opinion of Zuckerberg and Meta, without them the $1000+ headsets would likely be the norm and the only way to play VR on PC.

[@sezaiturkmen9561]

Well I had the Quest 3 since yesterday and finally sold it. Set up is easy but then I spent 2 months almost everyday with trouble shooting. If you are playing DCS please stay away

[@FrankiesPixelDreams]

It was selling for 1000 dollars for quest 3 on alza. But thats just czech prices :D my second hand Q2 does the job just right :)

[@amuria55]

Its a "you get what you pay for" type of thing I guess then. I'm k for now with the Quest 3, its very clear, having lots of fun. Eventually gonna go with another headset, but the Bigscreen beyond is the one I will eventually get, because I don't want anything heavier than the Quest 3. Each person has their preferences I guess.

[@frallorfrallor3410]

agree meta quest or bigscreen beyond these ones is honestly only 2 brands worth considering, but simple to use meta quest is huge selling point

[@wayevs]

That pimax looks so big and cumbersome compared to the quest 3 amd it seems like the software is cumbersome to match, there is no chance id pay a 1000 for that headche. Ive got a quest 2 and now a 3 i think as a casual all around headset there is nothing that beats it for price to quality ratio and software.

[@CH-oj7kv]

I could see the difference, but I could not see $1000 worth. I can say that I get frustrated easily too. The slow startup would absolutely prompt me to sell the crystal almost as soon as I unboxed it.

[@carlparker7588]

What everyone really wants to know is how the crystal standalone mode looks

[@alim883]

Recently got the headset myself. First of all those headphones do not come together with the headset. You must have gotten a special treatment on those. Second of all, customer support is just terrible. If you buy one of those pray it is not faulty as it will take you forever to replace or refund it. Customer support is really really bad

[@Liquorpuss]

what about a Vive pro 2 vs metaquest 3 and pimax?

[@BeardoBenjo]

I’d need to buy a Vive Pro 2, never actually used a Vive headset!!

[@Liquorpuss]

I think at this point you are regarded as the most entertaining VR person. If you started a collection of VR headsets everyone would watch your reviews. Plus how fun would it be to try out all of them!! Grow your channel and keep promoting VR. I love and tell everyone I know how cool VR is in hopes of increasing the popularity ever so much.@@BeardoBenjo

[@gnoclaude7945]

Oculus is stupid for not putting display port in the usb c. I know theyre worried people will use it as a pcvr headset on steam but they already do that with way too much tinkering and compression. It makes no sense to buy another dedicated headset but it also sucks to not have the option to hook it up with the same quality.

[@Nathdood]

One thing I noticed is that the controller tracking seems very smooth on the Pimax vs the Quest But 1k better? Not sure about that. I love my Quest 3

[@Mi_kid05]

Slight inaccuracy at 5:16 the field of view is 110 horizontal by 96 vertical not 92 vertical as it currently says