Bigscreen Beyond Audio Strap & thin cushion

A walkthrough of the (pre-production) Audio strap and my new thin cushion along with a 2 month update.
00:00 Audio Strap
12:36 Thin Cushion
17:36 Thoughts after 2 months

[@markkovalcson7243]

I did miss one thing. The cable clip on the strap is positioned very well and it fits the cable well with a smooth detent that the cable fits into. I was told that they still want to make adjustments to it, but I thought it was perfect and an extreme departure from the one that came with the original strap which I didn't like. Errata: My vertical FOV went from 87 to 90 not 86 to 90 with the thin cushion.

[@DMan-ud6bt]

Great review, and I'm happy to see this strap finally get reviewed. While I'm not a Beyond owner, due to lack of a few things that I consider to be critical, the audio strap was the biggest missing thing for me from the start. I've never understood the arguments people make for the complete lack of quality off-ear audio straps for VR HMDS that lack the solution. It was easily one of the highlights of the Index and is one of my top priorities when looking for a replacement HMD. Nothing can beat the comfort and audio experience I've had from the design Valve brought to us years ago, so that's the bar to beat as far as I'm concerned.

[@kaputkittie]

I'm so glad I pre ordered the audio strap. This video makes me really excited to get it finally.

[@stephanehamel7109]

As usual Mark, your content is down to earth, accurate and fair. Keep it coming brother!

[@ChrisCypher]

REALLY glad this just popped up on my youtube feed. I've been waiting to see something concrete about the audio strap (I ordered at launch along with my bigscreen) and to my surprise that info came from a channel I've never heard of rather than bigscreen. That's cool that you got an early prototype. Great review! Can't wait until they finally ship the strap.

[@MeggaMortous]

thank you for all the details you shared here. Very informative and clears a lot of my thoughts about getting the head-strap later on. For now I'll just rock wifi-dongle + tws earbuds which is also nice because weight is like 0 and the latency is non-perceivable.

[@mrpetebojangles21]

Oooo FINALLY a BSB audio vid! I’ve had my unit for about 6 weeks and have really wanted this

[@arss19]

Thanks for all your reports Mark! I just ordered BSB on December because your review (I have 2DOF Motion Simulator and HP G2 for VR), but unfortunately there is not much info about international shipments to Europe. Hopefully they will update blog soon with more production and shipping info because I'm afraid it will take so long for me 😥 Audio strap should take longer so I prefer to get at least BSB!

[@brettgrieves]

Well... Thats enough info to order mine :)

[@moncimoov]

me too😂🎉

[@b6s4shelter]

Sounds like she's a winner and still winning.

[@RabbitConfirmed]

if only my beyond would actually ship!

[@GregorianGangsta]

Wonderful video! I really wanna get my hands on one of these someday.

[@birdsoup777]

That is creative. I can see it cradles back of the head at the right pressure points without adding bulk. Would be awesome if psvr2 would have a cradle like that

[@_Thri]

Lol cool review, the cut off at the end made me chuckle

[@1nZaneR]

shaving eyelashes FTW!

[@epicjourneyman2145]

Thanks for the update! I've had mine for about a month now and live in Hawaii...the fogging is an issue even at warmer temperatures and I feel that is probably due to the humidity but it does go away after awhile. The thing that bugs me still is that after an hour or so, I seem to get more of that glare/spotlight effect that I initially assumed was the optics but am now starting to think is related to a bit of perspiration causing condensation on the lenses and the fan not being able to keep up. It's hard to know when the glare issue is just related to the bright objects against a dark background and when it's fogging but I find that if I feel it's like a Scuba mask fogging up, it likely is. It's a great headset and I have no desire to go back to my Pimax Crystal - I just wish they could remedy this issue "out of the box" because I feel like it needs better ventilation.

[@markkovalcson7243]

What percent humidity are you working with. I'm at about 50% from Spring to Fall, but right now my home is about 29%.

[@epicjourneyman2145]

@@markkovalcson7243 I'm in Maui, so the average is about 64% for the year...I'm a little worried about my place on the Big Island because it's quite a bid more humid (about 20 miles from Hilo) but I haven't tried it over there yet.

[@markkovalcson7243]

@@epicjourneyman2145 If you can, let me know how it goes when you get there.

[@Killswitch1411]

i asked support for the slim gasket and I changed my mind and I still got the thin gasket lol. Ended up working out fine. Still haven't Pre-Ordered the Audio Strap. Been trying out the 3d printed comfort mods found one I like. May end up picking the Audio Strap at some point.

[@markkovalcson7243]

Glad it worked for you. I asked for the thin cushion and also changed my mind, but they sent me the normal cushion with my headset. I wish I had an idea what percentage of people would be able to use the thin cushion.

[@bananaZn]

Thanks for sharing your experience, very helpful! Question: Where can you get the thin cushion? I looked through their website, but I couldn't find it anywhere

[@markkovalcson7243]

When you order a replacement cushion this would fall into special instructions where you specify a thin cushion. It appears that they still haven't opened up replacement cushion orders. You might ask them if you can order one.

[@andreasmeow452]

very nice vid :3

[@iliketurtles7947]

i am already using the vive DAS with 3d printed adapters. only reason i can figure to switch to this is because of the off the ear audio solution. Perhaps a bit lighter on front too without the need of the 3d printed adapter.

[@markkovalcson7243]

As much as I like the Audio Strap, the reality is it may not ship for a couple more months, so it's good that you have a solution that works for you now :) You can reconsider this later after you hear from a bunch of other people.

[@SteadyShadow]

good stuff, thank you for the updates. do you have any concern for sweat getting into the headset when using the thing face cushion?

[@markkovalcson7243]

No. This hasn't been an issue for me. I have taken the headset off and noticed the cushion was wet, but I've never felt like sweat was pooling up in any way that could get into the headset. It only covers a small amount of my face. If anything I think the cushion would keep sweat out of my eyes. I've worked up a sweat in my Beyond, but I haven't gotten drenched with sweat.

[@paulmr6667]

Are you able to take the facepad off and will the headset hover in front of your face properly with the hardstrap?

[@Thomas8892Q]

Very informative vid. Do you have to be tethered to a PC with this headset? Or is it all wireless?

[@markkovalcson7243]

Tethered

[@Eskoxo]

Waiting for them to ship me a 3rd one due to keep getting wrong IPD so i got to test the engineering sample that has manual IPD adjustment on it and i think that shoulda been the version they went with even if it did weight more. Also waiting on thinner gasket I think headset has horrible glare issues and it might help with that.

[@markkovalcson7243]

Glare doesn't bother me in game in the titles I use. Out of curiosity which titles are you using it in where it has been an issue for you. I've run some A/B tests between the normal and thin cushion in the "ROV Test FOV & Resolution" environment in SteamVR. Using the Glare room and swapping between the two cushions about 10 times, I didn't seem much of any difference in the glare characteristics. What I got was more FOV and a larger sweet spot which looks better to me.

[@Real28]

The question I have is this: How good is the audio compared to the Index? The Index is the industry standard for audio. Its superb. Have you used the Index and can make that comparison?

[@markkovalcson7243]

I very happily used my Index for 4 years. My daughter currently has my Index in another state so I can't A/B them. From memory I'd say it's not quite but still very good. Then again the sound I get out of my $900 IEM's is better than either of them and I'm still using the audio strap for it's convenience and comfort.

[@SargonDragon]

I'd like to know how the sound quality compares to the Valve Index.

[@markkovalcson7243]

My Valve Index now lives with my daughter in another state, so I can't do an A/B comparison. I enjoyed my Index for 4 years, but haven't used it in almost a year now. The Audio Strap sounds good enough for what I use it for in VR games, that I'm willing to use it over my IEM's that sound better than the Index speakers, but I can't tell you that the Audio strap is exactly as good. I do know one Index owner who has tried the pre-production strap who still considers the Index off ear speakers the best in class. I can't dispute that, I remember the Index off ear speakers as being very good.

[@PumatSol]

Does the audio strap have a passthru port for usb? It would be a bit absurd if this strap used up the only port on the headset and now you can’t use the eye tracking mod or anything else that the usb port was designed for

[@markkovalcson7243]

People have talked about using a USB hub, but there isn't enough USB 2 bandwidth and power left to share. This is no different from the USB Dac/amp I used before. Also if Bigscreen offers the eye tracking as an optional upgrade that doesn't void the warranty, they will still allow the audio to plug-in.

[@JTB_Anims]

where die you get the thin cusion? I'm not finding it on the website, or anywhere else

[@markkovalcson7243]

It's not readily available yet. Originally they were supposed to be available on the store by the end of January, but it appears that has slipped. When you order a replacement cushion, you'll be able to ask for it to be customized and then you'll be able to ask for a thin cushion. Since they reached out to ask if I would like to give them feedback on the pre-production headset, I asked them when I might be able to order a thin cushion and I was fortunate that they let me buy one now. Replacement cushions are showing on the store as coming soon as I write this.

[@traylord]

Hi, I have a Varjo Aero, can you tell me how it compares to it? What is the 100% rendered resolution with no super sampling? Can you avoid using Steam VR at all and just use OpenXR like Aero does? I only use VR for iRacing, do you think it would be a wise decision? Thank you.

[@markkovalcson7243]

I've been running SteamVR for everything including iRacing and DCS. I run iRacing and DCS at 90fps and DCS at 75fps. I get a solid 90fps in iRacing and Dirt Rally 2.0 and DCS is solid at 75fps ( not multi-player ). I have a review where I directly compare the Aero with the Beyond (link below). Obviously I like it a lot better than the Aero. I know other Aero owners who have Beyonds now and they generally feel very similarly to me. Although glare bothers some more than others. I haven't found it to be an issue, but it is a YMMV situation kzbin.info/www/bejne/npuZaWNjjcmHqac&ab_channel=MarkKovalcson

[@traylord]

Thanks for your answer and your opinions, I just watched the other video. Do you know by any chance the rendered resolution por eye? Are you able to use OpenXR toolkit? Thank you.

[@markkovalcson7243]

@@traylord You can use the OpenXR toolkit. I know someone using the FFR feature in DCS to increase framerates. The rendered resolution depends on whether you are running in 75 or 90Hz refresh rate and you can adjust it in SteamVR. I run it at 4364x4364 at 75fps and it is sharp as a tack and it looks amazing in iRacing at that setting. I run DCS at a slightly lower resolution at 75fps. At 90fps the resolution is lower. I think I was running somewhere around 3600x3600.

[@traylord]

@@markkovalcson7243 Thanks again, do you know what is the resolution on 75hz when set to 100% SS? For example, the G2 has a 2160x2160 per eye resolution but it has to be rendered at 3160x3060 when set to 100% for barrel distortion and lens corrections. Same with Varjo, 2800x2800 but it needs at least 3200x2800. That's the number I am looking on Bigscreen 75hz at 100% super sampling to see how GPU hungry is...

[@markkovalcson7243]

@@traylord At 90Hz 2688x2688 at 75Hz 3560x3560.

[@Leynad778]

Flexible headstraps are crap and the AVP-buyers will find out soon😁Certainly less of a problem with the weight of a BSB, but still. You don't have tracking problems because of EMI? I certainly have that and lighthouse is just crap for me.

[@markkovalcson7243]

I have ZERO EMI issues and love my lighthouses. I've not had any issues with tracking on either my Index, Aero or Beyond. Have you tried a large ferrite core? Are you running an SFX-100 or PT Actuator system?

[@MakiFox]

i wish i could afford the bigscreen beyond i play vr every day and my original vive is so blurry and clunky and front heavy LOL

[@cingkole7893]

gotta save up

[@MakiFox]

it just isnt really in my budget even with saving i should be putting money towards other things LOL considering i already have vr@@cingkole7893

[@moncimoov]

get a quest 2 at least.. vive is too old now

[@markkovalcson7243]

It's important to keep your life priorities straight. These are all toys and should be near the bottom of the priority list.

[@MakiFox]

They are at the bottom of the list which is why I haven't bought one lol, doesn't mean a girl can't dream and wish for one :D Hopefully if I wait even better toys will be out to mess with by the time I can throw money at them, although the bigscreen beyond is exactly what I want so bad rn because of the sheer weight difference@@markkovalcson7243

[@dharkbizkit]

iam so torn about the beyond. first: since one cant adjust the ipd, i would need to buy 2 since my wife has 56mm and i have 65mm ipd, so even with a second face gasket, we cant share the 1000dollar device. so buying 2 with 2 pairs of prescription lenses is quit a ballpark price.. second iam afraid about the refresh rate, since on my index, the difference between 80hz and 120 or 144hz boils down to motion sickness. at 120 or 144hz, i have nothing but on 80 hz ifeel it and i dont know why. next thing is the resolution. its 5120 x2560 nativ, but steam vr 100% render res is 1.4x that, meaning over 6000 pixels. without eye tracking, by that point, even a 4090 will be over the limit with demanding games like half life alyx or even newer ones with unreal injector. and i wanna smooth experience, not a 40fps stutter party

[@markkovalcson7243]

Sounds like 2 distinct issues. I can't address whether you are willing to consider two headsets. I have a 2nd headset(Varjo Aero) that I use for my wife and guests, but to be fair my wife isn't a heavy VR user, so it's not much of an inconvenience. The other performance/refresh rate issues I can address easily. I owned an Index and loved running it in 120Hz mode. uOLED displays have a response rate about 100X faster than the Index and 75Hz on the Beyond feels very similar to 90Hz on the Index and 90Hz on the Beyond feels similar to 120Hz on the Index. I use 75Hz on any FPS games when I need to shoot at any distance. I use 90Hz for any games when I'm in my simulator. Many people echo this same sentiment about how the Beyond feels faster than it's refresh rates because of the ultra fast response rate of the uOLED panels Half Life Alyx is not remotely taxing. It is extremely well optimized and every headset out there can run it well with a 4090 and many with less powerful cards. I run HFA at it's highest settings and my 4090 doesn't skip a beat. However, I would recommend a 4090 for any modern headset. The most demanding games are racing and flight simulators and the Beyond handles those well. The only other I understand can be incredibly demanding can be VRChat. As for the resolution, it is 20% less than my Aero, and a bigger drop from a Crystal in terms of default native resolutions. 4090's drive both of those headsets fine. I am running a 13900K & 4090 and my Beyond runs in everything well. I have no complaints.

[@epicjourneyman2145]

@@markkovalcson7243 I can help you guys out here - I have a 4090, 13900k processor, and pretty much every headset ever made with the Beyond, Crystal, and Aero being my highest end ones. The eyetracking helps with both the Crystal and Aero on really demanding games like DCS but not as much as a lot of people may think compared to the Beyond, and in fact I find I can hit the 75hz native refresh rate pretty often even with max settings because Steam VR runs really well on it. I've never had an issue with Half Life: Alyx or games like my heavily modded Skyrim VR at all. That said, both the Crystal and Aero can get the few extra frames with eyetracking to keep DCS from stuttering as often - but it's only about 5 FPS overall which means I can keep the Crystal from stuttering in 72hz mode most of the time and the Aero works good with open XR to run smoothly at 45hz (it stutters at 90). I have to say, being able to move your head around quickly and not have the headset move with the Beyond is a big deal and makes VR feel more natural to me.

[@dharkbizkit]

thanks for the response. first off, iam running a 4080 with a 13600k. my guess about alyx comes from my experience with the index on my system. with the index, alyx on max settings and 100% steam vr resolution at 120hz, the 4080 is already at 14,5gb ram sometime and 65% gpu utelisation, which, by numbers, sounds like twice the res twice the demand, if not more if the card doesnt scale well with higher res. but i guess, getting 75fps stable would be possbile on a 4090. and 90hz, as far as i understand it, is "just" 1920x1920 native on the beyond and then gets upscaled to 2560? can you spot the quality difference at first sight? ye, we thought about the aero, but its things like small vertical fov, slight redshift that keep us from going there @@markkovalcson7243

[@Eskoxo]

@@markkovalcson7243 As far as VRchat It is CPU bound i used 3090 and going to 4090 did not improve performance at all you are pretty much at 45fps on most GPUs no matter what you do.

[@moncimoov]

if u have 4080 u are beyond ready! i upgraded from 3080 just for this

[@namegoeshere197]

EU bros are still waiting

[@markkovalcson7243]

Yesterday I heard from the first person, I know of, who got a shipping notification and lives in the EU, so it appears that they have started to ship there.

[@VG____]

I live in the EU but placed a US order thanks to a mail forwarding service (BPM-LUX). I got mine last December. FWIW.