Is this new $549 PCVR headset worth it? (DPVR E4 Review)

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Thanks for watching, everyone! Honestly, the best way to look at this headset is gonna be as either a side-grade or as an entry level PCVR headset. In just under 2 weeks I've had the headset, they've updated the firmware of the headset and controllers twice already, so despite any qualms, this is definitely not abandonware. As for how I can see the edges of the displays, and how other reviewers aren't even mentioning it, my current theory is that people with a narrower IPD like mine (58mm) can see as a result of the angle that you view the displays from, so other people might have literally been physically unable to see the edges.

[@rodneyabrett]

That was a highly detailed review. You gave me a lot to think about. Thanks!

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Glad it helped!

[@TheActualDylan]

Great video! Very comprehensive, and I appreciate the honest review. I hadn't even heard of this headset before... not sure it'll be one for my future, but I'm glad people are still making new consumer headsets.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Thank you! Yeah, at the end of the day I'm just glad that they A) wanted to cater to the PCVR audience and B) still make it affordable, at least within the range of the HP Reverb G2. Fun fact is that they initially codenamed this headset "DPVR E4 Pegasus", which I think would have actually been better for marketing. Love the idea of a mythical creature for a headset name.

[@TheActualDylan]

@@FrontwaysLarry maybe they realized they should save the name "pegasus" for something that is truly magical 😬

[@FrontwaysLarry]

@@TheActualDylan I mean, I guess if they released a wireless version, the wings would work well to sell how there's no wire. lol

[@redherring5532]

Having a quest 2 and a pico 4, I decided to almost grab this one. I'd be in for around $250- tops

[@Jan7carbon]

Appreciate honest review! Actually my E4 tracking is very good and very comfortable wearing, will double check you mentioned about fan sound, but that is not important at all. I actually like the flip-up design it works really good, I wearing glasses or use contact lens both works, maybe you should try contact lens could be a good and easy solution.

[@7DinosterDino]

I saw disco lady say Pimax facing big problem of connect headset to PC, I have 3070 no sure if E4 can run 120Hz?😢

[@Jan7carbon]

@@7DinosterDino I have 3070 I can test it, but actually I am using 3090 for both Quest2 and E4, clarity wise E4 is better. Tracking no problem, just a little bit speaker weak, need to use over the ear headset will be good.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

@@7DinosterDino Found your comment! For some reason KZbin held this whole comment thread for review, even though I set this video to allow all comments! I'm running on a 3060 Ti with an i9-9900K, so a 3070 is a step above me and should be fine, I think.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Thank you! I mean, it's also totally possible I received a defective unit, but regardless the tracking has clearly been getting better with time. Am just glad to help clear up some confusion from the bad pubclicity a few months back with pre-production units being shown on KZbin. Tons of people were watching those videos and taking it as the current state of the headset on places like Reddit and such, so I was glad to try and clear that up. Glad your glasses fit! I didn't want to exclusively say all glasses won't fit, which is for sure why I mentioned that compatibility will vary. Tried various sizes of glasses I own with none fitting, unfortunately. For fan noise, it also may vary based on a few factors. Temperature of the room, RGB on or off, refresh rate/brightness chosen, etc. Generally I can hear the fan most of the time, and with headphones it picks up the fan noise by making contact with the headstrap, so I'd recommend that someone wear some high quality earbuds with this potentially to remedy that. Like I mentioned, it can be drowned out, but in quiet moments of a game is might get distracting. I'm not a fan of contact lenses unfortunately, but appreciate the suggestion! At the end of the day, if the solution for a device being usable is to go out and get contacts, I feel like that's not an ideal situation when the vast majority of HMDs, even the original HTC Vive, have room for most glasses without changing your lifestyle. Glad your E4 is working out well! It definitely isn't a bad headset, just has a few things that I feel people should know before buying it.

[@oooooo1535]

@@7DinosterDino I have a 2070 super and the DPVR E4 uses the 120hz effortlessly for all games including Microsoft Flight Simulator. It runs better than my Pimax 5k super and my Oculus Quest 2. I actually bought those headsets for MSFS but Pimax struggle so hard and could not constantly run MSFS. Quest 2 was never consistent and even start should a pink shade at the bottom half of the display while flying. DPVR E4 solved all of these problems and the "rubber" actually silicon, is a damn good idea because it is so light in weight you cannot feel it on touching your heas like you can with harder strap, and the same goes for the face plate, you cannot even feel the DPVR touching your face because its so light and soft, unlike my Pimax and Oculus face plate. This Headset as it is today is the best one I bought, and I bought them all, and returned several and just kept my Quest 2 because of no Screen door effects. I would like to mention one other import thing. I have the worst vision of all time. I'm severally near sighted and has all of the major eye conditions so I have invested heavily in adapter lenses for all of my VR headsets. I was astonished while I suddenly realize I was flying a Cessna over Chicago while loving the view moments after setting my new DPVR that I wasn't wear glasses or contacts because I don't wear then if I'm not actually driving or watching TV. I put on my glasses and compared the difference. There were no difference. I can't explain it. It seems as thought the lens are some kind of universal prescription lens, I don't know, but I'm so happy with that as I am with the DPVR E4. So yes, your 3070 will blast the hell out of that 120hz and get better results than my laptop.

[@paulthevrrealm]

Nice review, I was pleasantly surprised with what it offered, and still find myself using it quite a bit since I received it - but I am not a glasses wearer, so I see where your issues with comfort and some light leakage may come into it, as I can move it a close as possible as have no issues with light leakage from the blockers (or maybe my head is just the right shape for it) Interesting about the displays, I have not really noticed this but seen you have a smaller IPD so that might be something, I am like 63.8 which I think the headset is defaulted at 64, so maybe I am the luck one with the perfect IPD for the none movable lenses. I am always interested in seeing how other people are finding VR hardware, as I know as a reviewer some things work for people that might not for others.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Thank you! Glad that you're enjoying yours! Definitely not calling this a bad headset by any means. Just about every VR headset winds up making compromises, so just pointing out which compromises come with this headset, mainly the varying compatibility and the need to trust the company in the long term. DPVR still admits they aren't done with their software, so a purchase *currently* works out to being an early access VR headset in some ways, in my opinion. I think my narrower IPD is totally to blame for seeing the edges of the displays, but gotta say it's very much an immersion killer, as all experiences in-headset feel more like looking into a 3D window than being in the world. If they somehow create support for this by making the FOV narrower when you set your IPD to a certain setting, it might solve this issue.

[@paulthevrrealm]

@@FrontwaysLarry yeah I agree with many points you made around compromises that have been made and was interesting to hear about the issues glasses wearers and possible issues cause by the smaller IPD, as its not something I could personally test 🙂 I did mention these sort of things are areas I could not test the product in. I mentioned in my review for my that is not the perfect headset, but if you are looking to get into pcvr on a budget and a headset that's designed with PCVR in mind it's worth looking into.

[@User-d6l6t]

I am new to pcvr and am hoping to some day get the deckard so for now this will do

[@powdereyes2210]

honestly doing an honest review is the way to go letting them know the issues they need to fix but while watching the video and imagining myself in the shoes of the person working for the company my heart actually felt heavier this is the calmest and humane way to get judged apparently

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Yeah, the reason I initially offered to not create the review after first trying it out was because I'd have to be critical like this. I'd pointed out how it's virtually unusable for me with glasses, suggested things they can change, etc... But they still asked if I could make a video for it, letting me know future plans they have, asking me to mention them in the video. They definitely did realize the video was quite critical when I sent it to them, and did actually make some edits based on their feedback before I posted it up today. There were a few jokes I made in the video that exaggerated subjective flaws in the headset that were unnecessarily unproductive, which I admit weren't necessary to make the video complete. They do deserve praise for certain things that I mentioned in the video, but even just showing appreciation to PCVR players with a budget option is nice to see as well.

[@jdtmaster]

I've had one for a while now, my head is pretty chunky so it fits me a little different, but I can flip it up and down about 4-5 times before the top of the light shield catches on my forehead requiring a readjustment. My biggest concern "besides heat, gosh it gets hot" right now is the lack of replacement cabling or light shield rubber. also that fan is significally loud it starts to warm up, but when I play its ussualy for a couple hours at a time so I might be using it longer than designed for.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

It's always interesting to me to hear how compatibility varies with this thing from person to person in terms of fit. The cable is definitely a point of concern for me too. It doesn't matter if a cable is replaceable further down the line, dangling, when it's totally possible for the headset cable integrated to fail since it's a moving part. Like it's not the first headset to work this way, but we've moved on from this a while ago to knowing people would prefer a port on the headset instead. The heat and fan noise, mixed with how the fan is hopelessly trying to circulate air with seemingly nowhere for it to put hot air or bring in fresh air from, truly does make it tough to wear for a long time. I'll tell ya, a couple hours many would consider to be a light session of VR (all subjective of course), but at the end of the day a wired headset's benefit is, in part, the fact that you can play infinitely without worrying about battery, except in your controllers. The fact that it's not enjoyable to wear beyond a couple hours is actually a huge downside to it. I had to flip it up every 20 minutes or so in order to let my face breathe.

[@thijsazerty692]

Damn no vents for the heat to go. This baffles me a bit... Looks interesting as a rifts s replacement. Holding off for now...

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Yeah, at peak brightness and 120Hz, this thing will get quite hot. The headset itself being hot doesn't worry me too much, but the noise is distracting and it does in turn make it hotter to wear, even when it's just floating in front of your face. That said, I suppose you could totally take off the light blocker and use it in a way akin to the Quest Pro to resolve that issue for ventilation, further making it a productivity/game dev/modder headset like I mention in the video briefly.

[@oooooo1535]

There's a fan.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

@@oooooo1535 For sure! It just doesn't seem to have anywhere useful for the hot air to vent or for it to draw fresh air from. It's also quite loud on varying occasions.

[@darrenberkey7017]

Getting a higher FOV by putting your eyes closer to the panels is the whole basis for lens and cushion mods sold for other HMD's, and they have the same downsides, such as revealing the edges of the panels.

[@monkeycake2612]

As someone who wears glasses, thankfully wireframe so they aren't particularly consuming on face real estate, this headset isn't too bad

[@FrontwaysLarry]

That's actually something I figured would work a bit better, tbh. My glasses are bigger, but that's definitely more of the common style these days for both comfort/looks/field of view of corrected vision. Happy it works for you though!

[@gmdking]

My glasses are pretty thick. Oh well. The point of lenses are to focus the image into your eyes, which is the same thing that glasses do.

[@kozql4751]

At this point I am wondering, should I get a Pico 4 or DPVR E4? I have the PC requirements for the DPVR E4 headset.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

I'd personally go for the Pico 4, but at the end of the day,the E4 actually is pretty lightweight and the clarity is there if you don't need glasses. It's 18g lighter than the HP Reverb G2, and the FOV is pretty nice, minus the immersion breaker of seeing the display edges. Personally I think the E4 still is unfinished, and that's even their own words on it. It has some tracking issues, largely manifesting as a subtle wobbling that might cause motion sickness in some people. I never get motion sickness though, so this is just a guess. The E4 is something to keep your eye on, I'd say. It's unfinished, but is available for purchase now without that pretense anywhere in the marketing for it, so it's kind of disingenuous as a result. You have to buy it for what it is, not for what it theoretically might become. That said, you cannot beat the handiness of a native, wired PCVR headset. I mostly use my Quest 2 because I don't mind the technical hiccup fixing and love wireless VR, but my partner uses our HTV Vive even though the controllers are worn out, the screen door effect is there, and even despite not liking the wire. The ease of just pressing one button and almost instantly being in VR is fantastic. If you're okay with hoping for the best with software/firmware updates and your IPD isn't as narrow as mine (58mm), then you may not see the edges of the display and have a decent option. For a very apt impression of someone that bought it and was unhappy, however: old.reddit.com/r/virtualreality/comments/133xwot/dpvr_e4_an_honest_review_no_fluff_followup_to/jjs5gwf/ If it were me in your price range, I'd honestly go for something like the Valve Index, the Reverb G2, Pico 4, or wait for holiday time this year when the Quest 3 is assumedly launching. If you wanted to hop into VR sooner than later, however, a used headset could be a good bet. I paid about $125 USD for my used HTC Vive recently and it works great. Also bought my Quest 2 used, and works fantastic. To keep myself from writing out the advice all the time and to give visual context, I made a guide a few months back to help with buying VR headsets used: kzbin.info/www/bejne/imqaiWSvpaqIis0 - If you value a warranty and the opportunity to return it, buy new for sure, but buying used is still super viable. Lots of options in your price range right now, which is great! Just an odd time for it all, admittedly, since we're in this transition period with all the hardware. Doesn't at all make any of the current options not viable, though.

[@kozql4751]

Thank you for the reply, and I think I might just wait for the new Quest 3 to come out. Earned a new subscriber :)

[@FrontwaysLarry]

@@kozql4751 No worries, and welcome! There's always a new headset to wait for, but we've got enough new products on the horizon in just this year alone that for the first time in a couple years, it is indeed a viable option to just simmer for a few months and wait. lol

[@redherring5532]

​@@kozql4751I have the Quest 2 and Pico 4 followed quickly after. I personally Prefer the Pico, the pancake lenses seal the deal for me. Im not much of a VR gamer, mostly incorporated workflow, but have played Half Life Alyx and it looks better -to me- on the Pico. Right now I got an itch but i might have to hold off and wait for the Q3 too

[@SicSemperBeats]

hey kinda seems like not that good. I got excited when i saw pcvr. This releasing in 2023, should have pancake lenses and a true ipd of like 58-70 or 72 (unfortunately mine is high as 72) as well as good in out tracking; this thing having heat and design issues are also kinda inexcusable, I dont see how this is any better than a reverb. I wish the pico 4 just had a dp port its a perfect headset for its price.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Yeah, the DPVR puts itself in a weird place in the market right now. It's like they pulled the trigger on production right before pancake lenses were a thing and it was too late to change it. For real, if the Pico 4, Quest 2, or Quest 3 had support for DP over USB-C, they'd be an absolute slam dunk.

[@SicSemperBeats]

@@FrontwaysLarry Yep indeed. I love my reverb dearly but the pico just blows it out the water in every way except for wired use. This dpvr just seems half baked but I want them to try again, they'll probably do well.

[@darrenberkey7017]

I'm a glasses wearer, but mainly for driving because I'm near-sighted, although I do need reading glasses, however, I don't wear glasses when playing in VR because it's perfectly clear without them. So, is wearing glasses with VR for those that are far-sighted?

[@FrontwaysLarry]

It's entirely possible you're one of a select few that has a prescription that VR lenses themselves solve for you completely by chance. It's rare, but it happens. For the most part, if you wear glasses in real life, you wear them in VR too unless your eyesight isn't that bad. There's a reason the Valve Index has moving lenses to account for room for glasses, and a reason why the Quest 2 comes with a glasses spacer. Generally, you put on a VR headset and see how it looks without. If it sucks, you put your glasses on to solve it, which is most peoples' situation if they have bad vision.

[@carlesberg2962]

seems like this headset is close to being at its full potential. Appreciate the refreshing honest review, super helpful for people looking to invest in a headset. side note - cool guitars :)

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Thank you! The flaming guitar was a gift at one point, so I'm glad you like it. lol

[@maxzeblade]

Thanks yeah all yes all say its a honest review which oddly comes from those that got ti free and blah blah blah. Some will talk about how they have to tell the good and the bad yet.. oddly they do not with Meta Quest 3.. just odd. Anyway thanks.

[@luigiplayer1547]

Hey I have always tried to upgrade from my quest 2 to a fully PC VR but this new affordable headset seems to have a lot of issues what VR is better than the quest 2 at 500 bucks for PC. I can never find anything, my quest 2 is good but the compression and the extra work it has to do just to run on PC kinda breaks my performance, pls help.

[@gmdking]

If you are willing to go used, you can possibly get a Valve Index if you’re lucky. You can probably find an HP Reverb G2 V2 if you’re willing to sacrifice some ease of use. I think this headset is worth it.

[@Ro1111-p3i]

Almost the same like lenovo explorer,nothing new, exept price-550 too much for it.

[@vinesvege4286]

I heard that there will be accessories for eyeglass users, is this true?

[@FrontwaysLarry]

That's what I've been told! I mentioned it briefly in the video, but it's all in prototype stages right now so didn't wanna get anyone's hopes up too much if one of the two things didn't come to fruition. If DPVR sends off an eye module or prescription insert for me to add on to the unit I have, will definitely see about making a follow-up video for this here.

[@oooooo1535]

I wear glasses (thick lenses,) but with my new DPVR E4 I don't need them. I don't know how it works or what's going on. I compared the difference when I put on my glasses, I saw no difference so I don't use them for this headset. I don't know. Maybe its witchcraft, but whatever it is Im grateful.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

@@oooooo1535 That's gotta be like a 1 in a million chance of that working, but I'm glad for you!

[@mtherlihy]

My ipd is 61.5 so I am hoping that is close enough. I have contacts so I am not worried about that issue. I think really you determined that glasses are going to make your experience significantly worse with this device. There are many pluses to me though being that it is tethered but doesn't require light boxes.

[@FrontwaysLarry]

With 61.5 IPD you're likely going to have a better time than me, for sure, as that's closer to the IPD of people that have enjoyed their time with it. It's definitely got its merits, especially that binocular overlap. Despite it being blurry, painful, and hot for my fit, I do wish I had that kind of overlap and FOV on other headsets. If DPVR winds up sending me their eye module solution when it's ready, and it completely changes my view of this headset, I'd love to make a follow up video to this. For now though, the DPVR will be tried on when I hear there's a new firmware update so I can keep testing it out as it progresses.

[@chrisanderson3067]

Did they fix the tracking?

[@FrontwaysLarry]

I moved recently so I haven't taken the time to plug in and test out the E4 again in a while, but it seems that Viewie had a really good experience with the tracking recently in his review.

[@chrisanderson3067]

@@FrontwaysLarry Thanks I'll check that out 👍

[@keisaboru1155]

hardwired calbes are replacable . just cut them haha ;D

[@74amazing]

Nice review. And even credits to DPVR for not trying to prevent ciriticsm. I always appreciate companies like these. Maybe next time, guys!

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Thank you! Yeah, and luckily there are certain things about this headset that can be solved due to the semi-modularity they planned for here with the velcro pads and removable facial interface. So my hope is to show off any major upgrades to this thing later on if those accessories make their way to me. I want something in this price bracket to succeed, and for some people this will work, but compatibility right now is a question mark, both on the hardware side (AMD GPUs) and the comfort side.

[@senpai_mangue6141]

i can see the walls inside my quest 2...

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Interesting, I don't ever have an issue with that. Looked it up just now, and it seems that maybe people with a wider IPD on the widest setting wind up having that issue? I've never even gotten a glimpse of the display edges in my Quest 2.

[@senpai_mangue6141]

@@FrontwaysLarry yeah, i figured, bc i have to have it on the widest setting and to mention, i have to wear my headset quite tight because i have a lot of hair so it slips off a little and its a little frightening as its a really expensive computer on your face edit: i kinda like these smaller channels usually, they answer your question/s or reply with a thank you or something similar its fun and new to me because i really only watch larger channels where if you want to get in on the comment game, you gotta be there in the first hour or so if you arnt then ❌ 🤞4 U but then theres some music channels like Tobu, sometimes he says thanks to some people and replies to some with their answer on his really, really old like, 2012, songs

[@7DinosterDino]

⋯⋯I leave comments below yesterday and I try to know the answer, now it disappeared or you hide my comments? I just asking a guy if my computer can use E4, who delete my comments?😮

[@FrontwaysLarry]

Edit: Looks like KZbin held that old comment thread for review! Probably something to do with both you and that other person having both created your accounts so recently as a spam prevention system. Have approved both comments to be visible now! Original comment: Ohhh, did you comment on the video I accidentally set to unlisted and was viewable on my channel? Was an edit I changed but this is a different render. A different person commented on this video earlier today and I can't see it anymore either, even though it's in my notifications, so weird stuff all around here, sorry. Lol As for checking your specs, DPVR actually has a tool on the product page for the E4 on their website! Can download it and it'll tell ya.

[@Lord_Lughia]

I have a pico 4

[@curoviyxru]

wow what is this CoD-like zombie game?

[@FrontwaysLarry]

CoDz mods for Contractors!

[@freshs5647]

Is this headset a joke ?