Retina VR Quest: Bigscreen Beyond vs Pimax Crystal Review!

A week out from the annual Meta Connect conference, we review two virtual reality headsets that share the goal of giving PCVR users uncompromising visual fidelity from their gaming PCs. But the Bigscreen Beyond and Pimax Crystal could not be more different in their approaches, and we evaluate the merits of their designs and the improvements Bigscreen and Pimax have made on both hardware and software since these were announced.
Bigscreen Beyond: www.bigscreenvr.com/
Pimax Crystal: pimax.com/crystal/
Shot by Josh Self and edited by Norman Chan
Music by Jinglepunks
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#virtualreality #pcvr #review

[@tested]

Bigscreen Beyond: www.bigscreenvr.com/ Pimax Crystal: pimax.com/crystal/ Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks: kzbin.info/door/iDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOAjoin

[@bro_duck]

I have a question, can you use your oculus controllers with this headset?

[@dogearooski]

@@bro_duck You might be able to with a SteamVR headset (for example using a quest 2/3 with index controllers) but you would need to calibrate every time you launch steamVR if it even works.

[@tainted_bread]

Who swapped the names for these devices? It's like an Iceland Greenland situation.

[@bottledwaterprod]

My thoughts exactly. One is literally a big screen, the other is a small crystalline shape.

[@JoshuaC923]

😂😂😂

[@user-ro6cz4th7w]

lol

[@joelface]

I didn't even think about this.... but that is freaking hilarious!

[@xymaryai8283]

Bigscreen Crystal and Pimax Beyond? Beyond Crystal and Pimax Bigscreen? Bigmax Beystal and Piscreen Cryond? Bimeen Beystond and Pigscrax Cryol?? Bimcrax Bryonal and Pigsmreen Ceystond???

[@DiesOnAToilet]

When VR headsets are all the size of a pair of eye glasses in 20 or 30 years from now, the Pimax Crystal will probably get featured in like, "crazy retro tech" articles. And kids will marvel at how big and heavy it was and how much it cost. "1600 dollars!? wow, that's like 10,000 credits in today's money"

[@scifi_shop]

Actually it will be in your eyeball, so basically glasses won't even exist

[@mikehunt1528]

Is that social credits ?

[@Jankmasta]

@@mikehunt1528 probably something worse than that in 20-30 years.

[@mz4637]

All of our kids will be in camps and we will all be in shallow graves.

[@mikehunt1528]

@@mz4637 I bet you're fun at parties.

[@joelface]

The VR news space on KZbin is blessed with some awesome personalities, and Norm is RIGHT at the top! Love this guy.

[@vivaquitocarajo]

Amen brother Amen

[@ivanpr0ff]

I love Tested tech reviews so much

[@Enterprising_Aim]

I love that I'm 16 minutes into a 28 minute video and he's still talking about the Big Screen VR headset. I really wonder what he's going to say about the Pimax..

[@WMARUoriginal]

Awesome reviews Norm. You are my go to person for VR!

[@KuyaQuatro]

IN BASED NORM WE TRUST. Thank you norm as always for your thorough VR reviews!

[@vlerherg69]

I'm so happy that this is out in the wild now. I was an early tester under NDA for the Beyond beginning in March 2021 and I wanted to tell the world about this headset, but couldn't. Thank you for getting the word out about how good the headset is, as well as noting some of the shortcomings. Providing a clear picture is key to long term adoption. When I first heard about it I was so excited, as my #1 complaint about VR headsets was always comfort. I love VR, but found it difficult to remain immersed for long periods of time due to comfort issues with extended use of headsets like the Index or Rift S. Don't even get me started about standalones. Massive pressure headaches, anyone? Anyway, I am certianly biased towards the Beyond, but the comfort is undeniable. I would have been happy even if I had to compromise on the optics, but to have my expectations exceeded in BOTH categories? Amazing. It was also a great journey to watch the itterations from the inside and try prototypes, which made the final production version all the more sweet.

[@khaledassaf6356]

Hey, as someone who's been using it for so long, can you give your feedback regarding the glare? Is this really that bad, or is it in line with other pancake lens headsets?

[@uwu2owovr]

​@@khaledassaf6356I've heard that it's not as bad as Index. But that it is there. Can someone 2nd that?

[@uwu2owovr]

​@@khaledassaf6356I've heard that it's not as bad as Index. But that it is there. Can someone 2nd that?

[@b3owu1f]

Without a doubt the #1 reason people stop playing VR is how cumbersome it is to get started. The weight is part of it, comfort for sure, adjusting things especially in VR sets used by many people in a house, and the time it takes to get in and do something. ALL of these issues seem to be solved by the Beyond except maybe boot time but that's likely out of their hands and the least issue. The price is a bit steep for the Quest type of people to pay for it, but as someone who mostly wants to use VR for sim racing and sim flying (DCS), I am beyond excited to try this set out! If they could find some way to get the mask scan stuff on Android that would be very helpful as I am not an iphone user.

[@chuckutz1969]

Great review, liked and Subscribed. Appreciate all the content creators and people doing these reviews. ✌🏻

[@FlockofSmeagles]

Man, Norm, you've come a long way. I remember around 10 years ago when you first started working with, Adam. How awkward you were as an interviewer. You've become my favorite tech journalist, hands down. Here's to a long career, dude!

[@ryan.crosby]

The extended FoV for the Bigscreen Beyond is fantastic news. The price is certainly steep, but what an awesome and lightweight headset.

[@Demmrir]

Think that's bad? The Crystal is 60% more expensive. D:

[@moncimoov]

@@DemmrirLmao 😂

[@stevebobowski3507]

Expensive? Absolutely not. Look at it this way, a good 65 inch oled tv is gonna cost 2.5k this hmd is just essentially 2 tvs strapped to your eyes except you can get a 120 foot screen out of it and also do VR. I think peeps got it twisted by going cheap on their hmds. It's the cheap hmds that will damage your eyes and also when you buy cheap, the companies ie meta will continue making cheap and that's the experience you will get....cheap.

[@moncimoov]

@@stevebobowski3507 i love this logic, even though u cant compare the crisp quality of 4K TV vs VR floating screen unless Bigscreen have 12k resolution for that minimum

[@stevebobowski3507]

@@moncimoov I can absolutely compare as I have a 4k tv and compare it with my aero at 39ppd and it's nearly indistinguishable. Given the bigscreenbeyond is only 31ppd and wouldn't compare but a step in the right direction.

[@Cless_Aurion]

I know I say it everytime we see one of these videos but... This is my favorite VR source of news by far! From the start!

[@ThisKory]

21 minutes in I was thinking, where in the hell is the comparison?! 😂 The Bigscreen Beyond is such exciting tech that it's difficult not to talk about! I am incredibly excited to get my hands on mine, which is going to be a game changer for me because I have degenerative disc disease in my neck (arthritis) which starts to irritate me during longer sessions currently wearing a Valve Index which is 807g + 200g counterweight, so it's 1kg! The Bigscreen Beyond at only ~200g fully equipped is going to help so much!

[@CorporateZombi]

Yes but... it's easy to make a light headset when you leave out vitally important stuff like... I don't know...audio??? What was the idea there? I mean ok for media I guess or seated gaming, but not really ideal for active gaming. Although I don't know how you reach for your drink or snacks. So maybe wouldn't replace my TV just yet. You know what is annoying also? A wire Well then how about having two wires? One for the headset and one for your audio solution? No. Not cool. Sure. I think big screen has its place and I would like to try it. But they are already sensibly pivoting to include that audio strap and a more universal face gasket. The pimax might be terribly heavy. So that's not good, but at least it can be potentially used wirelessly in future, and doesn't require annoying faffing with separate headphones that you can't see. Plus dismissing the eye tracked foveated rendering offered by pimax is also an odd omission from Norms one sided comparison. Idk!

[@sw11500]

I'd love to have a wired setup but wireless VR is kinda a requirement for me right now. I'd absolutely love a beyond though!

[@voltdriver]

@@CorporateZombi I disagree that it is easy to make a light headset, at all. It was very challenging for Bigscreen, and required years of R&D. It is a shame there is no audio included, but I got hopes for the Audio Strap that will likely fix that. That said, I *much* prefer using my own headphones over a solution similar to Meta's approach with the Quest Headphones. These are absolutely terrible. They are serviceable when you have nothing else, but one of the first things to do with any Quest 2 or Rift S is to get your own headphones, earbuds or the Vive Deluxe audio strap and 3d printed adapter. The included audio is abysmal and not immersive at all. So yeah, agreed that no audio off the bat is not ideal. But I understand the idea, especially when the strap on the beyond is so light and thin that using your own headphones is easy. Speaking of Headphones, bluetooth audio has gotten miles better. You don't need a wire if you don't want one, just wireless headphones. A few companies make some that have their own receiver (namely Logitech and Steel Series) so you don't need anything else, but if you get your hands on a aptX Low Latency compatible headphones then you can just buy a good bluetooth receiver and bam, it works with no noticeable latency. This would work well for the Beyond. That said, for my beyond, I am going the fully wired route. I already have a wired setup with the Rift S on my PC, with a pulley system for the cable management, so it's a non-issue in my case. But I understand how wireless has its appeal.

[@Fuzzbuggy]

@@CorporateZombiI agree. I appreciate the headset itself, and what it will do for hardware in the future, but it really is filling a void, and won't help in getting new VR users into the market. Its quite niche. But I guess it does the niche very well.

[@KaNoMikoProductions]

​@@CorporateZombiLmao, the lack of audio isn't what made it lightweight. Most audio solutions on these headsets don't weigh much at all.

[@andrewbanks1175]

I love the idea of the big screen. And I assume their solution for glasses wearing people are the magnetic lenses he took on and off repeatedly. I love that for a vr headset rather than the lenses moving themselves back and forth. Just seems intuitive and an actual solution rather than a compromise

[@KREMIT]

Great video. I'm looking forward to my Bigscreen!

[@P3d3r0s0]

Eye tracking is a must for sure, the Beyond not having it makes it a no go for me. With the cost of graphics cards and the increasingly more demanding games makes eye tracking crucial. Needing an iphone and having to order the custom lenses for glasses users makes it also an issue for the Beyond, this review felt pretty partial for not addressing those points, maybe it's just a very different use case for me then it is for the reviewer, but it didn't felt fair. The battery swapping for the Pimax outside of stand alone was a huge drawback though, i don't want to have to deal with that.

[@algroyp3r]

@Gervaj79 It's necessary for foveated rendering, which enables people with not RTX 4090 to actually run these resolutions.

[@Doug-mu2ev]

Really appreciate the detail! Think I’m going to pull the trigger on the Beyond, the idea of being able to watch my media library in the most immersive way imaginable is too much to pass up!

[@ECAstack]

Wacth out for the bad glare with the Beyond, lots of reviewers say you can't watch movie since the glare is really bad in high contrast scenes.

[@daddycastro]

its not that bad @@ECAstack

[@Mar-5016]

Hey how is it

[@tomc1380]

Thanks for your always interesting and informative reviews mate. I don't think that Meta is only standalone focused, they just don't intend to produce any wired-only headsets anymore. Kind of a big difference imho. Neither the Crystal or BSB headset are my cup of tea. The Crystal is way too bulky and the BSB too inflexible (needing a custom facial interface is too restrictive, for me anyway). Maybe newer headset will come out in 2024/25 that will make me want to upgrade my Quest Pro. Time will tell I guess. The Q3 looks good and I intend to preorder on asap. I mainly am getting this to replace my aging Q2 for better standalone VR/MR, and as a backup for my 11mo preordered Quest Pro. I doubt that the Q3 with do better PCVR but you never know, lol! For now, my QPro with i913900k/rtx4090 continues to work great with all my PCVR games/sims and I'm always amazed how well it works wireless with Air Link. I can get a bit better distant visuals with Link at 650mbps bitrate but I much prefer the freedom of wireless. Maybe due to my rtx4090 and/or settings, but I don't see any so-called streaming artifacts that many users report and complain about. I also run a dual VR headset setup with a DP wired VP1 (Etsy lens mod and Index controllers) so I do know the differences between these. My QPro still gives better overall clarity and much less SDE. The only advantage that DP gives me is about 10% higher FPS performance and this is due to the extra GPU resources required to do the streaming encoding. I easily make up this performance difference by running my QPro at 80Hz refresh rate, compared to my VP1 which is fixed at 90Hz. Again, many thanks for sharing all this mate and best cheers from Australia.

[@Aku77777]

NORM i have been watching you covering VR since 2014 !!!! Nobody covers VR better than you !!

[@billyknight8785]

I own the Pimax Crystal. My battery lasts a LOT more longer than 3 hours while plugged in. I fly DCS World with it, and I can fly for over 8 hours on one battery. It's not as heavy as is being described. If you've ever worn a helmet, you won't notice it. It's VERY comfortable, even while wearing glasses, although I will say you need to get the 15mm face pad and not the 11mm. My glasses actually scratched my lenses and I had to get a replacement pair, however, the Crystal is a solid frontrunner. Inside outside tracking and dynamic foveated rendering are huge game changers. I can play DCS World with 90% of the graphics on the highest and still get great performance using a RTX 3090. I have owned it for over 2 months, and I love it.

[@thepowerplayer4530]

I know this is a small thing but thank you so much for putting a camera through the lenses so I could finally be able to understand visually the characteristics that so many people have been describing, but it didn’t really mean much until you actually showed it. Especially with the lense reflections, I didn’t really know what that actually looked like, and I do see it now, it’s kind of a bloom effect, but to be honest it’s really not that bad, and the contrast of the displays is still able to show through it, unlike a cheap lcd or a tv with local dimming, where the bloom is built into the screen itself, which looks a lot worse to me, then it just being in the lenses.

[@drive-incinemapictures1554]

Man, that Pimax looks like one of the early VR 90s headsets.

[@jlepage36]

Pimax looks like a 32" TV strapped to your face

[@TomFoolery9001]

Bigscreen VR with inside out tracking would be perfect (also if they could cram in some wireless that would be killer) Love the direction that bigscreen VR is going.

[@simonw7628]

Imagine a little device that connects to the back of a headband that does the tracking inside out and standalone processing

[@speedyspeedboi3204]

I wonder if it would be possible to use htcs self tracked tracker as a head tracker together with beyond? would be kinda wild. For wireless i think nofio who made a wireless adapter for the index is working on something

[@toututu2993]

Bigscreen Beyond with built in headphones, inside out tracking, wider fov, with free motion controllers, pancake lenses, and reliable to turn it from worse product to okay one 😅

[@pendragofan]

i seriously hope you get a hands on of some sort im so happy you are covering it, will you be streaming the even any chance?

[@offbeatscratcher]

I've been playing a lot of flat games lately in the virtual cinema this headset must be amazing for that.

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

I would like to see the pimax do away with a lot of the standalone VR features too, as well as making the headset lighter. But personally, I see eye tracking and foveated rendering being essential for all VR headsets going forwards. I think I'd also chose the higher PPI and FoV over the extra weight too. It's frustrating because no headsets really nail it STILL, and when they're asking $1000 for just the headset, without the ability to use it unless you also purchase valve lighthouses, you kind of expect them to get it right.

[@LoganDark4357]

Foveated rendering doesn't mean shit if you don't have the pixels to back it up, and seeing these funny headsets coming out with less than 4K per eye is giving me depression

[@demapples6580]

@@LoganDark4357Lol. Most PCs cant even render games on good fps at 4k for one monitor, now imagine that in 2 mini monitors… it’s ridiculous because its a hardware problem. Most people dont have the specs to run that

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

@@demapples6580 Hence why we're only talking about super high resolution screens using FOVEATED RENDERING... (I suggest you try googling it)

[@LoganDark4357]

@@demapples6580 ...foveated rendering avoids having to render the whole 4k, but only what you are directly looking at. Everything in peripheral vision and etc. is lower resolution.

[@EbonySeraphim]

The use case for the Pimax Crystal is clear: serious simmers who don't want compromises when they switch to VR. On my flat screen, I can read my avionics screens and gauges off center from my head. Being forced to center my head on the instrument instead of a quick glance (minor head turn or no) has to be possible otherwise I am fundamentally not going to be able to effective fly and operate a military fighter/attack/bomber jet. I find that all flight simmers who are using non Aero/Pimax headsets are fairly casual with it (GA - general aviation), or only flying air to air combat which means you aren't heavily using avionics outside of your HOTAS.

[@Blockistium]

Thank you Norm!!

[@GYGOtv]

Hey Norm, awesome video as always. I just wanted to mention that future headsets will need eye tracking for dynamic foveated rendering so I don't think Pimax (or any future hmd) should take that out. One of the only times I've disagreed with you but still love your take on things. Appreciate all the hard work you put into these!

[@daliborcvitan7745]

Great insight!!! I'm going for big monster hehe Beyond has big minus - its not shareable and that is must for me. We are just racing and flying here.....

[@nathkrupa3463]

Nice video norm sir thanks for sharing

[@jopo8281]

Really appreciate the correction of niche

[@Holret]

Thanks for the honest review of the Big Screen Beyond(and to some extent the Pimax crystal lol)

[@dee1251]

how about if i have rift stations and controllers can i still use big screen vr headset?

[@supersprit5733]

Well put, sums all (aspects).

[@user-nj7nu7fv2m]

First I'd like to thank Adam for this excellent review of BigScreen Beyond the through the lens footage is especially beneficial I was searching for through the lens footage throughout alot of BigScreen Beyond reviews but was unable to find that type of footage. What he didn't tell us was the GPU he is using, the through the lens footage has amazing colors and smoothness of movement. He didn't mention that in order to create the face gasket you need to provide BigScreen VR with a FaceScan that you need an iPhone XR to do this.

[@yrtracingteam106]

Does someone knows if you can use the lighthouses and controllers of the vive pro 2 for the big screen beyond? Thanks in advance

[@AdamHansenOfficial]

How was desktop experience? I want a VR set for working and reading text and coding. Think this is the best?

[@Levee_]

I'm so happy to hear about the face gasket being worked on more, thanks for the information!! I do kind of wish they emailed us more but I guess thats what i get for not being in the discord haha

[@dharkbizkit]

yes, i have a question. what dies focal lenght really mean? let me ask the question this way: the ps5vr2 is the only vr headset i ever tried. iam very shortsighted with -6,5dpt and tested the vr2 with 4 friends. some of them slighty shortsightes, some have normal vision. when i wear contacts, i become kinda farsighted. without any aid, i have to hold my phone 10cm away from my eyes to be able to see it, when wearing contacts, i have to hold the phone at arms lenght otherwise i cant focus any text.. but in vr with contacts? i can basically push a sheet of paper against my eyelashes and can still read it, while all my friends, could read any text whatsoever, that was closer then 30 cm to your eyes. does that mean, the the focal lenght of the psvr2 gives me with my dpt a good experience but others dont get it and does that mean, having a shoter focal lenght of the headset, that i then wont be able to see close objects sharp?

[@Nyersevo]

What do you think if you use wifi 6 ( or 6E ) with this quest pro this pictures enough there is no articact on the screen? ( AV1 codec is much better than the old one ) So the Quest 3 would be sharper and it means there won'T be so much picture quality differenc with Crystal which use display port or the wireless VR won't be the same picture quality than the dedicated display ports PC VR ? it is impossible? Thanks this answer in advance,

[@tomduke1297]

i get why they did the kitchensink thing, that standalone and insideout market was a completely untapped source of customers for them. i just prey that they get rid of all the insideout and standalone fluff for the 12k. i honestly cant even imagine the big 12k displays possibly working with that much crap bolted onto it.

[@danielhaughton1165]

You should review the Goovis G3 Max Personal Cinema. Its Micro OLED, curious about how the movie watching experience is compared to Micro OLED vr headsets

[@user-bs8ct4xj7p]

How could any one put on the Pimax when the Big Screen Beyond is half the size? Would someone detail exactly what is needed to get the Big Screen Beyond up and running for movies, flying, and anyting else I would like to do? Thanks.

[@Franknakano7]

For the Beyond, do you need knuckles controllers and base station 2.0 from the index? Or can you use the 2016 vive accessories? Some of us, including myself are still using these.

[@masterman3349]

I’m pretty sure you can use vive controllers and base stations with the beyond. It uses the same tracking as the index and that is backwards compatible

[@scythelord]

You can use any steamvr controllers.

[@kuromiLayfe]

If oculus actually check analytics majority of long time quest users play it mostly tethered or through air link (virtual desktop) means a PCVR release is much more in demand than a standalone, which maybe the next leaked release might be as majority of the standalone components can be left out.

[@AbideinChristFully]

but the whole point is for you to buy the games through oculus and not steam. It's all about the money.

[@kuromiLayfe]

@@AbideinChristFully if oculus actually had decent releases that are worth the price

[@alzuairbiker2262]

When watching a movie on the big screen beyond , do the pixels disappear permanently? Meaning, it is as if you are watching the movie on a Sony or Samsung 4k TV??

[@thatstokedgamer]

I tried to like the crystal but my head shape didn't work with it. Narrow small face. So it moved around even when tightly strapped and the result was blurriness and distortion.

[@SjaakSchulteis]

The Bigscreen Beyond is the most interesting of the two, but for me too expensive for my usage. The Pimax is too big and clunky. I'm looking forward to the Quest3 and also very interested in how the headset from Immersive is going to be. 2x4k for 700$ in a headset that is slightly bigger than a pair of sunglasses.... I'm looking forward to that on the market.

[@kaankucuk1612]

Hello, did you get guest 3? How is your experience? Thank you

[@SjaakSchulteis]

​@@kaankucuk1612No not yet...

[@dvdsbl]

They seem VR headsets from two different eras. It doesn't matter how clear the image is: If the headset is uncomfortable you're not going to enjoy using it. Waiting to see if Quest 3 is going to be a good compromise between comfort and image quality but I got this feeling that comfortable VR with hi image quality is still 10 years away from us.

[@fireaza]

Eh, it depends on the user. I have a Pimax 5K, and it's even bigger. But it's not **that** much of a hindrance, I wouldn't go as far to call it "uncomfortable" or anything. The big-ass FOV and high pixel density sorta help with the enjoyment too.

[@soundscaperecordings1111]

Clarity trumps all. Comfort can be modified such as an additional aftermarket top strap

[@mrbilginc]

Love Norm's reviews! To anyone considering Pimax: Don't! :)

[@TimE-sn1pu]

What headset is that your wearing ?

[@jasonstorie8740]

I wish I understood any of this I used to be a gamer but being 46 and completely out of this for several years I’d like to get back in it and do these run with the current gaming consoles

[@Space-O-2001]

No they are both PC VR headsets. I'm the same age as you and have always gamed and TBH VR has ruined gaming in a good way because being in the actually game makes playing it flat screen (on a traditional monitor) just feel "less than". VR is in it's infancy still so lacks AAA titles but there are plenty of poly shaded games that don't need high fidelity and still rock. I would buy something cheap (relatively) like a Quest 2 (which will nose dive in price once the soon to be release Quest 3 comes along) as it's stand alone so no need to invest in a decent PC rig (mobile processor/stand alone). If you find VR "clicks" for you then you could splurge on a beefy PC rig to run higher end games (still using your Quest 2 with a wired link). The issue is for many of us our journey has been incremental (I already own base stations for tracking) and a fairly strong PC with VR controllers but if you are starting from scratch you're going to have to splash out a fair amount of cash to catch up. Finally whilst the Crystal mentioned has great specs Pimax who makes it are just god awful and have yet to meet Western expectations in terms of customer support/QA standards and the Big Screen headset will require lighthouses (trackers) and for me is too little too late (plus who makes an ultra lightweight portable small form factored headset, hinting at movies on the go and then sticks a wire on it...I find it just odd)

[@jasonstorie8740]

@@Space-O-2001 Thank you, I really appreciate that.

[@Space-O-2001]

@@jasonstorie8740 You're welcome, if you can be bothered let us know which way you went and how it was for you :P

[@LifeguardLeroy]

I'm guessing a Matrix plug directly into the brain stem might be less of an inconvenience than the Pimax Crystal.

[@williamjenks6866]

Are there air vents at the eyes?

[@SwapnilBhartiya]

what are your thoughts on Varjo Aero?

[@gpsilver47]

Me who still uses the first HTC VIVE, can't wait to get one.

[@ParotandArmorfinish]

I would like to see the field and view and refresh rate improve on the bigscreen. I love how light and small it is but I feel like most people would be fine with 100 grams more or so just to put it more in like with what you’d expect from an enthusiast level headset

[@KaNoMikoProductions]

15:44 That's not what Bigscreen said, though. They said that the GPU runs at max res, then it gets compressed, sent through the cable, then decompressed.

[@spookykitty2327]

yes that is true, it still only displays at a maximum of 2560x2560 on the display

[@KaNoMikoProductions]

​@@spookykitty2327But that's not what Adam said.

[@bartz0rt928]

Big potential for 3D printing, I think: ergonomics of something you strap to your face are so important. I agree that Big Screen's approach seems like the best way forward, but they could make the tooling for the face gasket freely available. Some way to change IPD would also be better, so people can share a headset (I've found it great fun at parties to take turns playing Beat Saber or Superhot or something). Even swappable IPD spacers would probably do (although I've also noticed that IPD really doesn't need to be spot on for such short sessions). I do think inside out tracking is a vastly superior experience to remodelling a room to accommodate VR, but otherwise the Beyond's minimalism is the right call. Get everything that doesn't need to be on the headset, off of it. Have it just be the screens and a ton of sensors (cameras, eye tracking, mic, whatever additional black magic is required for tracking...). Then the user can ideally pick whether they want to connect to a chonky PC for max fidelity or to something that fits in a pocket (or onto a belt clip) for optimal mobility. I really hope that's what the Quest 3 will do, but from what I've seen so far they're still on the "all-in-one" approach.

[@TheZeatt]

man i miss the vr minute I have no idea anymore what happens in pop culture or tech anymore

[@tyleryoung5040]

Dang. So for the big screen vr you need external trackers for it to work? Currently using a quest 2 for sim racing. I’m stationary in my cockpit, but I do need head tracking to look around. Would I need external trackers for the BSVR to work?

[@cingkole7893]

yes. u need a full steam vr setup

[@El-Burrito]

the custom face gasket is very interesting, and that thing just looks tiny!

[@AngelsNeverFade]

I would really like to buy the Bigscreen Beyond but the fact that I cant share it with friends and family is a huge no for me. Especially taking into consideration that a lot of my friends have very strong glasses.

[@Vanessa-dk6bj]

you can get lense inserts like he has to accomidate glasses. Also if you friends have ipd close to yours +/- 3 pts or so it will be fine. For me at least, after the hype wore off i was using it myself 95% of the time. If someone wants to try it for 30 min i am ok having them suffer with incorrect ipd :)

[@Dr-easy]

Is it worth buying a pc and the base station and controllers and the beyond? I think my quest 2 is too heavy and lack performance .. I love vr and want the best experience Thank you for great vids love u

[@timhalstead9790]

Will the bigscreen work with my Oculus hardware

[@Dude_Slick]

It's awesome to see all the tech available to successful KZbinrs and the uber wealthy. To a large portion of the people viewing this content, these products are as obtainable as a light saber or a gundam.

[@egirlsrule902]

My bigscreen Beyond arrives this month!

[@hgahsiea]

Is it good?

[@egirlsrule902]

@@hgahsiea it is really good especially for iracing. But the glare is annoying on the sides of the lenses. But I’m used to it

[@hgahsiea]

@@egirlsrule902 I just ordered it 😜. I've watched so many reviews and complaints I know what I'm getting I think. I won't be racing. Mostly dark environments to exploit the OLED. Bring on the glare and soft peripheral vision I'm ready.

[@angrybeaver6667]

This is the video I needed to justify my Bigscreen Beyond purchase. I have been regretting ordering it a bit because its expensive, but now I can't wait to get it. Hopefully valve doesnt announce an index 2 a week after I get it.

[@SINfromPL]

dont worry, valve dont care about vr

[@whydoesgoogleruinyoutube724]

yeah knowing Valve, I think you're good

[@BB-qp5xo]

I'm skipping BSB because it's dip in FOV and makes me use a wire. For ME, my Vive Pro 2 with wireless is the best headset for my needs, but this would tempt me if cheaper or could use a wireless mode.

[@x32i77]

You should have waited for somnium VR 1

[@BB-qp5xo]

@@x32i77 I don’t wait. I buy what is best at the time, for my needs.

[@JohnVanderbeck]

Wanted to love the Bigscreen, but there is no way I can deal with that glare. My Index just collects dust because every time I try to sim with it, the image is so washed out by glare that I can't read any gauges.

[@gordontechreviews]

Whats the vertical measurements on that beyond FOV???? It's great that they managed to increase the horizontal but depending on the Vertical, it's either a cumulative win or loss for me. I've been holding off buying it cause I don't know and as an example, the Vive XR Elite is small and light and their horizontal is about 100 ish degrees but they destroy the experience for me with a vertical of only 80 ish degrees so it feels like your looking through a very wide but very narrow window.

[@ReavoEnd]

Beyond's vertical FOV is ~90deg.

[@gordontechreviews]

@@ReavoEnd hmm, interesting, I'm torn now between the beyond and the varjo aero which recently got a price cut from 2k ish to under a grand lol and I don't even have to track down an iphone for the stupid face scan lmao decisions decisions lol

[@WhatsupAbroad]

You would like our Crystal more, but between the Aero and the BSB I think you would probably enjoy the Aero more. @@gordontechreviews

[@SINfromPL]

Pimax isnt shipping Crystal to backers, it wasn't on Kickstarter

[@Robalogot]

I still have the original vive pro headset, but it's so frustrating to not have a way to know if it's worth to upgrade without testing new hardware yourself.

[@Goodgu3963]

I've got the original as well. I've come to the conclusion there isn't a worthy upgrade yet for a couple of reasons. First the industry for VR is too small. There just aren't enough VR games that can be played right now, or enough games with VR/PC cross play to justify spending money on a new headset. When I want to hop into VR and have fun I've got the tools to do it, but there aren't any hardcore VR games which justify a hardcore investment into the tech. Second is that none of the headsets really do what I want. The bigscreen seems great, and might even be the one I go for if I decide to get serious, but the problem is still FOV, screendoor, and wireless. I REALLY want a wireless VR headset, and truly wireless with a built in hot-swappable battery, not the corded strap it to your leg nonsense. Nor do I want all of this onboard processor crap. Nobody who is spending $1000+ on VR tech wants to play shitty mobile games with it. Anyone who is that invested already has a powerful gaming PC and want's to use it. So I think right now until those change, then there isn't any reason to upgrade. Enjoy the Vive in all it's early VR glory and save up for when the technology and industry are mature enough to be worth investing in.

[@fireaza]

I had the original Vive Pro too, but I'd say even the Quest 2 would be a worthy upgrade if you're not so keen on springing for a high-end headset like the Valve Index. I have both, and the Quest 2 isn't **too** far off from the experience of using the Index (the Index's superior controllers and audio aside). While the Quest 2 doesn't have an OLED screen, what is DOES have that's an advantage over the Vive Pro is the displays use an RGB stripe subpixel arrangement instead of Pentile. Long story short, despite the similar pixel count, the Quest has noticeably less screen door effect due to the smaller gaps between the sub-pixels. It also has wireless standalone and PC VR functionality, which is REAL nice. Personally, I'd upgrade to the Quest 2 or Pico 4 and sell your Vive Pro. Or maybe hold off for the Quest 3 or Pico 5..? Make sure to keep the lighthouses though! This will let you use the Index controllers, which are amazing!

[@WhatsupAbroad]

So you want wireless and a hot-swappable battery, but without the onboard processor that is required to make wireless work?@@Goodgu3963

[@eugenecia9424]

I have heard and seen rumors about the pico5, if what I have seen is true, I would wait to buy a new VR headset.

[@Dietahvr]

wondering if that increased brightness everyone seems to use is reducing the lifetime of the oled displays/risk of burn in

[@MixedRealitySimRacing]

Lifetime maybe, but burn in probably won't be an issue with VR because most VR games have no fixed hud and you are constantly moving your head. Maybe it's also just compromising low persistence and by that being less sharp with motion m

[@pistolao_vr]

If they manage to make base stations and good controller for cheaper than Valve, it would be an amazing headset!

[@scythelord]

They won't. They're relying on you already owning those.

[@mikehudgins8545]

I would love if you could revisit the Aero and compare it. I’m currently agonizing on if I should cancel my Beyond preorder for an Aero. Recent price cut puts it at the exact same price. Such a hard decision

[@P3d3r0s0]

Yeah, the Aero seems like the best buy now that it is half the price, i think it has eye tracking as well. Kinda struggling with the idea myself.

[@MixedRealitySimRacing]

Same here. Bigscreen hast the better fov but aero the eye tracking. Wish I could just have both. Using the index now I don't want to compromise too much on the fov

[@mikehudgins8545]

@@MixedRealitySimRacing A good point my buddy made to me is Meta research says that vertical FOV matters more for immersion and the Beyond has better vertical FOV!

[@MixedRealitySimRacing]

@@mikehudgins8545 also has better horizontal

[@ji3200]

No resell value on Beyond turns me off and Glare is the main problem for me so i have to sell this in the future eventually. 30% of scene will be washed out with glare is big problem. Aero has resell value but small vertical fov and shitty picture color is bad. I wish Quest 3 has local dimming lcd but Mark Fuckerburg is too greedy to have it with $500 price quest 3

[@BonelessVR]

Just got the Aero. Chose it over Pimax and Bigscreen due to enterprise level support and the confidence that comes with that. Pimax also just rubs me the wrong way, too many software issues reported by other users for me to trust them. The clunk when he sat down the Pimax was confirmation enough for me that it's not right for me lmao

[@animaokio]

That's what I'd pick too if they'd ship to my country. I love tested, but this review was weird. I found inconsistent how 90hz, resolution, sweet spot, and productivity were factored. He mentions you can't go back to lower res after experiencing VR on high res, but then says 1920 upscaled at 90hz is preferable to 72hz. Says edge clarity makes the beyond still not good for productivity. But by that sense, Quest Pro would be preferable with breathable design on top. I believe resolution is addictive, but then why stop at 2.5k with nauseating low refresh rate instead of going highest available with standard 90hz and what seem a not so heavy headset. I wish he included the Varjo aero on this.

[@flamshiz]

what is the weight comparison between this large headset and the index?

[@markkovalcson7243]

About 5-6 X more weight for the Index.

[@flamshiz]

@@markkovalcson7243 5-6 TIMES as much??? wowsers bowsers

[@masterman3349]

@@flamshizthe index is about 800g, crystal is about 1200g, Bigscreen is about 180g if I remember correctly.

[@subermario]

I don't have an iPhone.. but the BIgscreen Beyond looks so promising!

[@scythelord]

Surely someone around you has one. As much as I hate it, half of my family and friends uses iphones. The other half has samsung/android phones

[@BB-qp5xo]

I have Vive pro 2 which gives me extreme resolution, 112-116 degree FOV and amazingly....wireless (high resolution). I am so close to buying the BSB but I can't justify losing FOV and be cabled all the time. Sooooooo tempted though.

[@Cless_Aurion]

In exchange you actually get panels that are worth something. The LCDs from the VP2 (and most LCD HMDs out so far) are... absolute trash compared to any uOLED one to be honest. If you were able to A-B them you wouldn't touch an LCD headset again even with a 10ft pole

[@BB-qp5xo]

@@Cless_Aurion yes agree. It’s just I don’t want to sacrifice the other things. Looks like I’m sticking with this until next gen.

[@Cless_Aurion]

@@BB-qp5xo Yeah, that is also 100% understandable. And surely next gen uOLED hmds will have less downsides for you

[@BonelessVR]

Used pro 2 for two years, went through 2 of them actually. I use tiny thin facegaskets to get max fov. Wireless from Vive is very bad and doesn't let you actually max out the headset while also having terrible battery life unless you decide to put a massive battery pack on your trackbelt. Cable is much more comfortable. Got an Aero, I'm telling you, the big screen beyond will be a worthwhile investment for you. High resolution doesn't matter unless you can see it. You won't miss that fov when everything in front of you is pixel perfect sharp.

[@BB-qp5xo]

@@BonelessVR thanks, I appreciate the comment as you were me by the sounds. Just need to spend dollars at the right time for the right jump.

[@Likeableartist]

Hardware manufacturers please consider the Star Wars proto-saber approach!

[@eobet]

That’s one hell of a side by side…

[@SlizenDize]

I understand Norms reasoning and it makes sense for someone watching videos but I feel like he is severely underselling the importance of eye tracking. Especially as resolution of HMD's get higher and the fidelity of games just gets higher and higher. Playing VR is a very resource heavy operation and will be even more so as games become more beautiful. I'm playing on a 4090 and a i9-13900K and some games are still pretty taxing for my system. Especially those that are flatscreen games ported or modded into VR. Due to the way latency works frame generation is not really viable in VR and so we must find other means of increasing performance without the cost of fidelity. In comes eye tracking, Foveated Rendering is a godsend and IMO essential for any high end headset to be even somewhat future proof. Not even mentioning how good eye tracking can be for things such as navigating menus and I'm sure games will start to incorporate it more and more as popularity rises for the simple reason that it's so... comfortable to use. We all have different priorities and expectations and Norm makes perfect sense in what he says but here you also have another viewpoint. IMO do not sleep on eye tracking if you want a headset that will be able to keep up in the gaming space for years to come. I truly believe you are doing yourself a disservice if you buy a headset without it at this day and age.

[@ytubeanon]

- hurry up you guys and buy the Bigscreen Beyond so I can afford the next generation! (someone said eye tracking in xmas) - oh man, I just thought of a legit advantage of BB: eating. While eating, watching tv/movies is a must, and with a large VR headset there's too much weight on your cheekbones, so VR moves up and down as you chew... - 17:20 does text look that blurry? it would be nice if the blur were adjusted in photoshop to reflect how it actually looks in the headset

[@brendanarmstrong7802]

I tried jumping from the Quest 2 to the Pimax 8KX, and just had an awful time. Sure, the hardware was better, but it was a chore to use. Constant tinkering required, impossible to comfortably use my own headphones even when the audio solution was removed... I do believe they're improving, but I don't think I'll be ready to buy pimax again until I hear glowing reviews across the board. Ultimately, I ended up picking up a used Varjo Aero. I love it and don't think I could go back to the resolution of the Quest 2, but I'll admit, I do often find myself missing a lot of the quest creature comforts. The passthrough and far-superior-to-steamVR desktop mode made it easy to stay in VR for long periods of time.

[@R3ST4RT1NG]

Thanks for the video!!

[@saite2560]

I like how all the previous companies are completing with these heavy bulky hmd. And big screen comes along and not just raises a bar they raise that thing like no one even was participating. They got work else where to go but everyone else now doesn't even compare with the visuals/weight. A combo generations ahead. I am disappointed in needing to touch anything apple tho, even just for the scan. I couldn't even find someone to borrow one from for a second. No one owns one any more. The heavy headsets not just take away from my vr experience it straight up ruins it.

[@chrisshurtz5541]

Wow. That Pimax Crystal, next to the BSB, looks ridiculous 😅

[@Suge212]

They're so small but they COULD have made them bigger for a better FOV and they'd still be smaller and lighter than anything else. Not sure why so many VR companies feel that FOV is not important. I'm not buying another VR headset until someone comes out with one that has 2k+ pixels per eye, integrated audio, 200+ degree field of view, eye tracking and foveated rendering. I'm thinking that's about 5-10 years away before one of these companies decides to integrate all of these already existing technologies into one headset.

[@moncimoov]

13:42 ! most important info

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

Norm 👍

[@Cursethedawn]

My first VR experience was with the PSVR and I love it. However I have a high end PC and would love to take the next step to PCVR. The thing stopping me is space. The immediate free space around my PC is just 6'x5'. How much room do you realistically need around your PC to have a PCVR setup?

[@CorporateZombi]

You could probably get away with that space. Also it's possible to use a quest hooked up to your pc via a second WiFi 6 router in a different room where you have more space. Some people even play games seated!

[@BonelessVR]

I play in a space smaller than that and do a whole lot more than just stand around. What matters is being comfortable and knowing where things are, use a fan that lets you know exactly where you are in your playspace, a spot where you can swing around as much as you want and not hit anything. You'll learn where it's okay, or use a thin mat to know exactly where you can stand safely

[@TerrorTerros]

😂 "be there in person", kinda ironic

[@JozefTrubac]

I wonder how does the sweet spot compares to G2. Also Norm mentioned on his older Beyond video that there is some ghosting. I wonder if that was fixed.

[@angrybeaver6667]

Flight sim guy mentioned in his Beyond final version review that the sweet spot is much improved on the final version, which leads me to believe that bigscreen may have inconsistent lens problem like pico had with the pico 4. Since Norm said sweet spot is the same but Flight Sim Guy said much improved, they both might be correct and Norm lost the lens lottery.

[@VRFlightSimGuy]

​@@angrybeaver6667The sweet spot is definitely much better in my unit, I asked Bigscreen about this and I can confirm they have improved it for the retail version. Thanks for watching btw 😊

[@JozefTrubac]

@@angrybeaver6667 damn. If it would have edge to edge clarity I would have bought it.

[@chronicalcultivation]

this dude needs a Sterilite sponsorship

[@spediegunz]

Which application are you using to watch 4k movies ? The bigscreen app on steam ? I have a bunch of 4k movies on Plex but I don’t think the bigscreen steam app supports 4k mkv

[@BonelessVR]

Get a free account on VRChat and watch all that shid for free, don't tell anyone I sent you there

[@seraphimelegy6747]

"I dont see anyone else doing micro-oled, and dont see anyone doing customization like this..." Immersed Visor: "Hold my beer!"

[@UltimateAK86]

It’s going to be next year, along with Vision Pro that also uses Micro OLED. So for 2023c Big Screen Beyond is it.

[@TimLongson]

Can you please clarify by what you mean Bigscreen Beyond not being good for desktop productivity? Surely with OLED at that high resolution text should be easy to read and do work with?

[@Killswitch1411]

Glare, small fov

[@TimLongson]

@@Killswitch1411 the Bigscreen Beyond has a 102 degree FOV, which is 2 degrees more than the Apple Vision Pro and yet that headset is described as ideal for productivity. And the Bigscreen Beyond also uses the same micro OLED type display, so what's the difference?

[@Killswitch1411]

@@TimLongson do you own a Bsb? Well the sweet spot in that fov is smaller than AVP by a large margin.

[@Killswitch1411]

@@TimLongson I own both AVP and BSB and no chance in hell am I doing anything remotely productive in that. Just the lenses alone mess that up for the BSB.

[@TimLongson]

@@Killswitch1411 ah ok, fair enough. So it's a problem if you rely on peripheral vision? And you would recommend the Meta Quest 3 as better?