VR GAME CHANGER? - Varjo Aero from a Sim Racer's Perspective

With exciting features like eye tracking and active cooling, the Varjo Aero has got to be one of the most highly anticipated VR products to hit the market in quite some time. Varjo have kindly loaned us a prototype unit, and today I'm very excited to share my experience with you from the perspective of a Sim Racer!
We'll be putting the headset through its paces in iRacing, Automobilista 2 and Assetto Corsa Competizione to see how it stacks up.
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Hardware Overview
7:14 - Software Overview
18:56 - Varjo Studio Demo
21:46 - Google Earth VR
27:37 - iRacing
34:38 - Automobilista 2
39:30 - Assetto Corsa Competizione
42:09 - Summary
#varjo #aero #vr

[@boostedmedia]

Just a quick note regarding this prototype unit - Varjo have since clarified via their Discord community that the unit we tested is identical to final production in terms of the visual experience.

[@razalom66]

Shame you cant actually get it in the country though isnt it :(

[@Rechercher]

Could you update the discord link invitation because it is invalid please. (Sorry if my English is not good)

[@teabagmcpick889]

In ball-park terms, how much better than a vive-pro would you reckon this is? It looks like fov is the same so clarity/sweetspot etc - what would you reckon, how much better? Is it worth the upgrade?

[@jeremiahwennermark5926]

In ACC specifically how would you compare it to the Pimax from a few weeks ago?

[@theauthenticsteve]

What I'd love to see is a direct comparison to the 8KX when the 8KX is on the smallest FOV with the highest refresh rate and then the next smallest FOV. On the smallest FOV the 8KX has an identical HFOV to the Vargo but a larger HFOV. I'm curious how they compare when on the exact same FOV because in my experience the biggest issues with the Pimax are at the extremities of the larger FOV's. The reason the highest refresh rate is important is because you mention smoothness and IMO the Pimax needs to be run at the highest refresh rate and FPS to be smooth and this mostly relates to tracking. Actually if you use 9 axis tracking for sim racing I actually find it far smoother and with a higher fps.

[@TeamHorneyRacing]

Another cracking review Will, thanks and Happy New Year!

[@hockeytard1]

Thanks for this info Will. Great job as always from Boosted Media. Thanks again!

[@williamwilkinson2748]

Excellent and comprehensive review, thank you.

[@Noz135]

Love sims as is but VR's a gamechanger! Well worth :) Cheers and happy new years!

[@gingersnaps7186]

Sweet! Been looking forward to a review of this headset from a sim racers perspective. Cheers will 👌

[@parvildrobu]

Thank you for such a detailed review :)

[@spydr9931]

Love the vids. Been watching you since 32000 subs. Congrats on the growth and keep up the great videos and reviews

[@ZenMotionSim]

Best review ive seen so far! I was affraid it will be another one done by a person that got something from varjo and feels obliged to say nice story but this seems to be honest to the bone. Great job Will!

[@AndySpicer]

OMG, no kidding. I am fighting a real dislike for the company based solely on that manipulative bullshit marketing blitz. One channel, who I won’t name, did nothing but Varjo content on their $3k device with a $2k yearly subscription for months. He clearly had his channel essentially bought for that period and at the end of every piece he did that “please beg in the comments for Varjo to make a consumer version.” You knew two minutes on that they already had one and were gonna release it soon. It felt really sleazy. Will, as usual, did a great, honest, review.

[@GoatednSauce]

It's on the way. Super amped to add this to my set up! Thanks for the awesome review. I watched it 4 times through before oulling the trigger 😅

[@OverTake_gg]

This thing looks super cool! 🤩

[@aubreycolemanracing]

Fan inside is a big deal, I use VR for racing 95% of the time, and the fan would be so helpful! Hope future headsets have a fan!

[@FULLNinja69]

It would be really cool if an HMD used Dyson bladeless fan technology.

[@thonczarenko]

I use a neck fan I got from Amazon. It looks like headphones around your neck. They blow air up the front of your face and the air makes it inside the VR headset enough to make a difference. I think it was about $15 for the one I got.

[@FOGDaheee]

@@thonczarenko Yes one of my friends got one of those for his G2, but I had to tell him not to use it as it sounded like he was in a wind tunnel when he used his Mic to talk.

[@thonczarenko]

Haha, tell him to get a separate mic. I got one for $5. It’s worth having the fan.

[@FOGDaheee]

@@thonczarenko No way, want to make him suffer. Hehe

[@cooknn]

Hey, Will. This video convinced me to pull the trigger on the Varjo Aero - and to give AMS2 another look. Am I glad I did. What an amazing experience. Thank you.

[@VRFlightSimGuy]

Excellent review... You are tempting me into sim racing ;)

[@boostedmedia]

Thanks! You should give it a try at least!

[@DonutMotorsport]

Time to fly low!

[@-Thunder]

F1 in automobilista with G2 is quite a rush. I just got all set up over the past month. Bought iRacing yesterday.. Tried DCS.. Fun, but racing has crazy intensity.. Worth a try!

[@juppee]

Great presentation, very good things that you took into account and which were not thought of by me. Thanks for this presentation.

[@afterthought6889]

really well done review. attention to detail will always stand out.

[@kazz23681]

Just wanted to say you this was a fantastic review.

[@PLAYERUN]

Excellent detailed review as usual

[@eskwadrat]

Great review. Made me to pull the trigger on the Aero. Thanks a lot.

[@boostedmedia]

You’re welcome. Glad it helped.

[@Sl1mfit]

As a Finn it's nice to see Finnish innovation in a gaming market. Btw, Varjo is "shadow" in Finnish.

[@AndySpicer]

That’s cool! How are you doing over there? The crazy is a bit too close for comfort huh?

[@carltonsmall682]

Finally a sim recer reviews this headset!! I was on the fence with buying this headset and after this video I'm still on the fence!. Coming from a valve index I wouldn't want any less fov, but the clarity makes this headset so tempting. Hard to justify spending that much money if it still has slight warping issues though. I'm sure I'll just bite the bullet and buy it one day. Thanks for taking the time .

[@johnparker6476]

Very informative, good job.

[@smokingspitfire1197]

I actually really like the eye camera. I'd love to see you drive with them. See where drivers are looking and how rapidly they move in dramatic races.

[@treemium1467]

There's great content on KZbin with real world racing drivers and where they look. Eye tracking has been used in sports and it is really interesting.

[@immatoll4375]

It just reminds me on annoying orange... xD

[@mike_33gt]

@@treemium1467 can you share a link

[@ezpz4659]

@@immatoll4375 forreal

[@04dram04]

It was really interesting seeing your eye movement. Not how I expected them to move

[@poolhallshark]

Excellent review m8!

[@MackTheKnight59]

Thank you for your unbiased review! Despite it's limitations, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on one! This will bring DCS and simulators in general to another level. For now, I think we need to accept the fact that there will be trade-offs. And I'd rather have clarity in simulators than an ultrawide fov.

[@boostedmedia]

100% agreed.

[@treemium1467]

I agree. I bought a G2 for the clarity and the FOV is maybe slightly underwhelming but once I'm in the game I just don't notice. I DO notice when things look blurry.

[@MackTheKnight59]

@@treemium1467 same here. I really enjoy the G2. Clarity is king for immersion for me.

[@robbanelly8682]

I didnt realize it is shipping from china??

[@MackTheKnight59]

@@robbanelly8682 really? I thought they were made in Finland. Yours shipped? Lucky you!

[@byronclark4041]

Awesome work with your reviews, I have recently come across your videos and even though I am not in the market for a new rig (at least that is what my wife tells me) I still find them really good

[@johnmann7o2]

Try AC with csp, sol, Exquisite PP, neck fx, simvibe in a f2004 at the Nurburgring and you won’t go back to flat screens.

[@EnricoAnsaloni]

Great review thanks! So, all that eye tracking actually does to this point is automatically adjust IPD, right? At least until games natively support foveated rendering?

[@4secsharkmr352]

Excellent 👍 thank you

[@littlerhino2006]

The headset looks very promising. I was introduced with the Oculus DK2 and then the Rift. It just quite wasn't up to par for resolution and clarity, really looking forward to getting back into sim racing with VR and motion

[@suckabustaakadd]

@BoostedMedia amazing review, how would you say the clarity compares to the HP reverb G2? Also how much bigger is the sweetspot on the Varjo? Thanks!

[@J.king87]

+1

[@musicplayerxworld]

I might have missed this but did you need a basestation or controllers and if so, how many? Thanks in advance!

[@DarkNsaw]

Also good to see folks drifting towards vr now...like everyone, non gamers too...i been on this journey since 2015-16 and the jump of tech between 17/18/20/21 has been amazing...from PSVR-G2 and about to make the jump to high end, it seems worth it now...

[@niethenerich]

I have a fan on my index in the usb slot, it's really nice

[@mahmoudshoots]

Amazing review as usual!!! One question, is the base station a must and required for Sim Racing use?

[@isamuu99]

Hi Will. That was an incredibly thorough and candid first impressions of the varjo aero. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this prototype, mate! Your transparency and honesty in this preview is much appreciated. I was pretty set on getting the Aero, but after watching your video, and reading impressions from others with the Aero, I've changed my mind. I think I will wait for the Pimax 12K Qled instead. The thing is, you mentioned you have an Nvidia 3090 and an Intel 11000K processor. With those specs, it's a little disappointing to see that you could only get around 70 FPS in iracing. It seems that we're still being bottlenecked by current hardware to make full use of these headsets. I've decided to wait until the NVIDIA 4xxx series comes out later this year, and buy both a 4090 card and the new pimax headset. It just seems like the current 3000 series is not going to cut it for those looking to be able to crank up their racing sims at max settings. It's a shame, but hopefully we'll get there with the 4000 series. Cheers :)

[@finsimracer4944]

As Varjo is finnish company i have been following their products quite interested as i have also had allready long road with VR headsets (over 5000 hours in SteamVR at the moment). Thank you for review which is one of the first i am seeing: I have heard some feedback as Varjo brought one of their HMD to one finnish virtual pilot meeting few years ago so i knew they are good but they were still on business customers only. Waiting very much more reviews and actual product also how it will be.

[@jackblack7354]

Hi, having trouble with the game and settings. Do u have a video were ur showing ur settings of the Varjo and the Ingame settings to get good performance?

[@MrVkNext]

Glad you are doing more VR content now! Thanks a lot! I feel AC1 deserves to be on the list. It is both the most player VR sim racing title, according to Steam, and is arguably the best-looking one, once you mess around CSP, SOL and use the highest-quality cars and track mods. Driving RSS Indy Car around Road America is arguably the best looking Sim Racing VR experience one can have now. IMO it does beat IMS2 in terms of colors, trees/track details, etc. I definitely spend x10 more time in AC VR than anything else in VR, so I would love to know how well does it run on your beefy PC vs. G2.

[@ThePape78]

The best looking one? Against AMS2 in VR? Try it. It deserves more player 💪👌😊

[@Malar1898]

@@ThePape78 Only boring Cars in AMS2.

[@IvanFamanni]

thanks for your beautiful videos I bought varjo but it's the first one I've used vr do you have any advice on apps settings etc thank you very much for your time ONE IMPORTANT THING FOR US SIMRACING HOW MANY BASE STATIONS SHOULD I TAKE?

[@oz_steve9759]

Hi Will, Are you going to be releasing a follow up Varjo Aero video, now that you have had it for awhile? Thanks Steve.

[@boostedmedia]

Wiring to hear back from them on a few things but yes we will do some follow up stuff.

[@MrSmygolf]

I might have missed it, how did you handle the motion cancellation? Great review :)

[@chrisc3825]

Let’s get some lap time comparisons! Different headsets and triple screens. I know it won’t be the same for everyone, but as I mentioned with the 8kx vs the Index in your last video, it really can matter and sometimes it’s difficult to know what’s going on until you really push and your times just don’t consistently match up. Anyway, awesome and thanks!

[@pgeppl]

Nice overview :)

[@LGLL1959]

Hi, when are you testing the Vive Focus 3? Thank you

[@roddy6924]

Happy New Year to you Will 🙂

[@boostedmedia]

Thanks. You too!

[@Nikos4Life]

Hey Will thanks for the review! One question: iRacing: How do you capture the image of the VR view? Did you use the iRacing mirror or did you use other way? Hope you do not mind to share, since I Do streaming using VR and I am always looking to increase image quality. Best, Miguel

[@davecamm]

Can't believe I watched for about 10 mins before noticing the eyes 😂

[@boostedmedia]

👀 creepy eyes are creepy

[@kevanhandley7521]

Another great video Will. Look forward to seeing full review. I’m just getting into VR and just bought the G2. I’m trying to convert from triples to VR. Unfortunately I play ACC and I’m finding it undriveable at the moment. I’ve watched your video regarding the G2 and ACC. I have a ryzen 9 5970 processor, rtx 3090 gpu and 32g ram but only getting 20 to 30 fps through FPSVR and it don’t look good! I was wondering whether your settings would be any different since the introduction of DLSS, updated nvidia settings and steam VR? If there is could you post somewhere please or do a video? I’ve checked your discord channel but can’t see anything. Thanks in advance and happy new year to you.

[@J.king87]

I have locked 90 fps with g2 on acc. With almost same level of hardware

[@Teh_Tourist]

Have you used the Valve Index? How would you compare the FOV and experience in general vs Index if you have?

[@noblebatson8621]

The eye camera is cool, I would like to see that in more videos

[@MalcomMcLeod]

I have chromatic aberration in my glasses and it just takes a bit of time to get use to. But how is the experience for glasses users?

[@ELO_BOTT]

Will you be doing a review on the quest pro ?

[@DanDiMaggio]

Never in my life did I think that I would stare so deeply into Will's eyes for so long but now I think I'm in love lol! Seriously though this really could be huge for sim racing. Just hope they can somehow get the cost down for the casual racer.

[@eliasbejek6651]

hey dan! how are you? will you be back soon?

[@DanDiMaggio]

@@eliasbejek6651 I hope so! At the moment me and the wife are spending a lot of our free time mountain biking and hiking trying to be healthy and active. But I’ve been doing some racing here and there. I still have big plans for the channel but it’s not way up on the priority lists at the moment.

[@eliasbejek6651]

@@DanDiMaggio great! enjoy

[@doug_vickers]

Nice video Will. The quality looked very good to me but I have never tried VR and don't really have anything to reference against. I know a lot about distortion as I wear varifocal spectacles. When I first got them I felt sick for a couple of days as straight lines changed to bent lines when I moved my head around. I soon got used to it and hardly notice it at all now. As a single 32" monitor sim racer I would love to get triples but unfortunately I do not have the space available with my current location.

[@Bob-huisbaas]

Whats the resolution that you need to run inside steamvr to get this quality. One of the drawbacks of the Reverb G2 is that it need to run at 3164 x 3092 for native res. If this would run in the resolution thats on the website it would be easier to run then the reverb! Also, thanks alot for these hands on kind of reviews with these headsets, really awesome!

[@airwayzara1763]

Will, do you run the dbox actuators? when will they be reviewed?

[@johnspanos3862]

Would you say go with this over triple Oled 48"? About to rebuild my sim and I can't decide. the Gigabyte 48" oled monitors are on sale right now for 799 each.

[@STEPHENdickinson-my9ul]

Hi which graphics card did you use for this video? Thanks Steve

[@JoeBlowUK]

Nice to see Dexter (Night at the Museum) featuring in the eye cam. 👀

[@dustinfletcher5562]

Hi Will thank you for the review! How does one buy this headset in aus?

[@CGC0.1]

for sim racing , does it requied SteamVR base station and controller to operate ? they drop the price to 990USD ! Thanks !

[@Tee-zt4wr]

is there a mirror app for varjo aero like the occulus rift had so i can record full screen inside a game using nvidia record function? thanks tee

[@kanttori5957]

Just a question. How does the field of view compare with Oculus Rift. I am looking for the next vr headset.

[@museumsteve]

Thanks Will, really enjoyed the video. If ACC was better optimised for VR I'd be the first in line for a Varjo.

[@Paulwhittall37]

How many base stations did you use and were did you place?

[@justinspirational]

Thanks for the very thorough review..I have an aero ordered and have an 8kx already.. since it's known the larger the fov the greater the sense of speed perception and situational awareness, how is your speed perception with the aero so far? Do you think the aero fov can widened a little with a thinner face foam? The pimax 12k reality qled will of course be the best of both the aero clarity with 240° fov and so much more if it lives up to its promises and we'll also get the 8kx purchase price off of the total 12k price..Thank you..Excited to get my Aero now

[@stevetb7777]

The man who talked me into the 8KX. Glad you're getting an Aero too. I'm pretty sure once I use the Aero I won't be able to go back to lower clarity, even at the loss of the large Pimax FOV. The Aero will hold me over until the 12K comes out, whenever that actually is. And then it will feel like (hopefully) a major upgrade again... (hopefully) same clarity with a HUGE FOV!

[@justinspirational]

@@stevetb7777 yeah.. still love my 8kx.. only decided to get aero so I have a *choice* between max clarity (aero) and max immersion/ fov (8kx) though with fsr sharpening and rendering moderately above 100%/4k steam resolution to increase the ppd the 8kx is pretty much tack sharp anyway AND have the wide fov .. at least more than clear enough for most applications.. yeah not as sharp as the aero but still great/ good enough for most vr applications but with those mods I'm pretty certain the gap in clarity is narrowed between the 8kx and aero compared to the stock 8kx clarity and if you want the 12k hopefully you are still happy you have the 8kx too as you'll obviously be getting your 8kx purchase price off of the 12k making it a bargain and if the 12k lives up to its promises it will of course blow the aero and 8kx away and if so will sell the aero and end up breaking even or even make a profit by exchanging the 8kx for the 12k and selling the aero.. but for now, having the choice will be welcome..I surely do hope the aero clarity does indeed live up to the hype at the price we paid and also hope the distortions and chromatic aberrations aren't of putting (many aero users have also gotten units with dead pixels too and had to return immediately but hopefully varjo will now be stepping up their qc to avoid sending out dud units and also improve the distortions from this point on).. it's pretty clear the sense of speed in racing sims will be less with the aero though due to the smaller fov but it seems the exceptional clarity makes the aero most people's daily driver and tend to choose max clarity more over max FOV.. I'm interested also to try the fsr sharpening mod with the aero which I don't think anyone has tried to make the clarity even better above stock (if that's possible) with virtually no extra demand on the gpu

[@zolwiq007]

Same as you - I'd take narrower FOV with larger sweet spot over huge FOV with very limited clarity any day. It is not like you have a huge FOV sinked in a full helmet with a bucket seat with huge ears around your skull. I hope we will get to the point that entire FOV will be the same clarity as the area just in front of you.

[@sigmundsakoman7448]

Great review Will. You refer to a lower of field of view with this unit, but would the field of view you are seeing be similar to what you would be seeing if were wearing a helmet in real terms. Or is it a greater FOV reduction? Cheers.

[@schuee22]

Great information as per normal.. have you done enough VR to see how your lap times compare to your 3 screen setup..Cheers

[@ji3200]

To me vr makes me faster because it has depth perception and helps judge braking on time at cornering. Hp Reverb G2 visual is almost identical to this headset. Bought it on ebay for $329

[@zenzorism]

Hi guys. I’m doing Sim Racing since a few years and also using VR. Last VR I have used was the HP reverb 2. After this video I’ve decided to buy the Varjo Aero. It came this week, was really looking forward to test it so done that and then the big surprise. It doesn’t work. At least not without steam vr base station. Just found out that it’s mandatory. Now the big question - is one steam vr base station enough for sim racing in a quite small room? And basically it the steam vr base station really mandatory?

[@speedvr829]

How is it with the 4090? Got a quest pro and very tempted to get this hmd. Have they fixed any issues over the last 12 months since release? Great videos. Bboy.

[@nicolazanetti]

I wonder if eyes tracking will work correctly wearing prescription glasses

[@bystander85]

Now with the motorized, automatic IPD adjustment feature companies have the opportunity to move each lens independently (which I'm assuming they DO NOT actually do here currently) but it would be cool if they could do so for users that may not have perfectly symmetrical eyes relative to the face gasket fit

[@theeltea]

No, single motor & shaft for all current designs.

[@berkshiremisfitsairsoft3671]

What steering wheel system are you using please 👍🏼

[@stonecliff6547]

How much better is it (iracing) over the G2? Is the G2 70,80,90 % as good?

[@DerekIwasiuk]

great review. Maybe vive pro 2 might be good with little less resolution but more field of view

[@GoatednSauce]

Im about to buy either the Varjo or the Pimax... I keep going back and forth from each of your reviews before I pull the trigger.

[@michaelhavlena923]

Are base stations needed for sim racing?

[@liderta5850]

Hi，should I buy Varjo Aero over 8kx？ or it is better to wait for the Pimax Crystal(focus on ACC)

[@roboticjester1374]

Do you need the base stations to play iracing?

[@poxcr]

Does the headset need to be supported natively be each game, or is it compatible with Steam VR?

[@hakmedolarinde8183]

I can only dream of a set up like this

[@isaacespapa1]

Whats your PC build and whats your frame rate at with setting on Assetto?

[@MattyAir]

would you recommend this headset for Flight simulator 4k?

[@Robalogot]

Man it's frustrating not being able to try out headsets yourself. I'm currently running a VIVE Pro and I love it, but I wouldn't mind spending a bit of money for an upgrade. But it has to be worth it and no matter how much I love your review, it's hard to judge if it's worth that to me.

[@awreckedisledysfunction9146]

How does 8K videos look on this? better than on other headsets?

[@RobloxBurgerYT]

Looks like fun

[@marcp5099]

great video - it would be really good to l know what sort of framerates you were consistently getting in the different games. AMS2 for instance dramatically changes with weather and number of cars on track. Does that render the headset unusable and deliver 30 fps. If so there is no point in getting one. . I am running a EVGA 3090 hybrid / i9 9900KS 4ghz

[@TheBrennanSchafer]

I agree it would have been nice to hear the frames he was getting to give other an idea. 30 fps in VR would be unusable for most people and an extremely bad experience for everyone else. You can deal with low frame rates in sitting sims better than most regular VR games because your head is fairly stationary and in one direction but really 70 fps is about the lowest you ever want to go for more than a few mins. Honestly 70- 90 fps is still pretty bad. Once you get used to 120-144 fps in VR it’s hard to use anything less. 120 fps or higher will definitely be the standard in this next generation of headsets.

[@billwiley7216]

@@TheBrennanSchafer And this is exactly what has held me back from jumping into the VR rabbit hole. To get the maximum resolution and clarity out of the best headsets the top of the line pc hardware available still struggles in many applications to deliver the higher framerates without sacrificing some detail in many games settings. Of course my favorite racing sim ACC is one of the worst for VR to begin with and the only thing I want VR for is racing and combat flight sims. I keep hoping maybe next year or the next generation hardware will eliminate those issues.

[@brianhusk4593]

Curious if this was better for eye fatigue?

[@ChaoticCreek]

Do you have a VR tier list that we could use for reference? If not I think that would make a good video :)

[@PrepaidKreditkarte81]

I thought the eye tracking is to safe GPU power? I was hoping it allows us to safe 50% or more of GPU power because it only renders the spot in HQ where the eyes are looking to? AMS2 looked like stuttery, how much FPS did you had?

[@bartczerwiec1943]

Can you do the same type of review on the Arpara 5k (if you can get ur hands on a press version) this review was great and has made me rethink getting the Aero as acc just cant run well on it so its a wait till better gpus are available and try and get a slightly lower price new vr unit.

[@stuffeyy]

Looking forward to the full review on this. A few in my community have mentioned it but unfortunately as you say even tho it is a consumer version of the headset it is still very highly priced. Hopefully the next gen of headsets are within a reasonable price range as VR is definitely more mainstream now especially in sim racing.

[@zavthe1371]

Just get a oculus quest 2 it’s affordable and a great VR

[@stuffeyy]

@Zav The1 I've heard it is. I have a Rift S atm and love it. For me I just want to wait for the next gen of headsets before upgrading next. Hopefully won't be too long.

[@Meditech509]

It's about the same or less price as 3 high quality monitors.

[@user-wq9mw2xz3j]

@@Meditech509 not really. 3 good screens cost less. And have better visuals, clarity, even if at 1440p (and for 1440p, they'll cost half the price). But there's something about driving with vr as well, and to get as close in immersion with screens you'd need much bigger screens in 4m and also a good setup in the room, also it all takes up much more space than just a headset obviously

[@youngyingyang]

Air movement is a VERY WELCOME FEATURE. I get too hot using VR while racing with a full 6ODF motion rig. That's why I abandoned VR a while back.

[@ch3m1c]

Thanks for nice review mate.. I'm really hoping that Valve is partnering well in 2022 and they come up with Index followup with some of their partners with proper Steam VR tracking and reasonable price. Pretty much lighter Index with ~30% - 40% better resolution would grab my cash :D FOV should stay as is.. I just moved from Samsung G9 (what is in warranty current as they all are :P) to 2nd hand Index a month ago.. and I'm hooked :) Running different sims with Ryzen 5 5600X + EVGA 3080Ti FTW3

[@TheBrennanSchafer]

What happen to your G9? I have one that I use fro productivity and normal gaming. The Odyssey G9 is not that great for sim racing ( unless you're used to a small single monitor). I much prefer my Index. Especially with the ability to run 144 frames on iRacing. Something like 90 frames isn't enough in VR for something as fast as the new F1 Merc.

[@ch3m1c]

@@TheBrennanSchafer I started getting horizontal lines with dimmed colors (common issue) with whatever black EQ I was using in different usecases (websites with some specific colors at the same time or even simracing) Now its in warrenty and hopefully they will replace the panel or whole monitor and I can sell it. I replaced it with Gigabyte M32U 32" 4K 144hz IPS screen. I also use my simrig as daily workstation for programming.

[@TheBrennanSchafer]

@@ch3m1c yeah, I ended up getting horizontal lines on both of my last 34” 3440x1440 LG monitors. One after about 7 months and the other in only 3 months. Was pretty pissed. So I’ll be real mad if it happens to my G9. I’ve been actually pleasantly surprised at how good the monitor is at first person shooters but it really shines during productivity. Work on it during the day and play on it at night.

[@sub23DaRkNeSS]

Can you do 120hz with ultra 300 % SS ? I'm wondering

[@KNARFNY]

Is it just me? The Eye Camera is cracking me up. 🤣

[@boostedmedia]

Lmao nope not just you. 😂 👀

[@FedericoCrozzolo]

Is better this or the reverb g2 for ACC ?

[@Renirode]

Great video - thank you! Crazy the Valve Index released in 2019 and its still the "best allround" headset. Wider FOV, 144hz, awesome sound ... i think the "perfect headset" will take another 2-3 years from now. Double the Valve Index resolution, 170-190° FOV - perfect!

[@b.s.7693]

Not neccessary imo. A horizontal of real 140° would be enough (like the Pimax Artisan). And then bring everthing other pefection, that would be the winner headset.

[@suckabustaakadd]

I have a different view on this although the Index was phenomenal when it came out. Price to performance ratio the HP Reverb G2 V2 has all other headsets beat where the Index doesn't offer anything extra that I would miss. As a sim racer the index is overpriced and I can miss the higher refresh rate for a higher resolution which is so important for racing. 144hz is also a hard to reach frame rate at good visual quality settings in VR. 90hz is the sweet spot so the HP reverb is both lighter and more reliable. I can miss the bay stations and the extra finger controls everyday of the week over a cheaper, easier to set up, clearer looking set of goggles. take that extra money you have left and put it in a good GPU

[@alextopman5977]

@@b.s.7693 Not enough. I have 8K X and I want more than 170 FOV. ;))

[@alextopman5977]

Heh. To double FOV up to 170-190 need a 2 screens (or more) - not 1. It`s completely different technical design, problems and their solutions. The same different as road racing cars and off road racing cars. ))

[@turbohenk702]

@boosted media, thanks for the GREAT review! @reniro: "Double the Valve Index resolution, 170-190° FOV - perfect!" that would not make it an "perfect headset". Because of the insane wide FoV that you want the resolution has to be at least 4 times(I think even 6 to 8 times for "perfect headset" which means pixel free) from what the Index has, because over the whole FoV you need an high resolution to get it really sharp. "Crazy the Valve Index released in 2019 and its still the "best allround" headset." It's not best allround at all, that would be the Varjo now, the lenses, panel, comfort is all way WAY better then the Index but if this headset is financially out of range then a G2 is also WAY better and the best allround. The G2 has an minimum resolution to be acceptable, the Index is very oudated and would not even be an option for me since it's so pixelated, I would go back to pancake if I had such a resolution. And about the Hz; what do you need 144Hz for? 90hz is optimal performance wise, nothing on earth can run Varjo resolution at 144hz. FoV is not everything, Clarity/resolution first, then FoV, an "perfect headset" would be the Varjo Aero but then with an double horizontal FoV and 50% more vertical FoV, technically not one GPU on earth could run this, because that extra resolution would cause an ~120% increase on the GPU load. So with the CURRENT GPU's the Varjo Aero is besides the small distortion issues (as far as it's an issue at all) the perfect headset. When GPU's release that can handle an 5000x4000 per eye resolution for example, then an headset with the qualities of the Aero with an wide FoV of indeed 170-180 would be perfect. But in this day and age with the current GPU power that is available, the Varjo Aero is already the perfect headset because more FoV with the same sharpness/clarity is simply not possible because it would cause less then 90fps in all sim racing scenario's with even the 3090. I guess that you have an Valve Index? And that you came to that conclusion solely because of that?