M0rph3u5

@Nedum While I am aware and agree with all the points that you have made re: FOV & lack of Fov.Rendering, the BSB is still very appealing taking into consideration the (1) extremely lightweight, (2) Cheaper price, and (3) fact that it sits perfectly on the designated user's face since it's constructed based on the individual's facial anatomy/features. Again this is a hugely subjective matter. Having said that for flight sims and DCS specifically, it's not really a great option. Regarding the Pimax's tracking, I wasn't referring to the sitting flight sim experience but rather to tracking in other, more dynamic games like shooters e.g. Pavlov, half-life Alyx..etc, you can check out MRTV, SadlyBradly, and other folks. In fact, inside-out tracking is known to be inferior to lighthouse tracking. Once the controllers are behind your head/headset level for more than a few seconds, the software will try to predict where the controllers will be; similarly, when the controllers are too close to the face e.g. aiming down the sight. @BazzaLB I totally agree with you, the specs aren't that close including of course the higher resolution of both Crystal/Aero compared to BSB, but I guess what I was getting at is despite the drawbacks of the BSB it is still a great contender and has it included more features e.g. IPD adjustment, a headphone jack (which is annoyingly missing as well), & fov. rendering, it would have not been that light in weight. TL;DR: "Bottom line, if you are planning to upgrade or get to VR, you'd better off waiting at least till the end of the year and I am pretty sure you won't regret it. Well, I know that I won't." All in all, I find myself in the very same position that I was in 5 years ago when I was researching my first PCVR & at the time the only 2 available options were HTC Vive (hated the wand controllers but loved Steam tracking) & Oculus Rift (hated the sensors tracking but loved the controllers) until the Valve Index arrived which had the best of both worlds and my wait paid off. Ironically, the Valve Deckard is on the horizon which I hope will be as inclusive features-wise as the Index at the time. Another promising upcoming VR is Somnium V1 which hopefully will be coming to the market late this year as well. My final thoughts: The BS Beyond although a very unique HMD and probably a no-brainer imho to get for an all-in-all improved and more immersive VR experience, BSB is NOT a great option for DCS due to what I would like to refer to as the "4Fs" : Foveated Rendering absence - arguably this is so crucial if you need to squeeze every bit of performance for texture clarity & FPS FOV being restricted - No need to mention how important that is in Flight sims especially DCS FPS being low- Another important factor for a smoother experience Fixed IPD - probably the least relevant part to DCS or anything for that matters other than showing off your HMD or "Sharing" P.S. I have compiled a list of all VR options which I am updating regularly (attached) and I am sure I am gonna be gobsmacked with whatever VR upgrade that I go with compared to my Index VR Options 2023.xlsx

As an Index user looking for an upgrade mostly for DCS I think this is quite appealing. They have btw improved the FOV. For those who criticize the price & the lack of base stations/controllers, you could say the same about the Aero.. Heck! The Aero costs double the price with almost the same specs only with a heavier weight! The Pimax Crystal was on the top of my list but the negative reviews are off-putting, especially taking into consideration Pimax's bad history. I mean the size is one thing (which I am not quite bothered by considering the Index's weight) and the fact that you need to still charge the battery/change it even when it is tethered is absolutely daft and makes no sense. The inside-out tracking seems patchy and even worse, you need to add extra weight to make it compatible with Valve's base stations. It just still sounds like an early-access VR. For someone like me who would use the HMD for development and also playing other VR games, the price definitely doesn't justify it. The BigScreen Beyond seems a reasonable upgrade; however, I would still wait for Valve's next entry (?Deckard) and also Somnioum's V1.. by then the Beyond would be out and reviewed by Simmers properly.