Need counsel re next VR purchase

[franx]

 I currently use the Oculus Rift, and it's good, but I'm itching to upgrade.  At this juncture I'd rather not dump my motherboard and CPU. So that knocks out the Index.   I'm willing to upgrade my graphics card -- currently an AMD Radeon 390x.  Given those parameters, what's the best move?  Rift S?  Quest 2?  I know the Rift S is being discontinued, and that it had complaints about its audio.  But does that kill it as a sensible upgrade?  What's the DCS performance like with the Quest 2 and PC link?  Thanks for any help.

 

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by franx

[Munkwolf]

Getting Index or G2 and running it at lower settings and/or pixel density isn't an option? That way you'd have a better headset for if/when you do upgrade your mobo/cpu in the future.

 

I started with a CV1 Rift, and currently have the Index and G2. I exclusively use the G2 because the picture is really good. Imo, Index is the best overall (comfort, tracking, controllers, speakers), but the picture is the main thing I care about, the the G2 is better in that regard.

[nobuttons]

I'm not sure Rift S or Quest 2 are going to be a really meaningful upgrade for DCS. Unless for some reason you want to play stand alone VR more than PC VR, the Quest 2 is really not a great choice despite the link cable. IMO you should think of the link cable as a "bonus kinda meh VR head set that uses up more performance than a normal headset, but hey you get it for free with your state of the art stand alone VR console".

 

I agree with Monk, getting an Index or G2 (if you can find one in stock) and running with Steam or DCS resolution lowered, will likely give you a decent upgrade and still be state of the art still when you do upgrade the PC. 

[PicklePicklePickle]

I have the Index/G2/Pimax 8KX. I have to agree with the others here it is between the Index and the G2, but I would tip it to the Index right now due to the defects with the G2. While it was working before I had to return it, the G2 was the best headset: completely eye strain free(for me at least), no light houses, extremely comfortable, no screen door effect and great resolution. My only nitpicks with the G2 were: it has a subtle LCD mura that looks like soft horizontal bars but again it is very subtle, and the FOV is not the best so you really have that 'looking through binoculars' effect. The flip side of this smallish FOV however, is that the pixels are densely packed in the FOV so it looks quite phenomenal.

 

However, considering how widespread the issues (Error 4-1, etc) with the G2 are, requiring return of the unit, I have to recommend the Index. The index needs the annoying lighthouses, the resolution is not as great and it has SDE, but it has been rock-solid, and with decent settings DCS looks great in it. It also has quite a good FOV and it is adjustable so you can get the lenses as close to your eyes as is comfortable. It also has absolutely, positvely no LCD mura whatsoever.

 

I have to add a final note on the sweetspot...the sweetspot on these two headsets is great(pimax is a disaster), but I have to give it to the Index. The Index has a mammoth sweetspot for me, I have to look pretty far into the edges to see distortion which is a big plus.

Edited February 10, 2021 by PicklePicklePickle

[GIJoe]

I agree with this totally as I have the Index and G2 as well.

44 minutes ago, PicklePicklePickle said:

I have the Index/G2/Pimax 8KX. I have to agree with the others here it is between the Index and the G2, but I would tip it to the Index right now due to the defects with the G2. While it was working before I had to return it, the G2 was the best headset: completely eye strain free(for me at least), no light houses, extremely comfortable, no screen door effect and great resolution. My only nitpicks with the G2 were: it has a subtle LCD mura that looks like soft horizontal bars but again it is very subtle, and the FOV is not the best so you really have that 'looking through binoculars' effect. The flip side of this smallish FOV however, is that the pixels are densely packed in the FOV so it looks quite phenomenal.

 

However, considering how widespread the issues (Error 4-1, etc) with the G2 are, requiring return of the unit, I have to recommend the Index. The index needs the annoying lighthouses, the resolution is not as great and it has SDE, but it has been rock-solid, and with decent settings DCS looks great in it. It also has quite a good FOV and it is adjustable so you can get the lenses as close to your eyes as is comfortable. It also has absolutely, positvely no LCD mura whatsoever.

 

I have to add a final note on the sweetspot...the sweetspot on these two headsets is great(pimax is a disaster), but I have to give it to the Index. The Index has a mammoth sweetspot for me, I have to look pretty far into the edges to see distortion which is a big plus.

 

I agree with this as well as I have the Index and G2.

[franx]

This is really useful guys.  Much obliged.  Will probably go with the Index.

 

 

 

[Svsmokey]

I'm considering getting a G2 , or possibly a Q3 if it incorporates a DP or HDMI cable in the next iteration .

In the meantime , I'm quite happy with my current RiftS , which represents a substantial increase in clarity over my previous CV1 . I use headphones instead of the native audio , and find the Oculus setup and tweaking to be far simpler than what i have read of the G2 . I also appreciate the much larger sweet-spot and reliability of the S , as compared to the G2 . To me the biggest downside is the Facebook connection , soon to be exacerbated if the court cases go the wrong way . Also , if your ipd is well outside the norm , the S might not be for you .

[dburne]

Yeah Rift S is still a great headset. Audio is not so great, and mic can be iffy. I used earbuds and a desktop mic when I was using the Rift S. I have since moved on to the Reverb G2 and use it daily now as my main VR driver. Somewhat convoluted in getting everything set up just right , but once it is it is a wonderful thing.

I still use earbuds even with the G2, simply because I prefer them along with the noise isolation they bring.

Edited February 10, 2021 by dburne

[Taz1004]

If you can find a sucker who sells Vive Pro for really cheap, it plus lens mod in my opinion is better than Index.  The new SteamVR update brought new life into all Vive headsets and I'm actually quite surprised that a software update can bring that much performance to such old unit.

[PicklePicklePickle]

I would like to try a Vive Pro just to see what the F-14 cockpit and the sky looks like at night time on the OLED screen.  The black level with LCD technology is pretty bad. it's not unplayable on night missions but it does look odd. I suppose the OLED can do perfect black, not sure how good the step out of black dither is on the Vive.

Edited February 11, 2021 by PicklePicklePickle