New Varjo Aero Owner - First Impressions

[mmike87]

I started DCS in VR earlier in the year and was able to snag a G2 new on Amazon for under $400. I was generally pretty pleased with the G2's clarity but soon found myself wanting more. 

G2 Likes:

• Great clarity
• Inside-out tracking, at least for me, was flawless 99% of the time
• Light and comfortable IMO
• Value for the money ... IMO still the best value for sims and a good gateway drug

G2 Disliked:

• The FOV was not great, like looking through a tube
• The colors, even with tinkering via OXRTK post-processing, always seemed a little washed out
• WMR just leaves a lot to be desired. I frequently had issues where the framerate on the headset after starting DCS would be like .5 to 1 FPS. I could restart DCS (sometimes several times) and then it would be fine and work all day. I built a new system from scratch a few months ago, and it did the same on the new system as well. Not sure if it's the headset of WMR. DCS would often crash on start as well.
• It was comfortable, but a little more adjustability would be nice

I ran the G2 for a few months and was already on the prowl for "better" once I knew I was hooked. I teetered back and forth between the Pimax Crystal and the Aero. The Areo's $2000+ investment was a real turn-off. And, I was apprehensive about the base station requirements, drilling holes in walls to mount, etc. It all just seemed like an expensive PITA.

However, when the price of the Aero was basically cut in half, the equation changed. The Pimax seemed like it had some things going for it, but it still just looks HUGE and the battery requirement, IMO is just frankly stupid and ultimately landed the Crystal in the "no thanks column". I ordered the Aero and two base stations and in about 3 weeks I had everything. Varjo charges your card ~5 days before shipment, and they charged me a few days after I ordered. It shipped and arrived exactly when they said it would. The base stations shipped separately and arrived about a week later. This could have been made clearer during the ordering process but at the end of the not a big deal.

I uninstalled the WMR OXR apps first but left OXRTK installed. 

For the base stations, I saw someone suggest using adjustable shower curtain rods and cheap Amazon clamp-on camera mounts. IMO this is the perfect solution - the rods clamp between the floor and ceiling, I can wrap the power wire around the black rods, and I can move it around wherever I want.  Highly recommend this solution if you don't want to wall-mount or want the flexibility to re-arrange in the future. 

I also bought a cheap 4-pack of smart plugs and use them to power the two base stations and the headset. I have an Alexa routine "VR On" and "VR Off" to control their power. 

The setup of the base stations was pretty straightforward. You just plug them in and Steam VR just seems to pick them up and they just work. 

From the Varjo website, you'll create a simple account and verify it. You can then download the Varjo Base software. 

I installed the Varjo Base software. The hookup instructions for the Aero was basically a picture where everything hooks up - basically exactly the same as the G2 aside from the fact that it's a USB A connector instead of C. If you know anything about setting up a PC, it's easy.

The setup process was very simple, and farms you out to Steam VR for base station calibration with the headset. In about 10 minutes I was up and running.

I started DCS and voila ... it worked! I immediately wanted to jump in with DFR and proceeded to install the software (see the great "First time setup" thread on this forum for the Aero, great stuff on there!). I started DCS and CRASH!

Tried several times, rebooted, and crashed every time. 

C:\Windows\System32\KERNELBASE.dll
# E06D7363 (Unknown exception code) at 00007ffc80e0cf19 00:00000000
SymInit: Symbol-SearchPath: 'D:\DCSWorld\bin-mt;', symOptions: 532, UserName: 'mwrig'
OS-Version: 10.0.19045 () 0x100-0x1
0x000000000002cf19 (KERNELBASE): RaiseException + 0x69
0x0000000000006720 (VCRUNTIME140): _CxxThrowException + 0x90
0x000000000003b522 (MSVCP140): std::_Xlength_error + 0x22
0x0000000000004880 (Effects2): Effects::Rain::operator= + 0x8F0
0x00000000000a226c (Effects2): Effects::releaseParticleSetCB + 0x670CC
0x0000000000036a58 (Effects2): Effects::OParticleSystem::isStatic + 0x12E8
0x000000000003632b (Effects2): Effects::OParticleSystem::isStatic + 0xBBB
0x0000000000035e1f (Effects2): Effects::OParticleSystem::isStatic + 0x6AF
0x0000000000033cd1 (Effects2): Effects::OParticleSystem::operator= + 0x581
0x000000000003452f (edCore): ed::this_thread::yield + 0x54F
0x000000000002460a (edCore): ed::make_render_thread_tasks + 0x1A
0x000000000013c736 (Visualizer): smCamera_Implement::getClipRegion + 0x193B6
0x0000000000128736 (Visualizer): smCamera_Implement::getClipRegion + 0x53B6
0x000000000013fbd2 (Visualizer): smSceneManager::DestroySceneManager + 0x13D2
0x00000000000335b1 (edCore): ed::thread::_get_current_thread_id + 0x71
0x0000000000021bb2 (ucrtbase): _configthreadlocale + 0x92
0x0000000000017344 (KERNEL32): BaseThreadInitThunk + 0x14

I backed out all mods, but still crashed. I uninstalled the Varjo-Foveated package and everything worked. I then reset all my graphics settings back to default, including settings in the Nvidia control panel and profile inspector. I re-installed the DFR software and everything worked great. I re-applied my graphics settings incrementally, and everything still works great. 

In fact - it's not crashed on start (or at all)  for two days. With WMR/G2 this happened at least once on startup with nearly every session. So far, flawless.

So, first what I like about the Aero:

• The image clarity is superior to the G2. And, even without DFR the edge-to-edge clarity it MUCH better. The G2's sweet spot was tiny. You can look around the cockpit with your eyes and read everything. It's pretty amazing, frankly. 
• The colors are much better IMO
• The outside-in tracking works great, but to be fair I had no issues with the G2's inside-out tracking.
• The adjustability - the knobs to adjust the headset in three directions are fantastic. I also like the temple adjustment as it really helps position the headset on the face. This is something I struggled with a bit on the G2. And, the G2 adjustability mechanisms are much cheaper, quality-wise. 
• The FOV seems better suited for me. It just seems less like I am looking through a tube.
• The auto IPD adjustment is nice, but I'm the only user so I would likely set it and forget it anyway.
• Dynamic Foveated Rendering is AWESOME with the eye-tracking. The FPS boost combined with the superior lenses compared to the G2 just makes this an entirely different experience.
• So far, ZERO crashes with the Open Beta MT DCS client once I had it fully set up.
• Performance - running DLSS Quality and pretty high settings across the board, performance is much better than the G2 (see below).
• Ease of setup - IMO it is pretty simple to setup, and if you're already into PCs, VR and flight sims you'll be fine.

What could be better:

• I miss the G2's integrated audio. I am using the Conquest VR clamp-on solution, and it sounds just as nice, but it's an additional expense and is much bulkier. 
• You can always use more FOV
• The outside-in tracking works great, but IMO inside-out is the future and is much more convenient. This setup just has more moving parts, but so far everything has worked well and as designed.

The performance of this headset, even before enabling DFR is superior to the G2 even with the same DCS settings and the highest quality setting (39 PPD) in Varjo Base. Using DLSS "Quality" I run 90 FPS most of the time. I have the motion smoothing enabled in Varjo Base and synchronization OFF. I can see in DCS when smoothing kicks in as the FPS drops from 90 to 45. Visually, I can notice the transition slightly IF I am looking for it. In combat, I never notice it. Microstutters no longer occur like they did with the G2. I have not noticed ANY. With DFR enabled, I stay at 90 even more. 

Am I happy? You bet. I wouldn't have been as happy at $1900, but at $990 this headset is 100% worth it for me. It's a worthy upgrade from my G2, which I will keep on hand as a backup should I need one in the future. 

Overall, when compared to what I know and have read for other units, if you're looking for a sim-focused headset ... 8.5 / 10

Edited November 10, 2023 by mmike87

[davidrbarnette]

Great review! Out of curiosity, what are your system specs?

[mmike87]

4 hours ago, davidrbarnette said:

Great review! Out of curiosity, what are your system specs?

13900K with a 4090 and 64GB DDR5-6400. I run Windows on a Samsung 990 M2 and DCS and MSFS on a 980 M2. 

[Peedee]

Great review! I almost ordered the Varjo Aero, but ended up with the Pimax Crystal instead. Which I am happy with.

When Varjo releases their next consumer headset I will consider them again. From everything I have read the comfort of the Varjo is much better than the Crystal, and probably the overall quality too   Hope their next headset improves the vertical FOV a bit   But as I understand from those owning it, one gets used to it. Enjoy!

[Twwhitey]

Indeed great review thanks for taking the time to post.  I’m likely days away from placing an order myself so this just further reinforces my decision to go with the Aero.

curious - have you read up on and/or tried the “Vertical Synchronization - Enabled - Fixed 45” option in Varjo Base?  I’ve read on the forums here that it seemingly has a performance boost similar to running VR headsets at lower MHz (Ala the 60 MHz option on the G2 or the 72MHz option on the Crystal).  I recently made the switch to 60MHz on the G2 - 60 fps is way easier to maintain than 90fps so I’m hopeful this “locked 45 fps” results in similar headroom to crank up some details yet avoid needing to use motion smoothing and the DLSS/DLAA options (and the artifacts/smearing those options introduce).  Would be interested to hear your take if you try it…

anyhow good stuff thanks for posting…

[mmike87]

9 hours ago, Twwhitey said:

Indeed great review thanks for taking the time to post.  I’m likely days away from placing an order myself so this just further reinforces my decision to go with the Aero.

curious - have you read up on and/or tried the “Vertical Synchronization - Enabled - Fixed 45” option in Varjo Base?  I’ve read on the forums here that it seemingly has a performance boost similar to running VR headsets at lower MHz (Ala the 60 MHz option on the G2 or the 72MHz option on the Crystal).  I recently made the switch to 60MHz on the G2 - 60 fps is way easier to maintain than 90fps so I’m hopeful this “locked 45 fps” results in similar headroom to crank up some details yet avoid needing to use motion smoothing and the DLSS/DLAA options (and the artifacts/smearing those options introduce).  Would be interested to hear your take if you try it…

anyhow good stuff thanks for posting…

I tried it the 45 FPS option with motion smoothing initially and it worked great IMO. I ran OXRTK reprojection locked on 45 FPS the G2 as even the 4090 was unable to maintain 90 FPS natively with good visuals. For me, clarity is king and I ran my G2 at 150% with DLSS "Quality" (I know it's an undersample and oversample, but it worked and produced excellent results). On the G2, I also tried 60Hz with no MR and even with DLSS it would sometimes dip below 60 resulting in terrible stuttering. DLAA seemed to take care of most of the MR artifacts for me on the G2, but it just seems that for whatever reason the G2 (maybe WMR?) just has trouble maintaining consistent framerates. 

I then moved on the Aero to the "unlocked" mode with smoothing and I think I am leaving it here. MOST of the time, the FPS is at 90 and MR is off. Only when in urban areas flying low typically does it drop to 45 FPS with smoothing enabled. Honestly, they both look great and I don't notice a big difference at all, and unless I watch for it I don't notice the transition at all. The Aero is much more able to hold consistent framerates, especially with DFR. And, I have not noticed ANY microstutters, which even after hours of tinkering, process lasso, etc. I was never able to rid the G2 of 100% of the time. 

That said, my earlier statement on crashes is no longer true. I have had a couple of startup crashes with the Aero now, but they are exactly the same as with the G2 so it's not the headset. It's also not my PC given I had the same symptoms with my previous build. For me, the startup crashes started with one of the late July builds of DCS and have continued ever since. 

[Twwhitey]

2 hours ago, mmike87 said:

I tried it the 45 FPS option with motion smoothing initially and it worked great IMO. I ran OXRTK reprojection locked on 45 FPS the G2 as even the 4090 was unable to maintain 90 FPS natively with good visuals. For me, clarity is king and I ran my G2 at 150% with DLSS "Quality" (I know it's an undersample and oversample, but it worked and produced excellent results). On the G2, I also tried 60Hz with no MR and even with DLSS it would sometimes dip below 60 resulting in terrible stuttering. DLAA seemed to take care of most of the MR artifacts for me on the G2, but it just seems that for whatever reason the G2 (maybe WMR?) just has trouble maintaining consistent framerates. 

I then moved on the Aero to the "unlocked" mode with smoothing and I think I am leaving it here. MOST of the time, the FPS is at 90 and MR is off. Only when in urban areas flying low typically does it drop to 45 FPS with smoothing enabled. Honestly, they both look great and I don't notice a big difference at all, and unless I watch for it I don't notice the transition at all. The Aero is much more able to hold consistent framerates, especially with DFR. And, I have not noticed ANY microstutters, which even after hours of tinkering, process lasso, etc. I was never able to rid the G2 of 100% of the time. 

That said, my earlier statement on crashes is no longer true. I have had a couple of startup crashes with the Aero now, but they are exactly the same as with the G2 so it's not the headset. It's also not my PC given I had the same symptoms with my previous build. For me, the startup crashes started with one of the late July builds of DCS and have continued ever since. 

Good stuff thanks for the update.   Much like yourself I’ll be very happy to be rid of WMR!

[javelina1]

great write up OP!  I get my Aero on Monday, woot!  (it's already at the Phoenix FedEx center).  Can't wait to try it out.  I also purchased 2x base stations via Steam.

Curious about this shower rod setup thingy (for the base stations).  will dig a little more.

 

[mmike87]

7 hours ago, javelina1 said:

great write up OP!  I get my Aero on Monday, woot!  (it's already at the Phoenix FedEx center).  Can't wait to try it out.  I also purchased 2x base stations via Steam.

Curious about this shower rod setup thingy (for the base stations).  will dig a little more.

 

Camera Super Clamp Quick Release Pipe Bar Clamp Bike Clamp w/ 1/4" Tripod Head for Light Camera Mic Gopro iPhone Ipad Monitor, Work on Music Stands/Microphone Stands/Motorcycle/Bike/Rod Bar https://a.co/d/6a0qnq8

Shower Curtain Rod With Holders, 42 to 100 inch Tension Shower Curtain Rod No Drilling Adjustable Black Shower Rods https://a.co/d/akLwvxi

[javelina1]

thanks M8.  I ordered something similar to those.  (Had to get a rod that goes beyond 110", I have a high ceiling in my game room).  Should have it all tomorrow.

[javelina1]

Just received my Aero.  Placed the order on Oct 29th, it shipped on Nov 6th, and delivered today on Nov 13th.  I didn't receive any pings about a customs form.  Looking forward to the Thanksgiving week for tweaking and getting things ironed out! 

[Burt]

@javelina1 - Awesome

[Rodeo]

16 minutes ago, Burt said:

@javelina1 - Awesome

I second this… AWESOME @javelina1

[mmike87]

Glad to see everyone's getting their Aeros. So far, my experience continues to be overwhelmingly positive. 

I do miss some of the tweaks from the open XR tool kit. It's my understanding that if I'm using dynamic foviated rendering that I can't use it. I particularly miss the FPS counter that also showed the CPU and GPU latencies.

The DCS FPS counter doesn't seem as informative, unless I'm missing something.

 

Are there there any alternatives to the open XR tool kit FPS counter that provides similar functionality that would be compatible with dynamic flovated rendering?

[lefuneste01]

Hello, I got mine yesterday, installed it and did some quick testings. Same reports as the other, but I didn't understood how the reprojection is good, compared to the one of the Reverb...I'm really in love with it, even if I did only very quick flights. I still need to re activate VRneckSafer and OpenKneeboard to be at my target configuration.

[mmike87]

4 hours ago, lefuneste01 said:

Hello, I got mine yesterday, installed it and did some quick testings. Same reports as the other, but I didn't understood how the reprojection is good, compared to the one of the Reverb...I'm really in love with it, even if I did only very quick flights. I still need to re activate VRneckSafer and OpenKneeboard to be at my target configuration.

IMO the Aero's reprojection seems smoother and has less artifacts and shimmering, at least to my eyes. That said, with the DFR I don't find myself below 90 nearly as often, anyway. I still have some things I want to play around with to see if I can squeeze some more out of it. 

[lefuneste01]

8 hours ago, mmike87 said:

That said, with the DFR I don't find myself below 90 nearly as often, anyway.  

It depend of what you are playing, but there are some campaign needed a lot of CPU, so I have a lot of cases where I'm not able to maintain 90 fps with my Reverb. I even meet situation where fps went below 30 fps...
And I do not want to lower distance view, landscape detail or other option having CPU impact. Some modules are also fps eater...

I did not have the time to fly a lot wiht the Varjo for the moment, but as the reproj is so good I wonder if finally it should be better to lock fps at 45 in order to avoid the small stutter you have when reprojection start or stop (as advised by others Varjo DCS player)...

[mmike87]

7 hours ago, lefuneste01 said:

It depend of what you are playing, but there are some campaign needed a lot of CPU, so I have a lot of cases where I'm not able to maintain 90 fps with my Reverb. I even meet situation where fps went below 30 fps...
And I do not want to lower distance view, landscape detail or other option having CPU impact. Some modules are also fps eater...

I did not have the time to fly a lot wiht the Varjo for the moment, but as the reproj is so good I wonder if finally it should be better to lock fps at 45 in order to avoid the small stutter you have when reprojection start or stop (as advised by others Varjo DCS player)...

I tried that originally... Then moved to unlocked. There is a tiny stutter when reprojection kicks in ... But honestly I don't notice it unless I'm looking for it, so I've been flying unlocked.

[ShaunOfTheFuzz]

A few things that don't come through in your review: The $990 USD price is excl tax and only applies to the US and EU, and the base stations *are not included*.

In Australia, this "half price" Aero will run someone $1900 AUD ($1500 USD) for the headset alone and $700 AUD for 2 base stations, I know this is a hobby where an inexplicably large (or at least very visible) portion of the player base have more money than sense and buy the latest 90 series GPU from Nvidia every release cycle to claw back some performance in an engine limited game, but I am baffled that anyone would consider the Aero affordable, never mind good-value. You could justify it over a Quest Pro if you already owned the base stations, but other wise it's too rich for my blood. 

Anyway, glad you enjoy it, maybe I'll take another look when it costs less than 6 weeks rent. 

[mmike87]

10 hours ago, ShaunOfTheFuzz said:

A few things that don't come through in your review: The $990 USD price is excl tax and only applies to the US and EU, and the base stations *are not included*.

In Australia, this "half price" Aero will run someone $1900 AUD ($1500 USD) for the headset alone and $700 AUD for 2 base stations, I know this is a hobby where an inexplicably large (or at least very visible) portion of the player base have more money than sense and buy the latest 90 series GPU from Nvidia every release cycle to claw back some performance in an engine limited game, but I am baffled that anyone would consider the Aero affordable, never mind good-value. You could justify it over a Quest Pro if you already owned the base stations, but other wise it's too rich for my blood. 

Anyway, glad you enjoy it, maybe I'll take another look when it costs less than 6 weeks rent. 

Well, you're right ... This is an expensive hobby for sure. As for the Quest, I'll NEVER under any circumstances by anything made by Facebook or Apple, for reasons I won't go in to. 

As for being a "good value" ... Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And, IMO the Aero looks goooooood.

 

[javelina1]

On 11/18/2023 at 6:01 AM, ShaunOfTheFuzz said:

A few things that don't come through in your review: The $990 USD price is excl tax and only applies to the US and EU, and the base stations *are not included*.

In Australia, this "half price" Aero will run someone $1900 AUD ($1500 USD) for the headset alone and $700 AUD for 2 base stations, I know this is a hobby where an inexplicably large (or at least very visible) portion of the player base have more money than sense and buy the latest 90 series GPU from Nvidia every release cycle to claw back some performance in an engine limited game, but I am baffled that anyone would consider the Aero affordable, never mind good-value. You could justify it over a Quest Pro if you already owned the base stations, but other wise it's too rich for my blood. 

Anyway, glad you enjoy it, maybe I'll take another look when it costs less than 6 weeks rent. 

My Wife has said this a time or two, about my VR sim addiction... 

[mmike87]

On 11/19/2023 at 8:43 AM, javelina1 said:

My Wife has said this a time or two, about my VR sim addiction... 

We have an unwritten agreement ... she says nothing about my VR and various PC hardware addictions, and I pretend there is not a new package from The Real Real on the porch every week. I provide insight into my experience with the Varjo Aero simply to return the favor for all the posts and articles I read before I pulled the trigger. This is why I love PC gaming in general - there are so many combinations out there, that it's possible to really dial in your experience. That of course also brings frustrations, incompatibilities, etc. but that is the hidden cost of having options and choices. 

In regards to having "more money than sense" as ShaunOfTheFuzz so elegantly put it - well, he's entitled to his opinion. 

Back on topic ... an update on my Aero experience.

So, far - still love it! It's much more stable than the G2 ever was, on this machine or my previous build. I would often start DCS in VR and the frame rate in the headset would be .5 - 1 FPS for some reason, so bad it was hard to actually navigate to exit the app and restart it. Not sure if it was the G2 or WMR, but regardless, this issue doesn't seem to happen at all with the Aero. I still sometimes get a crash on start, but it's less frequent. Not sure if that is due to recent updates to DCS or the Aero, or both. 

In regards to the audio - the Conquest VR solution sounds great. My first unit would intermittently lose audio in the right earpiece, however, Conquest promptly replaced the unit without question or drama. The product does 100% what it says it does, and it works well.

I am torn between the Conquest and my old Steel Series Arctis 7 vintage ~2016. That headset has its own 2.4GHz base station is low-latency, avoids Bluetooth lag, and it's comfortable. It fits over the Aero perfectly. It does make it a two-step operation to take it on and off, BUT I also avoid the bulk to the Conquest units. Again, if the Aero had a ticker portion to clamp to, I think the Conquest would be held in place better, and despite the added bulk at least it wouldn't feel like it was going to come off. 

When I clamp it down towards the rear of the band, it's hard to get the earpieces centered and squared up over my ears due to the angle. The unit has a LOT of adjustability, but I still have found it awkward. It also adds a lot of bulk and heft to the headset and makes it a little more challenging to don/doff the headset without knocking the Conquest units off. They really seem designed to clamp onto something a little thicker than just the headband.

I want to look for a lightweight headset with a boom mic that can plug into the Aero's jack to maintain positional audio. I think that will be the sweet solution for me. 

And, FWIW one of the integrated speakers on my G2 seemed to start to intermittently lose audio - seems like a loose connection or broken wire or whatnot. I'll try and see if I can take it apart and fix it ... BUT I would say one advantage of not having as many items integrated as it increases your ability to upgrade or affect repairs. 

So far, no regrets. Is the Aero the best there is? No idea. From what I gather from my considerable research, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder - and each headset has advantages and disadvantages. I would not have paid $2000 for an Aero, but my total lack of common sense tells me that at the new price point, it's competitive, especially given the build quality and the maturity of the software. And, the DFR combined with the aspheric lenses on the Aero makes it a winner if clarity is Job One for your needs. There may be "better" headsets, but in the words of Stephen Stills, I'll "Love the one I'm with". 

Edited November 22, 2023 by mmike87

[BMGZ06]

On 11/19/2023 at 6:43 AM, javelina1 said:

My Wife has said this a time or two, about my VR sim addiction... 

I am also in Phoenix and been using a G2 for awhile. Getting tired of it. May grab an Aero over the Crystal but not sure yet about the Aeros FOV. I would like to know how you Take to it over your previous headset. Been through 2 G2s so far and this replacement also has issues with the glue melting around the inside of the headset. The Crystals battery requirement is dumb as hell and not interested in it due to that. I know some have found was to sort of hotwire it but I am betting that will cuase with longevity issues

Edited November 22, 2023 by BMGZ06

[javelina1]

2 hours ago, BMGZ06 said:

I am also in Phoenix and been using a G@ for awhile. Getting tired of it. May grab an Aero over the Crystal but not sure yet about the Aeros FOV. I would like to know how you Take to it over your previous headset. Been through 2 G2s so far and this replacement also has issues with the glue melting around the inside of the headset. The Crystals battery requirement is dumb as hell and not interested in it due to that. I know some have found was to sort of hotwire it but I am betting that will cuase with longevity issues

Awesome, another desert dweller!      I'm quite happy with the Aero.  It is a step up from the G2.  (For my G2, I'm on my second power cable).  With the recent price cut on the Aero, that kinda tipped my hand.  Also, I did need some base stations, so I just went to Steam for those, (V2 version).  They're cheaper than buying from Varjo, and work great. 

I ordered some lens inserts (via VR Optician).  I have inserts in my G2, and they sure did help.  I'll have the inserts for the Aero probably in about a week, so I'll post another update after I install them.

Right now with DFR, really enjoying DCS and flying the Jug.  In MSFS, been having a lot of fun in the F4F and Wilga.  Really digging the Aero!

[BMGZ06]

24 minutes ago, javelina1 said:

Awesome, another desert dweller!      I'm quite happy with the Aero.  It is a step up from the G2.  (For my G2, I'm on my second power cable).  With the recent price cut on the Aero, that kinda tipped my hand.  Also, I did need some base stations, so I just went to Steam for those, (V2 version).  They're cheaper than buying from Varjo, and work great. 

I ordered some lens inserts (via VR Optician).  I have inserts in my G2, and they sure did help.  I'll have the inserts for the Aero probably in about a week, so I'll post another update after I install them.

Right now with DFR, really enjoying DCS and flying the Jug.  In MSFS, been having a lot of fun in the F4F and Wilga.  Really digging the Aero!

Ya I actually hate here though.lol The heat is too much. I may move to Payson or Prescott. That said I ordered the Aero back on pre-order and got base stations early 2022 but then cancelled it due to the reported issues with the software and visual issues with the lack of support in the beginning that improved clearly since then. Now the price just makes way ore sense. Just saw a YT reviewer that got two Crystals in a row that were duds. Pimax sent them to him and one had CA and barrel distortion and the other came damaged and had other issues.  This shows that they do not even try to QC their products even to reviewers with 40k+ subs. This was only about a month ago as well.

Edited November 22, 2023 by BMGZ06