Planning my VR upgrade

[RedBull48]

Hello all, I am looking to upgrade my VR setup and I would like to see what the best options are in 2022. For some context I currently run an EVGA RTX2070 super with some basic overclocking and pair it with an Oculus Rift S. My main gripe with the Rift S is the relatively low resolution compared to some more current HMD's. I am aware I will likely need to upgrade my graphics card in the near future to accommodate a higher res headset.

From a budget perspective I would like to keep things around $1000 as I will likely be upgrading my graphics card too. The three headsets I was considering were,

1.) HP reverb 2
2.) Valve index
3.) Samsung HMD Odyssey+

As I would generally like to improve resolution it seems like the reverb 2 would be my best bet however I have some concerns over the software support as in windows mixed reality. I really like the quality and support of the valve index but it may not be the best solution for racing. I was tempted to wait for the supposed index 2 but who knows how long that will be.

In terms of games I play Assetto Corsa, Automobilista 2, and the F1 games. I would appreciate any feedback from users using these headsets today and how they hold up today. Also if I am missing any other HMD options under the $1k price point please let me know. Thanks!

 

[DirkW]

The Quest 2 has a similar resolution as the G2. The Rift S is not so bad when you have reserve for supersampling. I use it on a 3080ti and am pretty happy with it, despite I also have the Quest 2. The Rift S feels just "snappier".

 

[RedBull48]

Yea, overall I do enjoy my rift s quite a bit. I really don't like it being owned by facebook and the restrictions on having an account and such. I understand all corporations are selling all of our information however I take particular issue with facebook so if I am to invest in new equipment I think I will go with a different manufacturer.Thanks for your input.

 

[BrightCandle]

The Pico Neo Link is a potentially interesting device which is due out this month. Its a Quest 2/G2 in resolution but a very similar device to the Quest 2 with wifi 6 support as well as a physical displayport cable so you don't have to put up with compression. This is possibly going to be the best go to for PC VR at reasonable prices.

But right now I would consider the best option to be the G2, I have an odyssey+ and its sufficient bandwidth and the OLED blacks are lovely but at the same time the G2 clarity is just hard to beat.

 

[RedBull48]

Interesting, I have never heard of the Pico Neo. Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely check it out. That's also valuable input regarding the G2 and samsung. I would say my main objective is better visual fidelity so it seems the G2 is the best suited for that.

 

[Insert Coin]

The Pico Neo Link is a potentially interesting device which is due out this month. Its a Quest 2/G2 in resolution but a very similar device to the Quest 2 with wifi 6 support as well as a physical displayport cable so you don't have to put up with compression. This is possibly going to be the best go to for PC VR at reasonable prices.

I'm looking forward to reading reviews on this headset. About the current Pico Neo 3: some complaints about chromatic aberration and, what worries me most, pupil swim (distortion when you rotate your head). I'm afraid they may use the same optics in the new Pico Neo Link.

 

[Deleted member 1066209]

In terms of games I play Assetto Corsa, Automobilista 2, and the F1 games.

I have the Reverb G2 paired with a 1080Ti, and it's doing well in Assetto Corsa at a Steam SuperSampling resolution of 62%. A lot of custom tracks are harder on the GPU, so I've lowered all the eye candy settings down to a bare minimum. I even found better performance after uninstalling Sol and disabling a lot of the CSP FX tweaks.

With that being said, I hope you will invest a significant chunk into upgrading your GPU. I'm pleased with the performance I'm getting, although I'm always wanting more. Ideally, I'd like a 3080Ti to power the G2, in order to take advantage of 100% Steam SuperSampling, as well as adding in some shadows and reflections, etc.

I've never tried AMS2, so I cannot help you out there. And I think F1 doesn't support VR, but maybe something has changed.

 

[RedBull48]

I have the Reverb G2 paired with a 1080Ti, and it's doing well in Assetto Corsa at a Steam SuperSampling resolution of 62%. A lot of custom tracks are harder on the GPU, so I've lowered all the eye candy settings down to a bare minimum. I even found better performance after uninstalling Sol and disabling a lot of the CSP FX tweaks.

With that being said, I hope you will invest a significant chunk into upgrading your GPU. I'm pleased with the performance I'm getting, although I'm always wanting more. Ideally, I'd like a 3080Ti to power the G2, in order to take advantage of 100% Steam SuperSampling, as well as adding in some shadows and reflections, etc.

I've never tried AMS2, so I cannot help you out there. And I think F1 doesn't support VR, but maybe something has changed.

Thanks for your feedback, I was initially planning on getting a 3080ti as well however I may hold out a bit longer to see if they announce 40 series card release dates. If I am able to achieve ~60fps on my current card in AC I think that will be acceptable for the time being. Also regarding F1 series, the press release announced VR will be included in this years game for the first time. As I spend a lot of time in this series that is part of the reason I am looking to upgrade.

 

[Metla]

I have the G2 and a 3070, Found the G2 so taxing on the video card that I put it away until a later date and bought a second hand Quest 2.

Much better results.

 

[Deleted member 1066209]

Thanks for your feedback, I was initially planning on getting a 3080ti as well however I may hold out a bit longer to see if they announce 40 series card release dates. If I am able to achieve ~60fps on my current card in AC I think that will be acceptable for the time being. Also regarding F1 series, the press release announced VR will be included in this years game for the first time. As I spend a lot of time in this series that is part of the reason I am looking to upgrade.

I think 60fps is doable with your card. You won't be able to max out your graphics, but it's sure to be a lot of fun.

Thanks for letting me know that the new F1 game will have VR. I look forward to purchasing it now.

 

[RedBull48]

Just figured I would post a little update. My HP reverb G2 v2 arrived yesterday. Unfortunately I discovered my sim rig pc was running windows 10 pro n which did not support windows mixed reality... thanks microsoft. So after setting up a fresh windows 10 pro install I was able to get things working. I have not had time to optimize and tweak as I finally got it setup around 2am local time. I must say however that it was performing quite well from a frame rate perspective right out of the box. Had no issues launching hot laps out of AC content manager. As others have stated the clarity is substantially better than my rift S. Can't wait to try out dirt rally 2. But my early experience has been great so far. Thanks again for everyone's input on this topic!

 

[Rebel_488]

Just figured I would post a little update. My HP reverb G2 v2 arrived yesterday. Unfortunately I discovered my sim rig pc was running windows 10 pro n which did not support windows mixed reality... thanks microsoft. So after setting up a fresh windows 10 pro install I was able to get things working. I have not had time to optimize and tweak as I finally got it setup around 2am local time. I must say however that it was performing quite well from a frame rate perspective right out of the box. Had no issues launching hot laps out of AC content manager. As others have stated the clarity is substantially better than my rift S. Can't wait to try out dirt rally 2. But my early experience has been great so far. Thanks again for everyone's input on this topic!

Awesome pal. U should look into openxr as u can now bypass steam vr to save resources. I have a 2070 super and it can run the g2 ok if u are realistic with the expectations

Files · openxr · Campbell Suter (ZNix) / OpenComposite · GitLab

Reimplementation of OpenVR, translating calls to OpenXR.

gitlab.com

Also open xr toolkit for some games is available

Quickstart

OpenXR Toolkit

mbucchia.github.io

 

[Rebel_488]

Also use 60hz mode

 

[Cote Dazur]

I have the G2 and a 3070, Found the G2 so taxing on the video card that I put it away until a later date and bought a second hand Quest 2.

Much better results.

Are you using the quest 2 with a cable? Is there any specific challenge or quirks in using the Quest 2?
some review are not great for SIM racing use.

 

[crooksy]

I upgraded from the Rift S to the HP Reverb G2 version 2 running a 3080 card

I was very happy with the Rift S other than the less than perfect image and the controllers always needing to be switch on for it to find the boundary

The G2 is a good upgrade and is perfect if you only want to use it for simracing. I also haven't seen a massive drop in performance so the G2 is surprisingly not as GPU hungry as you think

You could upgrade to the G2 first and see how it performs with your current card.

One thing I noticed is that I can turn the settings down and still get a better image than the rift S, whereas before I had all my settings at the highest possible to try to get the sharpest image from the rift S. So you might be able to get the same performance or a performance you can live with by simply turning down the AF and AA settings and/or switching the shadows off.

 

[Metla]

Are you using the quest 2 with a cable? Is there any specific challenge or quirks in using the Quest 2?
some review are not great for SIM racing use.

Yep, using the cable. Tried the airlink but got frame drops, which I expected as the router is in the adjacent part of my house.

Still happy with the Quest 2 , use it near every day, My G2 is still in storage waiting for the next hardware upgrade cycle.

From my point of view all VR solutions make some comprise, and are dependant on individual system configurations , so throw in some differing user expectations and experiences and you are going to get a multitude of differing opinions.

If I had a 3080 on hand I would certainly break out the G2 to see how she ran....

 

[oldlibmike]

Yeah I also run a quest 2 with link cable - I think VR is in its 1980s cellphone phase and I don’t want to overinvest in hardware with a 1-2 year lifecycle. I think the Quest -2 is the sweet spot value-wise for now. Other big players are poised to jump in and will disrupt the VR landscape soon enough. I run with an Alienware laptop 3070 myself.

 

[Insr33]

I'm using the Valve Index for 1,5 years now (I think) and love it very much. To me it stands out to the competition in terms of build quality, comfort, refresh rate and clear image. Price is steep though. Good luck with your upgrade