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[Sentenza]

I was recently considering to get a VR visor soon.
One to use with my PC and admittedly its MAIN use would be to play HL Alyx in the way it's intented to be played, with everything else coming just as a bonus on top.

Now, since at this point I'm FAR from being up to date about the options available, my question would be:

what are currently the "state of the art" options for VR goggles that don't come with unnecessarily expensive "intergated hardware"?

To be perfectly clear I genuinely couldn't give less of a fuck of using this stuff detached from my PC. I just want to know about the best lens and screen I could get for the lowest price point.

For reference, I was keeping an eye on the Meta's Quest 3 (but I'd frankly prefer to eat cardboard rather than to give money to META, if there were other options) and I'm kinda curious to check what the upcoming Steam Frame will turn out to be, but if there are other noteworthy options I'm open to suggestions.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Whatever you end up buying try your best to get one that's wireless. Having that shit hanging behind you can be quite immersion breaking.

 

[John Bilbo]

Wireless and having enough room to walk in with the headset goes a long way for immersion and comfortability.

Beat Saber is so much fun!

I used my Oculus Quest wireless with PC via a WiFi router. Easy to set up and low lag.

Image quality takes a bit of a hit as the image is streamed from the PC.

 

[pudel]

I would just wait for steam's frame at this point. This thing will be amazing.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Have you tried VR before? Even tho the more modern tech and certain settings helps with motion sickness, some people still can't handle it. Make sure you can before you make a big investment in it. Some people even get migraines from it, while others eventually adjust.

 

[Pejo]

Steam Frame looks to be the new hotness unless they really screw up something about it. It's the first time I've been truly hyped for game hardware in quite a while.

 

[Tobimacoss]

You should wait for PSVR3.

Seriously though, VR is kinda dead, unless two things happen, it's backed up by a major platform holders content creation and its backed up by that platform holders gaming service. So only if new games built by Sony or MS, then those games are Day 1 on Gamepass or PS+ Premium. Otherwise, I don't see it thriving even if it survives barely.

 

[Ribi]

Consider VR also for media consumption. It's great for watching stuff too.

Look into a cheap quest 2 or a more expensive quest 3. Dip your toe with the quest 2 and pirate that bitch

 

[rodrigolfp]

I would not ignore the Quest 3 standalone option. Very convenient for several non demanding games and the Quest exclusives like Batman. Give META your money only where they deserve...

 

[mèx]

Have you tried VR before? Even tho the more modern tech and certain settings helps with motion sickness, some people still can't handle it.

Yeah, I was so disappointed when I tried my first free movement game and got nausea immediately. I haven't really pushed through to try to develop VR legs in a serious way though, the few times I tried I noticed no improvements. Maybe I should give up and start to use teleportation.

I had tons of fun with games in which you don't move in-game though, so I'm not complaining.

 

[I wasn't selling any]

If you only get it to play Alyx, buy something used from craigslist or ebay, play Alyx, then resell it again. In that case, something with an okay resell value would be recommended, like Quest 2 or Quest 3.
Not worth getting something new for VR, or waiting for the Frame. VR is deader than dead.

 

[PonyStation4]

I frankly prefer to eat cardboard rather than to give money to META

Meta loses money on each Quest 3 sold

 

[Sentenza]

Seriously though, VR is kinda dead, unless two things happen, it's backed up by a major platform holders content creation and its backed up by that platform holders gaming service. So only if new games built by Sony or MS,

I don't care. I'm not here to argue the future mainstream appeal of VR. That's not what the thread is about.

I'm obviously asking because I made peace with the idea of being reasonably satisfied/interested with what's the currently offering.
I couldn't care less of what MS or Sony are going to do with it.

 

[Kupfer]

I think the best bang for the buck would probably be the PSVR2 with the PC adapter. It's OLED and definitely quite usable.

Yes, you have the cable behind your back, but for me that didn't really matter. It's not like I actually run or spin around with that thing on. Just standing and slight movements and turns like looking to the left or right is the most I do while playing.

You could get a PSVR2 for around 300 to 350 euros for some time, don't know what the price is right now. Used ones are even cheaper.

For the adapter I bought a 20€ clone from Ali-Express, which just works like the original one.

So all in all, yeah, you can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single VR experience, but I'd say just for Alyx, the PSVR2 plus adapter is sufficient.

 

[rkofan87]

I was recently considering to get a VR visor soon.
One to use with my PC and admittedly its MAIN use would be to play HL Alyx in the way it's intented to be played, with everything else coming just as a bonus on top.

Now, since at this point I'm FAR from being up to date about the options available, my question would be:

what are currently the "state of the art" options for VR goggles that don't come with unnecessarily expensive "intergated hardware"?

To be perfectly clear I genuinely couldn't give less of a fuck of using this stuff detached from my PC. I just want to know about the best lens and screen I could get for the lowest price point.

For reference, I was keeping an eye on the Meta's Quest 3 (but I'd frankly prefer to eat cardboard rather than to give money to META, if there were other options) and I'm kinda curious to check what the upcoming Steam Frame will turn out to be, but if there are other noteworthy options I'm open to suggestions.

vr is dead.

Meta Closes Deadpool VR, Asgard's Wrath & Resident Evil 4 VR Studios

Meta has shut down Twisted Pixel Games (Deadpool VR), Sanzaru Games (Asgard's Wrath), and Armature Studio (Resident Evil 4 VR), UploadVR can confirm.

www.uploadvr.com

 

[rkofan87]

I don't care. I'm not here to argue the future mainstream appeal of VR. That's not what the thread is about.

I'm obviously asking because I made peace with the idea of being reasonably satisfied/interested with what's the currently offering.
I couldn't care less of what MS or Sony are going to do with it.

well in that case wait for a steam frame

 

[Magic Carpet]

Wait for Steam Frame at this point.
would like to trade my Quest 3 but I would need to rebuy the games I still play. Beat Saber and Walkabout mini golf are mainstays.

What's the going rate for a used quest3?

 

[AJUMP23]

I do not own any VR, but I think the tech is cool, but support is drying up. The market is dying or dead.

 

[pudel]

The market is dying or dead.

Depends what you are into I guess. Most sim guys (racing/flying) I know are swearing they never want to go back from VR. Must be some awesome experience. I have never tried it myself.

But yeah, if op only wants to experience Alyx (which shall be pure magic as well)....than maybe the frame might be a bit overload. And its not said yet, when this thing comes out and even if it comes out there seems to be lots of people who want one....so I would consider additional waiting time again.

 

[John Bilbo]

Depends what you are into I guess. Most sim guys (racing/flying) I know are swearing they never want to go back from VR. Must be some awesome experience. I have never tried it myself.

But yeah, if op only wants to experience Alyx (which shall be pure magic as well)....than maybe the frame might be a bit overload. And its not said yet, when this thing comes out and even if it comes out there seems to be lots of people who want one....so I would consider additional waiting time again.

The latest Gran Turismo was nice in VR. Also didn't induce much motion sickness.

 

[neo raider]

As a quest 3 user I say wait for the steam frame because its alot better for wireless play
I have so many connectivity issues with my router that forced me to go wired and its uncomfortable af

 

[timothet]

Depends what you are into I guess. Most sim guys (racing/flying) I know are swearing they never want to go back from VR. Must be some awesome experience. I have never tried it myself.

But yeah, if op only wants to experience Alyx (which shall be pure magic as well)....than maybe the frame might be a bit overload. And its not said yet, when this thing comes out and even if it comes out there seems to be lots of people who want one....so I would consider additional waiting time again.

Can confirm. Once I tried playing Elite Dangerous in VR, I knew there was no going back for me. The ability to track enemy ships by looking around during a dogfight is incredible. The spatial awareness VR provides is invaluable.

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

About 3000 headsets are available from various brands, about 20 games to play and most of them came out during the craze.
As some one who loves my VR, it's been slim pickings.

I'd wait on Steam Frame as even if that is too expensive the price for you, the Index will drop as people sell them for the frame, myself included.

 

[StereoVsn]

At this point might as well wait for Steam Frame and then decide. There are some really high end devices from Pimax and others but they are all $$$.

So wait for the Frame and decide if it makes sense vs Quest 3 at that juncture. Anything else that's good will be much more expensive… although we don't really know the cost for the Frame either.

 

[pudel]

Can confirm. Once I tried playing Elite Dangerous in VR, I knew there was no going back for me. The ability to track enemy ships by looking around during a dogfight is incredible. The spatial awareness VR provides is invaluable.

Yeah, Elite Dangerous shall be awesome as well. I am a big fan of TrackIR which I am using in nearly every sim-like game. Its just way easier to find my beer and my joint with that setup.

 

[Kazdi]

Pimax crystal light is best bang for your buck right now. 2880x2880 per eye is where its at. Glass aspheric lenses are great, I like them more than pancake. No glare, light loss or reflections. Fairly comfortable and can be used with glasses without discomfort. (no need for prescription inserts). Cable is no problem if you are sitting down. You need 5090 to drive it properly at 90/120, but 5080/4090 will do I guess. After 6 headsets Iam finally happy with this one.
Forget about frame or Q3. That is low res stuff (think of 720p).

 

[64gigabyteram]

was gonna say "get a steam frame" but then i actually read the OP.

yeah anything Pimax makes is your best bet so far. I've seen some of the specs on them and they sound like pure heaven disregarding the actual weight and size of the headsets themselves.
although i could never use one of those headsets, they're about as big as people stereotype VR to be. I hope we can get that FOV/resolution in a much smaller form factor later down the line.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Wireless, good router, wired network connection on pc.

Half Life Alyx
Pavlov
Beat Saber
Blade and Sorcery
Bone labs
Are all good games.

 

[Hudo]

wait for the Steam Frame and make a decision then.

 

[CrustyBritches]

Look into a cheap quest 2 or a more expensive quest 3. Dip your toe with the quest 2

A quality used Quest 2 is probably a good place to start for a VR newbie. I see people dumping them on FB Marketplace for $100-150 all the time. Just buy Virtual Desktop, get your PC on ethernet, and get a decent router. Wireless streaming is great. Nice to play in the living room with space instead of standing in front of your PC(?). If you haven't played VR it would be good to test your "VR legs"/motion sickness threshold. You might not be able to even play Alyx unless you use the teleport mode.

Otherwise, just wait for Steam Frame.

 

[An Corp]

In the same boat as you OP. I've made it this far without ever putting a VR headset on, almost bought into the PSVR2 (especially since they supported PC now) but was always hesitant because I don't really see any other games releasing for it on the same scale that HL:A brought.

I'm interested in the Steam Frame just because it could also be used to play 2D game, but it's going to heavily depend on the price. At this point, I'd rather not purchase a headset just to play HL:A and Gran Turismo, it would feel like a waste of money. This is coming from a hardcore Half-Life fan too.

Let us know what you end up doing, but if I were you I'd wait to see what the Steam Frame is all about and make your decision based on that.

 

[Wonko_C]

I was recently considering to get a VR visor soon.
One to use with my PC and admittedly its MAIN use would be to play HL Alyx in the way it's intented to be played, with everything else coming just as a bonus on top.

Now, since at this point I'm FAR from being up to date about the options available, my question would be:

what are currently the "state of the art" options for VR goggles that don't come with unnecessarily expensive "intergated hardware"?

To be perfectly clear I genuinely couldn't give less of a fuck of using this stuff detached from my PC. I just want to know about the best lens and screen I could get for the lowest price point.

For reference, I was keeping an eye on the Meta's Quest 3 (but I'd frankly prefer to eat cardboard rather than to give money to META, if there were other options) and I'm kinda curious to check what the upcoming Steam Frame will turn out to be, but if there are other noteworthy options I'm open to suggestions.

There is no single headset that fulfills everything you want:

All headsets without "integrated hardware" are more expensive than the most popular option: Meta Quest 3 ($500). That one uses pancake lenses for the best clarity. The next best option would be the Steam Frame, which is similar to the Quest 3 in specs (and it does also feature integrated hardware for standalone play) but early leaks/datamining/estimates suggest the 256GB version will be priced no lower than $700.

Other higher-specced, wired PC-only headsets with no internal hardware like Pimax, Big Screen Beyond 2, etc are priced from $800 to $1000 or way more. You could look into the $400 PSVR2 with the PC adapter but then you miss out on the better optics (because it has Fresnel lenses instead of Pancake), Then you have the dreaded mura, and bluetooth pairing issues.

 

[Sentenza]

Let me be clear that I'm not exactly in a rush.
In fact I just bought a new OLED 32 inch monitor, so I was going to take my time before the next "frivolous purchase" regardless of what suggestion I got.

I'm asking just because I suddenly got curious to try a few things (HL: Alyx would be just one. I also own a bunch of space sims etc), but there's only so much I'm willing to pay for something to use on a whim.

 

[nemiroff]

Depends what you are into I guess. Most sim guys (racing/flying) I know are swearing they never want to go back from VR. Must be some awesome experience. I have never tried it myself.

But yeah, if op only wants to experience Alyx (which shall be pure magic as well)....than maybe the frame might be a bit overload. And its not said yet, when this thing comes out and even if it comes out there seems to be lots of people who want one....so I would consider additional waiting time again.

Thats me. I have a Pimax Crystal Light now btw. I've been an early adopter for this and similar tech for decades, my honeymoon is long over. So that's why I can confidently say that MSFS in good VR, there is nothing else like it. It's mindblowing - every time.

Edit: Standing VR in general, I don't find it that interesting. but Alyx is fantastic.

 

[damidu]

go with quest3, its still the best option i think, or wait valve's thing

 

[ReasonBeing]

Steam Frame shows much promise, but the lack of color passthrough would severely limit my usage. Admittedly, before the Quest 3, I would have questioned the utility of color passthrough, but now that I have it, I would not give it up. I have a family though, so being able to game on a massive floating display while being able to see the world around me is important.

Throw in the vastly more expansive library the Quest has access to, and it seems like the Q3 is the platform of choice, at least for the next few years. Yes, technically the Steam Frame could run PCVR in theory, but considering it's usable power is less than that of a Steam Deck, only much older PCVR games will be viable.

In saying all of this, if you never see your self utilizing AR applications, and you plan on using your PC to drive most games, the Steam Frame does make sense. It is an awesome piece of hardware. Also, if you end up with a Quest, an extended battery and the "Quest Game Optimizer" software are close to being a requirement.

 

[Minsc]

From what I read the Steam Frame is not going to be the evolution of VR that some might think... it sounds like it is lacking many things still.

 

[amigastar]

I love my Meta Quest 3 and it only needs one USB-C cable to work.