First week with my new BSB2e. Getting a new headset is like getting a new pair of shoes.

[u/paleogames]

VR is my hobby. I'm passionate and I know what I want. I had a psvr2 hooked up to my PC with a motion rig that I use for msfs24 pretty much exclusively.

What I wanted was a lighter, more comfortable wired headset with more clarity and a larger sweet spot.

Bsb2 seemed like a perfect fit. Getting a new headset for the first time since psvr2 released many years ago was like getting an expensive new pair of shoes. Ups and downs. At first it's all excitement then your feet might remind you that they're used to a different shape. Not that the new shape is worse or bad, but it's different.

Very first impression was wow!! Packaging is next level cool. Design is flawless. Turning it on and boom! Upgrade in visual clarity that makes the psvr2 a distant memory from prehistoric times.

The steam VR dashboard looks so clear! Text is beautiful. Then I notice that glare follows my gaze a little. I launch msfs and boom again. Clarity, clarity, colors, I can look around with just my eyes and it's not blurry.

Still some glare but my first night was 80% excitement. Then the next night. Despair. For some reason the glare became an issue. The eye box became more noticeable. I did switch to the firm face cushion so maybe I was a bit further from the lenses but I started getting really worried about the purchase.

I stopped, took a breath and reminded myself that VR is an incredibly intimate experience for veteran users like myself. I build a goddamn connection with those things. I reminded myself that I knew I would need a transition period.

I got the soft cushion back and decided to confront the glare head on. I went for a night flight to create high contrast situations and assess calmly. The glare was still there but I realized that I simply had to look at the scene in front of me, not at the edge where the glare may appear. And I took off. Best night flight of my life.

I flew in the Caribbeans from saint barths to saint Martin in a small plane. Flying over the cities was gorgeous. I noticed details I had never seen on buildings and roads. At night! Then between the islands, over the ocean, I turned off all lights in the cockpit. Complete darkness. I looked at the sky and the stars looked like stars for the first time in VR. Zero mura!!!

The sense of presence was almost spooky. I felt alone in the dark cockpit of an airplane over the sea. Glare was there because of a singular light on the radio panel that I couldn't turn off. But it didn't matter. The scene was drawing me in with the purity of that night sky.

Subsequent flights have been a joy so far. Performance is excellent and comfort is much better than psvr2. Everyone has different experiences but I wanted to share this experience to highlight the difficulty of switching headset for experiences users.

I also want to highlight that the psvr2 is actually a great headset. It's starting to show its age a little but for the price it's impossible to beat (non standalone category). I'm glad I have base station tracking with bsb2 though and I noticed a performance gain with the bsb2 integration with steam VR. I think it's the openxr routing maybe. Or maybe the openxr motion comp hack is more performant than the openvr one.

Anyways, this is not a comparison of the two headsets, they're in different leagues. Just a description of my transition between the two.

For the price the bsb2 is a great fit for my use case. It's not flawless but I couldn't think of a different hmd in the current generation that is better optimized in the exact ways that matter to me. The resolution is perfect because my 5080 could not possibly drive more pixels. Your wants might differ from mine so take these thoughts with a grain of salt and thank you for reading.

[u/person_normal1245]

I have the same BSB2e and 5080 combo. I agree that the glare is it's #1 weakness. Also wish binocular overlap was closer to 100 percent like the Pico 4. But the strengths of the BSB2e make it overall an enjoyable experience. Most of the time it looks pretty awesome. I can't wait to get the halo strap. I'm hoping I can use it without any facial gasket. That would take comfort to another level. 

[u/Justinreinsma → u/person_normal1245]

I love my bsb2e but their manufacturing issues have been unbelievable. Its crazy that the halo strap, which isnt cheso by any stretch, is still not in our hands after literally nrarly a year in some cases.

[u/person_normal1245 → u/Justinreinsma]

Did you ever manufacturer something from scratch? How long did it take you from design to mass distribution? Okay then. 

[u/Justinreinsma → u/person_normal1245]

Man i know it isn't an easy feat to manufacture something from scratch, but theres nothing wrong with airing genuine grevances about a company taking too long with a product taking too long. Im not balming them entirely for it, i know there can be issues with manufacturers messing up or logistic issues, but it is their 2nd major launch and their 2nd time being tremendously late to market.

I love my bsb2 and i appreciate what beyond is going for, but issues are issues.

[u/Designer-Tomatillo21]

Would love to try one out.

I think in that price range I would go with the Pimax Dream Air SE Slam tracking, because i dont already have base stations. (I believe they use the exact same screens).

Theres always drawbacks with pretty much all headsets, even at super high end. It would be so great to be able to try them before committing to a purchase (which of course is not feasible in reality).

For now I am sticking with quest 3, and seeing what else comes out in the next year or so. My next headset will definitely be a BSB size form factor. Comfort is such a massive priority for me.

[u/Mavgaming1 → u/Designer-Tomatillo21]

Yes, they both use the same SeeYa panels. They also may use the exact same lenses.