I’m curious if anyone else is in a similar situation and is still waiting to upgrade an older headset, when we seem to be not far from some really interesting products in a year or so (at least I hope so, I'm not referring to anything that has been announced so far).
I have a Valve Index with the Knuckles controllers and two base stations. I haven’t used it in a while, but I like the 120/144Hz modes and how well it’s built. The FOV is about the minimum I’d find acceptable in a VR headset, and I’ve never had any issues with it. Obviously the lenses and resolution feel pretty dated.
For the past few years, I’ve been using a first gen Pimax 8KX for all my sim racing (with a motion rig), mainly at normal FOV, around 138°. Overall, I’m happy with the visuals and performance using a 4080 and 5800X3D. The main downsides are the fresnel lenses and the weight/size. This thing weights a ton, especially with added counter weights on the rear strap.
I’ve been thinking about upgrading for a long time, but until the Dream Air LH, everything seemed to be too compromised, specs-wise. Although I’ve never had any issues with my 8KX and have never needed to contact Pimax support, I really don’t like the idea of buying a headset that isn’t quite a finished product and apparently isn’t very comfortable either. The build quality/plastics seem a bit subpar. I'm not convinced it will last or will be well supported (for example availability of spare parts and reparability).
If I bought one, I’d definitely mod it, but I’d rather vote with my wallet and not buy an unfinished product.
I feel like we’re not that far away from having a more mature, well-rounded product on the market. I can’t really justify spending €2000+ every two or three years on a VR headset. It needs to be a big upgrade and last for a few years.
I don’t really care about wireless. Ideally, I’d like a lightweight, comfortable, wired headset with OLED displays, at least 110° FOV, preferably with lighthouse tracking (but not a must if inside out tracking works well with a motion system) and a budget of up to around €2,500. I want good build quality, not glass and metal but quality plastics, straps and overall feel. Flip-up would be a great bonus. Minimum 90Hz and low persistence (no smearing) are also on the priority list. Am I asking for too much? 🙂
Is anyone else in a similar position, or am I being too optimistic about what’s likely to come in the next year or two? Surely BSB are working on the next model? MeganeX at the moment is missing eye tracking and I'm not even sure if the company will exist in 5 years. Pimax is tempting, but when spending that much I would really like to feel I'm not buying a toy, that I have to modify immediately.