@NextGenVR thank you for bringing up the blurry ness on pimax headsets. For driving, always turning your head to look at your reference points broke the immersion so often and it takes a “second” for the image to settle again. It got to a point where I’d minimize head turning and try to only shift my eyes and had to unwind that bad habit when moving to the G2. It’s a subtle but important point that i haven’t seen many, if any, reviewers bring up.
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I’ve seen the blurriness too, but apparently the newest firmware (currently in a private test, I think?) supposedly helps that issue
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Hoping I can post the same thing in this thread…but the forum doesn’t like it…test…
I started trying out the Pro 2 last night.
Quick thoughts:
-The headset dynamically changes brightness… It looks GREAT with high brightness, but sometimes it gets super dim in the same scene(like 8KX at 50%/Index below 80%), which sucks.
-I lose 10 degrees vertically down towards the floor vs the Index, which is lame. Feels like a wide-FOV quest 2 in a way at ~90 degrees vertical.
-Headphone hum
-Edit : apparently I have the setting Volume Limit on, which I didn’t notice before, I’ll try it off. Sound is only barely acceptable when I put it on 100%. I can’t get it to be decent, even with the tricks for KDMAS (messing with the audio enhancement tabs, etc), so something is wrong.
Positive
-I noticed being able to aim better with my non-dominant eye/hand in Pistol Whip (using dual wielding and DeadEye or whatever it is that makes you actually aim well). I think the parallel lenses (vs canting of Index/8KX) makes things easier to focus on for me.
-Colors are nice
How is the clarity on Ultra/Extreme vs High? I can only go up to High right now since I have a 1080Ti…and while the lack of screendoor (although I see pixels sometimes) is nice, the clarity of the 8KX and Index are definitely better since they’re not upscaling the image. I would hope it’s massively better on Ultra because I wouldn’t use this if I were to stick to my 1080Ti…I’d definitely stick to Index/8KX if I wasn’t planning on upgrading my GPU.
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Could someone with a vive wireless kit test the new beta vive console program please.
There is an update for the wireless resolution!
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What resolution are you rendering at the moment on each eye?
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Hello, first of all I apologize for my English, but I hope to be able to make myself understood. I am a big fan of virtual reality, which I use almost exclusively for sim racing (Iracing). I have owned the vast majority of headsets and today I own Hp Reverb G2, Pimax 8KX and for a few days the HTC Vive Pro 2. I had many expectations about the new HTC viewer, largely unfulfilled. The viewer is comfortable, fits easily, is certainly lighter than the Pimax headsets, excellent Fov and Sweet Spot, decidedly superior compared to the G2, excellent colors, good audio reproduction, but let’s get to the painful notes: evident god rays, much lower sharpness not only compared to the g2, but also to the 8KX. I have an i9 9900K (5.0 ghz) and an RTX 3090 and I set everything to Ultra 90 hz with Steam VR 39…x39 resolution … There was nothing to do, the visual horizon appears blurred and the billboards on board track are much less legible than I’m used to. Another aspect that struck me very negatively is the very evident lag in tracking the movements (I use a Base staion 1.0). The headset in an absolute sense, is of a good standard, but for those who already own an 8KX or a G2 (without tracking problems) it is a step back. I absolutely advise against it
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Thanks for sharing your impressions. While I do agree that I ultimately had to conclude that it doesn‘t work for me, I would be slightly less outspoken to advise so absolutely against it because it has become apparent that for some users it does seem to work well, even better than 8KX or G2. So at the end any user interested in the proposition the Pro 2 offers on paper should see if they can try the Pro 2 for themselves as it appears to be highly individual if it - to put it drastic - is the best headset on the planet (available for a reasonable amount of money) or a complete waste of time and a step back from what we already have…
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The new firmware update did increase performance for me in games…
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It definitely is a headset with downsides. I first thought that reports of glare might have been due to light leak but even in my basement with lights turned off, I still see quite heavy glare … I hate distortion, but if the double stacked lens design is the solution to distortion but also is the cause of this kind of glare, I wonder if it’s a good trade-off. Then again, it of course really depends on the game, in some games I don’t see any glare at all and then the headset really rocks.
Also I did notice the more blurry image than G2 and 8k-X. I’m not sure yet what’s causing it. What I did notice is that, again, it also really depends on the content. I mean when I look in HL:A at my hands, they just look so sharp and I’m just loving all little details. But when reading text from a distance, it indeed looks kind of blurry…
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Maybe its that compression they use(Display Stream Compression) or something… i notice it now also more and more
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Yeah it almost seems like there’s indeed some software algo at work in some scenes. I wonder if this is HTC’s idea to select framerate over detail, without asking the user. Could indeed just be DSC compression … Either way, I’d want to switch it off 
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Me too for sure!..
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Sounds like some diffuse filter like on the od+. Close is clean but picking out distant objects gets hazy.
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can you try reshade eg in vrchat or dcs, it greatly helps with distance blur https://community.openmr.ai/t/new-working-reshade-for-openvr/35722
i dont think its vp2 specific as with the distance image quality in vr really degrades, reshade helped me to fix that and i see the huge difference even on index (lower res)
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I think a lot will depend on the end user. The Vive Pro 2 ranks very much like the Pimax headsets and even the G2.
Individual visual acuity and preferences will reign for each.
For those whom really are a stickler for oled like colors & contrast will be more attracted to the VP2.
One of the big issues VP2 has is being maybe released too soon to have the software/firmware polished enough to make a strong opening salvo. Too much overhyped(which seems to be standard these days). Plus as much as some excuse HTC being moronic releasing it with a poor facefoam instead of providing 2 thicknesses out of the box.
All the modding of vr hmds with Facefoam; vr manifacturers should know by now to provide 2 variations for best experience out of the box without needing to make additional purchases.
So with @PhilFox72 like others whom recommend against the VP2 for reasons there clear on while also mentioning some of it’s pluses are well rounded.
No different than those whom do the same with pimax hmds regarding things like how some experience eyestrain where others do not.
Some issues will be less bothersome to others while some of those same issues might be a deal breaker. Much like the wobble @mixedrealityTV could see on the 8k where majority of users cannot see it without a special test.
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As @john2910 suggests likely a combination of dsc and maybe lenses stretching the screens horizontal to get 117° Wide FoV while having a low vertical FoV on square panels.
That maybe improved over time with updates.
@Teigue has a great idea of trying out reshade.
@Djonko could you please change the steam vr resolution to lets say 70% and the vive console on ultra and could you tell me if you see a alot off difference? I think i am loosing my eyesight lol
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Haven’t tried that yet, been playing with 100% today, will try 70% later. Either way, been doing a lot of A/B with the Pimax 8k-X and I now don’t have any doubts anymore, the VP2 wins and will be my default headset. To me the biggest advantage is something @NextGenVR said: when you move your head in the 8k-X, everything gets blurry. This must be because of the latency of the panels. Pimax likes to overclock the panels but you won’t lower pixel latency with that. None of this with the VP2, while moving your head everything stays rock solid and clear and this really is a huge advantage! It really adds to the feeling of presence.
However almost as important are the MUCH better colors on the VP2. Everything has just so much more details and comes much more to life on the VP2. The 8k-X is just too washed out and misses a lot of detail because of that. Just looking at your gloves in HL:A is so nice, it just looks much better than on the 8k-X. Pure eye candy
Also the VP2 is distortion free for me, compared of course to quite a bit distortion on the 8k-X
The 8k-X is a tad sharper. However once you get into the sweetspot then the VP2 is quite good too. An easy way to find the sweetspot is to use the IPD button, so you see the green lines. Then if your IPD is correctly set, when you move the HMD up down you’ll see some ghosting-like effect of the lines up/down, until you position it correctly. Same thing horizontally. It’s really important to do that otherwise your picture quality will be much more blurry.
I’ve fixed the comfort by using a slightly thicker foam than the thinnest foam I have. It does take away maybe a few degrees but it’s extremely comfortable then (also another plus by the way, compared to the 8kX). Also of course no headset wobble.
Sure, the glare is the biggest downside but in quite a few games, most of the times I don’t even see it.
Really happy now with the VP2!
BTW there was also another FW update today, maybe this fixed it but in HL:A the VP2 actually runs even better than my 8k-X
BTW @john2910 will now experiment with the 70% vs 100% setting in steamVR
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Great,i like to know what you think and see…
By the way do you use steam beta?
One more thing… the vive console software needs more tweaks… Sometimes every thing looks amazing and sometimes…Mehhh.
I think the software is a little buggy…But there been already some very fast software updates… i hope they continu this
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2380x2380 in SteamVR, which is “150%.” The Vive Console is at 1836x1836. I sorta got used to it, but putting it above 150% does basically absolutely nothing, which is weird. I know I can definitely see differences in the Index when I pump it to like 500%, but there’s basically no difference when using High in the Pro 2.
More Pro 2 impressions
Remember I have a 1080Ti…
I will say after trying it again a second day I really like it now. I actually played my games rather than just inspect environments with my eyes. I previously said that I could aim better in Pistol Whip:
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I’ve had the most natural-feeling driving in DiRT Rally 2.0, ever.
I felt like my inputs were instantly realized in-game, and I had way more intuitive feel of the car. I think the fact that the lenses make the entire view geometrically correct helps, and maybe peripheral vision is “better” for the sense of the car? Also, I’ve noticed with the Pimax headsets, If I focus on one object, but move my head, my eyes seem to have to refocus as I’m moving my head…I don’t feel the same with the Pro 2…it’s more natural, so my eyes aren’t straining as much. In the 8KX I don’t really see distortion without glasses, but I need to use glasses, and that’s where the distortion kicks in. It even happens a bit vertically in the Index…but not at all in the Pro 2. -
I can focus on things better, which I can’t seem to do well on canted-display headsets. I don’t think the lenses trick my eyes enough into thinking I’m looking at a “flat” picture…so the fact that the displays are parallel in the Pro 2 helps. I feel the same in the Quest 2…things are just easier to focus on. Really hoping canted displays never show up in a headset again. I’d think curved is a better way to go, no? Pavlov was pretty decent for aiming, but the 8KX is better at clarity long-range…hoping using the “Ultra” preset whenever I get a 30-series card helps, maybe it’ll put it close to the 8KX. Also, either the WW2 guns changed skins within the last month or so, or I’m noticing colors on some guns I never saw before because of the Pro 2. I also swear I could see the pingpong ball spinning better vs the Index at 144Hz, while I’m using the Pro 2 at 90Hz in Eleven…could be purely because of the resolution bump.
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While the binocular overlap is less, it doesn’t bother me, and I have less “lens distraction.” What I mean is that I usually can see the edge of the lenses/display with my right eye in most headsets, which shows up as a black bar when I’m looking straight ahead (obviously most people can see it when looking left/right). With the 8KX, the edge of my inner vision is blurry, so looking at something with both eyes on the edge of the lenses doesn’t look good. Those things don’t happen in my Pro 2.
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The brightness changing is a bit weird, but once I get engaged in a game it’s not bad…especially because the colors/contrast are great even if the brightness may get dim sometimes. Hoping we can disable or change the parameters for the amount of brightness change. I think it’s been improved already in recent updates, not totally sure since it wasn’t in the patch notes.
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Headphones still hum.
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Never thought about my FOV much, just played, so I think that’s good thing. It’s a bit distracting horizontally if I’m in a bright environment, but not as bad as other headsets (besides Pimax of course). A little more vertical downwards would have been great. BTW I’m using the Pimax Thin foam with glasses, and while they get close, they don’t touch the lenses, because I set the foam to stop the mechanism from going too far, so thanks Pimax, lol. My measurements (manually in that ROV FOV SteamVR environment )were about 113H / 90V.
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Maybe because I got used to the OG Vive’s frenel ring glare I don’t really care about glare. It’s like the least of my issues with the headset. There’s glare, but every headset has it. Even Quest 2 has some glare for me, but it’s in the form of small godrays that show up directly next to text/high contrast objects. Pro 2 at least doesn’t have Godrays that exist right in the middle of the view like the OG Vive. It does have frenel ring glare and also will reflect things to the outside of the FOV, but I guess I got used to it in a day because it’s not a big deal. Dark game gamers may not like the glare.
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I see pixels sometimes, but it’s not bad. Pimax 8KX has it beat, but I can also sometimes see pixels on certain colors on the 8KX, mostly on while lines in driving games.
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I wish could use this headset with full panel rendering, because I think I’d be more impressed.
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Comfort is solid, like a less bulky 8KX. Index always dug into my cheeks.
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The power button on the headset acts like a mouse click (with your head as the mouse), like the Index, which is super convenient if you aren’t holding controllers. I’ve asked for this multiple times for Pimax with no response…
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One thing is that I feel like I will regret the purchase come this time next year, since I’d probably most likely buy a Quest 3, and/or PS5/PSVR 2/Index 2/Pimax 8KFresh. On the other hand, I’d be happy to sell the Pro 2 to a friend without feeling like I’m giving them a “bad” product. By that I mean, OG Vive = SDE, Pimax = tons of tweaks, Index also has glare and resolution could be better. Pro 2 does everything decently, and I’m sure it’ll improve.
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Kinda annoyed that the software isn’t really polished yet, which goes into the fact that by the time it is, we’ll see a new headset.
All-in-all I think the Pro 2 is improving my experience in terms of actually playing better in the games I play that utilize skills (driving/aiming/etc)…so this is a “gamer’s” headset rather than a pure immersion-seeking headset…but again, the colors are amazing, so it’s a tough one to judge.
Edit…
So I’ve been doing A/B/C/D with 8KX/Index/Quest2/Pro2…8KX is so darn clear to me…I’m on a 1080Ti and the Pro 2 just looks like an undersampled/soft Index, since the Index has better clarity than the Pro 2 as well… I have better clarity with the 8KX in upscale mode, and honestly I think I found my HMD of choice (8KX in upscale till I get a 30-series). Seems like I don’t notice the distortions as much too. I also realized the weird blur that happens in Native is gone in Upscale Mode, so I can crank up the brightness with no blur when moving my head (maybe a bit more added persistence though). KDMAS sounds better than the Pro 2…I can’t even get good sound out of the Pro 2 unless I put it on 100% or smash the earphones into my ears, then it’s just acceptable with bad bass. I think the Pro 2 has better colors and lower persistence going for it, but that’s about it. I have better vertical and horizonal FOV with the 8KX…the loss in vertical is pretty bad in the Pro 2.
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