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VR and AR headsets

Bigscreen Beyond

5owners with an opinion
80%of verdicts positive
3/1positive/negative since 2024
0happy after 3+ years

Praised for display and portability; criticized for comfort.

Models

What people wrote

Likes it
I have used most of the major headsets. Vision Pro is close to monitor resolution but not quite there. Quest 3 and Steam Frame are nowhere near that. Vision Pro's ergonomics are bad, as are Quest 3's, but Bigscreen Beyond 2 is much, much better and could be acceptable for laptop replacement I think, especially with the flip-up halo band they are working on. For inputs, passthrough with keyboard and mouse/trackpad would be fine for desktop work, and eye tracking could be used in combination I think, along with tracked controllers for 3D tasks. Something with the ergonomics of Bigscreen Beyond 2, passthrough and resolution improved beyond Vision Pro, and the hackability of Steam Frame, I think could be pretty attractive as a laptop replacement for some people. Of course we're nowhere near that product yet. But a Steam Frame with a higher resolution screen and a better head mount (and the Arcturus Vision passthrough camera add-on) would be pretty close.
Likes it
There are some games yes but in my opinion right now the best VR experiences are simulators. Assetto Corsa, iRacing, DCS, MSFS etc. I bought a Bigscreen Beyond 2 + 5090 gpu basically just to play DCS (Digital Combat Simulator, a flight sim with full fidelity figher jets that you can even fly in PvP multiplayer) and it's the coolest thing VR has to offer for me. All my relatives and friends who tried it were stunned too.
Doesn’t like it
I'm told by co-workers that the way to use VR headsets for coding is to make the text size large, but to create multiple large text panels. With VR, you essentially have low resolution virtual "monitors" but they're very large and you can have 6+ of them open at a time. Personally, it still makes me sick when I try to use it for that.
Likes it
A conversation with my dad on this post (before he eventually convinced me to post my thoughts here) went a little like this: --- Here's my take on it. The Apple Vision Pro was built for being a computer that encompasses space. Not meant to be a “headset”, and not approaching the problem as a “headset”, but more-so an immersive head-mounted computer. So all the preconceptions people’ve had about “headset” in the past are kinda thrown out the window. Sure, the Quest 3 is similar in that it’s got a focus on AR instead of VR, but it’s still built for gaming first - we can see by the app library and what the Quest store pushes for its apps - it’s gaming. Similar story with other headsets - primary focus is gaming. Be it immersive experiences in gaming (KayakVR, etc.), competitive gaming (Breachers, Pavlov, etc.), or social (VRChat, Resonite, Rec Room, Bigscreen, etc.), it’s still gaming. The Apple Vision Pro is built on a completely different foundation and philosophy from other headsets. That’s why, and how, I use mine. Otherwise, it would just kinda be in the corner as a “really high resolution, really good eye and hand tracked, but otherwise very uncomfortable and heavy headset with too many compromises” sorta deal. My Quest 2 for example, I bought that simply to tear it apart and have fun with it. I did just that, and now it’s non-functional (I have to fix it up at some point). My Pico 4 Enterprise, I bought with the express intent of getting eye and face tracking working wit…
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
It's super light compared to Quest 3, half the weight on your face, the rest is on the back which balances the headset. Big Screen Beyond isn't wireless and has a narrower field of view.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
I guess there's a market for this but I'm personally disappointed that they've gone with the "cram a computer into the headset" route. I'd much rather have a simpler, more compact dumb device like the Bigscreen Beyond 2, which in exchange should prove much lighter and more comfortable to wear for long time periods. The bulk and added component cost of the "all in one" PC/headset models is just unnecessary if you already have a gaming PC.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
A bunch of my friends in VRChat dropped $1500 or so on Bigscreen Beyond 2e orders earlier this year, and are ecstatic to finally be receiving their kits. I'm eagerly awaiting my own ship date email in the next few weeks. The people who are hooked are hooked, but it's in too slow of a growth curve to keep the attention of the hypergrowth omninationals. Inshallah the megacorps remain minor players. The metaverse is here, for those with headsets to see. But all Meta will be remembered for in VR is sad tech "demos" that turned out faked, and, for a time at least, solid budget wireless headsets. Mass media is still waiting for faster horses, but the real transhumanists already have one foot out of the physical world. (And sometimes four!)
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
> "Here to stay" doesn't say much. VR is as of now an extreme nieche If we're comparing to 3d glasses for movies like the parent comment said then that is a huge difference. samsung is releasing an android headset this year this long into VR which they didn't do for 3dtv. this generation of VR has already lasted longer than 3D-tv 6 years. There are space requirements for base stations, but it can be played for many hours in a chair or in bed. Not every experience requires a large room. Newer headsets are self-tracked so that's already been solved by new tech. The bigscreen beyond 2 is 107g and can be worn for hours. Struggling to see how portability and versatility won't improve with new tech.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
Specs, light weight, cheap. Pick two. You can get a cheap, light, and usable headset these days for <$100. It's called the Quest 2. You can get a high end, light headset. It's the Bigscreen Beyond 2, and it's ~$1,300. As for high end and cheap, there's the Pimax Crystal Light. It's $600 (~$890 with required subscription), very high resolution (2880x2880 per eye, 35 PPD). I can't find the weight on their site but I own a Pimax Crystal. It's bulky and heavy - which I know quite well, as I stream multiple hours in VR very frequently.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
Bigscreen made their name as VR video viewing solution before pivoting to PCVR hardware. I’m surprised they haven’t shown off any simple video solution with Beyond 2 especially considering that’s the main use case for the Apple Vision Pro. That said, eye tracking and IPD adjustment is a huge upgrade to Beyond 2 for their niche
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
All modern VR headsets are going to have head tracking - even for something as simple as outputting a monitor signal, you need to have it occupy a point in 3D space to avoid motion sickness and to let the user naturally look at it up close, etc. If you're going for no expense spared, the Apple Vision Pro is probably the best device that does exactly this. The Beyond 2 from this video is also good, but it only works in conjunction with a PC, it's not a computing device. Otherwise, there's the Quest 3.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
> By the way, have you actually tried it? Yes (albeit not at an Apple Store). For $3,500 it's not a competitive AR experience. It's not even cutting edge, either. Inside-out hand tracking has been a thing on standalone headsets since the first-gen Oculus Quest. Gaze tracking is more trouble than it's worth, the glowing eyes on the outside are like a cheap Halloween decoration, and the whole assembly feels like it will get bricked from a waist-height drop on the carpet. Have you tried other, modern headsets? Bigscreen Beyond, Pimax Crystal, even the Valve Index? It's a blowout. Apple's price tag doesn't justify the lack of competitive features compared to their alternatives. They can't break into a market of "metaverse fans" because they don't support OpenXR or SteamVR - they are explicitly only targeting Apple fans. As someone who isn't part of the Apple ecosystem anymore, the Vision Pro is a fucking joke. What am I supposed to use it for, a $3,500 dedicated 360-degree porno machine? An overpriced streaming client for desktop VR? I have literally zero applications for it, I wouldn't have a reason to own Apple's headset if it was as cheap as an iPhone. > Once the weight is reduced and the input UI is fixed, it will be truly useful. Do you honestly believe that? After hundreds of failed attempts to make VR useful, you sincerely think Apple will be the one to do it? This will only work if Apple can convince customers to go all-in on their ecosystem. And very clearly they…
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
It looks compelling for high-end PC gaming VR enthusiasts, but if GP is more of a mainstream consumer it probably won't make sense for them. At least from what I've read, there's a bunch of downsides for regular consumers: very expensive ($1000) -- SUPER expensive if you bundle in controllers and tracking points (~$1600), needs external tracking, wired instead of wireless, no built-in audio, can effectively only be used by one person (because each one is built custom to your face), and of course it's not a standalone headset, it has to be hooked up to a gaming PC.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
> There is an over sampling of individuals like yourself who enjoy VR here on HN, on Reddit, or on any other tech platform where enthusiasts naturally gather. Without a doubt, yeah. > What’s the highest number of concurrent users? I would dare say it’s fairly low. Just above 90,000 [0]. Yes, a far cry from the billions of existing social networks. But I think that's because of a couple of factors, owing to... > My point is quite simple: the consumer market has rejected consumer VR for almost 10 years now and I don’t think that’s going to change. The issue with VR for the average person is in its very nature, where are you alienated from everything around you. this. I believe the rejection of consumer VR is not primarily because of the alienation factor - it's because the experience has sucked and costs a lot more than people are willing to spend on a new experience. I'm a long-time believer in VR; I've been paying attention to it from its 2012 resurgence. However, in that decade, I've seen a few fundamental reasons for why people either don't bother trying it out, or give up shortly afterwards: - Cost. A good PCVR experience can easily cost thousands of dollars. For VRChat, you really do want that experience (you can only access a subset of content on standalone), and it does not come cheap. - Comfort. The headsets are not comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. - Isolation. You can't see outside of your space, and other people can't see what you're doing. - UX. The…
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
I've been trying VR headsets from the first Oculus Dev Kit. Apple has solved most of the problems plaguing other headsets. The only remaining problem, which is a huge problem, is weight and size. VR headset should be as effortless to wear as a pair of headphones. It's absolutely not a "software" problem, i.e. a lack of a killer app. The problems they have already solved: - Controllers and user interface (VR controllers and their associated interfaces are atrocious; you basically need to "shoot" at interface targets like shooting a gun, lol) - Eye-tracking also makes "retina" resolutions possible with less compute, thanks to foveated rendering - Low-latency/high quality AR - Spatial tracking without external base stations - Weight reduction with wired external battery However, I'm afraid they'll need to scrap everything. Bigscreen Beyond is the form factor they should copy. It's just under 200g. Add extremely lightweight cameras for eye/spatial/hand-tracking. Remove everything else, like auto-adjusting IPD and the external display. Move compute to the battery case or stream it wirelessly from an external device. This would allow better thermals as well, and a fan wouldn't be needed in the device. High-resolution AR might have to go as well (although it might be possible to reconstruct from low-quality cameras). I'm also waiting for Beoynd to copy what Apple has done, and add wireless streaming. For PCVR in general, compute should be wirelessly streamed to/from a PC, and batter…
Recommends itDoesn’t say they own it
Have you heard of the 127 gram headset "Bigscreen Beyond"? Might be what you need to address neck concerns. https://www.bigscreenvr.com/
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
I'd probably wait for the Meta Quest 3 to come out to use with your PC since it'll probably be the best bang for your buck. If you want an alternative to Meta or something more futuristic then the Big Screen Beyond is looking very interesting. You'll have to buy tracking base stations and controllers separately with the Big Screen Beyond so it'll be considerably more expensive. I'd also wait for some reviews although preliminary first impressions on YouTube are promising.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
The Bigscreen beyond requires a face scan and generates a custom interface to fit each persons face perfectly. Everything I've read indicates that this actually improves fit and comfort. It helps that the bigscreen beyond is incredibly light and small, but the face scan doesn't seem to be a gimmick. The Vision Pro might end up a complete failure, but requiring an appointment and a face scan is not a sign for this.