BigScreen Beyond: 3 Months Later... 

Great video, very useful information, cant wait to get my hands on one and experience it first hand!

Its awesome to see you have an impact with making a better product for everyone.

Some very courageous people are working on EyeTrackVR in the BigScreen Beyond! Can't wait to see how that comes out!

This kind of enthusiast information is priceless for people like myself who're detail oriented and are looking for 'insight' over 'review'. The thought processes you reveal and the experience you have in VR gives a niche perspective into the application of this particular PC VR HMD. While you might mince words occasionally (I'm the same), those words still convey a truthful, educated and well considered perspective based on your soul experiences using it. Thank you for taking the time and putting yourself out there! I appreciate you and your content. Your words are enlightening and reassuringly honest. Keep it up!

hopefully they make a fitness face cover for this thing, having a light headset for things like beat saber seems like it would be so nice

I just wish it had eye tracking... would have been the perfect headset. I know thats asking a lot from a device this small, but that's the main feature that I'm wanting for the next generation of VR

I already ordered mine, I'm here to only hear your positive points and automatically filter out any negatives as part of my confirmation bias. :P

Thank you for finally confirming that this device does NOT run native 2560x2560 at 90hz.

Hell yeah, I was looking for a more comprehensive video like this talking about the BigScreen Beyond, my Index is starting to fall apart bruh.

Your such an amazing resource for the VR community keep up the good gospel

Thanks Brad, as always. I wish the big companies would also invest in doing something like this. I understand they want to go balls to the wall to get these ubiquitous non-tethered devices, but for me, PCVR is so much more realistic for most people to get into VR with as they likely already play games on one and offloading so many things to the PC solves so many issues. Alas, perhaps it's good they work on standalone to push those techs to the same place BigScreen is without the tether. I just don't wanna wait! Once I have the cash, I'd like to grab one of these.

A decent set of IEM’s would be much better than anything built into a headset anyway

This will probably be the headset I upgrade to from the Valve Index. It fixes several of the big problems I had with the Index. Comfort, heat, and size, the displays lack deep blacks and have a low resolution. Of course, this isn't the perfect headset though it has some obvious problems, which you've pointed out, like low fov, low refresh rate, and no audio. As well as others, like the new kind of glare it introduces and persistence blurring, everything will have to be pretty dim (not that they could get super bright anyways because of the lenses). These problems will be complete deal breakers for some; the obvious ones are important to the VR experience. But as someone using the Quest 2 and Valve Index, I can deal with the caveoughts. Starting with the essential problems, fov will be fine because it's similar to the Quest 2. 90° is perfectly acceptable (which it's 102° now!) even if you can noticeably tell the difference between it and the Index; it's not a necessity (unless you're someone who absolutely needs a wide fov). Same for the low refresh rate; lucky for me, I can't discern the refresh rate much in VR, and I don't get motion sick from it, so being at 75 or 90 would be acceptable. Then for sound? That's easy. I'd wear Bluetooth earbuds like you. No sound for this headset makes sense for keeping the weight and bulk down, so an easy wireless solution that practically adds no extra weight and discomfort would complement it perfectly. Finally, the last two, for the glare, if I can get used to it on the Index (even if it still annoys me from time to time), I can get used to anything similar for whatever headset. This goes the same for persistence and brightness; I would crank the brightness as high as possible and see when persistence becomes an issue to see what's comfortable. Then the brightness will be acceptable only because there's no light leakage, as you've said. The dim displays wouldn't be enough with leaks of outside light, breaking immersion, and looking bad. I have other thoughts too. Even though this is a light headset, I'm glad they're including a top strap in the box with revisions they've made from talking to you. No discomfort is something we all want. Also, one of my biggest complaints with the headset, similar to the fov, is the no pass-through. It's dumb, but I thought of it as a non-immersion-breaking way to quickly look at my phone or grab something. Thankfully this headset is like a pair of goggles, so you can lift them up quickly, making this a non-issue. Then you know the 90Hz refresh rate? It's upscaled, as said in the video. Same for the Index's higher refresh rates, too (apparently?), so staying at 75Hz is a good idea for best quality. Lastly, this is an expensive headset.. the biggest con of all. Especially when there are no new features or things like face or eye tracking, just improvements upon the basics. This headset is also accustomed to your IPD, so it's hard to resell because a buyer needs to have the same as yours. Nonetheless, it doesn't discredit anything positive said. It's still an improvement over the Index, just it'll hurt my wallet significantly if I upgrade :,)

Bigscreen listing this headset as 2560x2560@90Hz is dishonest. As you have confirmed, its resolution is transport limited to 1920x1920. The company has tried to stay below the radar about this, and that is really shady. It brings into question the integrity of this company in general. The specification listing should be: 2560x2560@75Hz 1920x1920@90Hz This stuff with "Well it upscales and so it sort of counts!" does not hold water. When a 4K TV is running a 1080P video input, do you say it's displaying 4K? It's understood that it's being scaled to the physical panel. The image will only be 1080P quality, not 4K quality. The suggestion that they just haven't communicated about this well enough doesn't fly either. They have got to know this is a critical piece of the specification. I will not believe for a second that they didn't make an intentional decision to be misleading with their listed specifications because the truth would cause many possible buyers to dismiss their product. There's a lot of good things about this product. Bigscreen should come clean and openly declare the real specification on their website and other marketing literature.

24:40 many reviewers talk about sweating and the mask material, I keep imagining how simple it would be to trace the mask on a piece of paper, use the cutout as a guide to cut some cloth, then attach it to the headset with some velcro tabs or double-sided tape or something

I really hope this has a strong launch. Hardware that knows its target audience will be the best to *actually* use. The 98 horizontal FOV doesn't sound bad at all. The 90hz res is kinda sad, but not a deal breaker.

23:03 - What I heard here was: If you're in the Lighthouse Ecosystem, and have ever thought about getting a third (or fourth) lighthouse to ensure you don't have occlusion (say, when you have two lighthouses in opposite corners of the room, but also have a tall-backed gaming chair that persistently occludes whichever LH is behind you when seated...not that I'd know about that or anything...) NOW is the time to pick up the extra(s).

Thanks for mentioning the lens glare/god rays in this. I was interested in it as an upgrade from my Valve Index but decided not to because honestly the most annoying thing about my Valve Index is the glare/god rays when I'm trying to watch a movie or something in it.

I'm very interested in a headset for productivity... I'm looking heavily at this, Simula, and Vision Pro. I think this one would be best for wearing for long periods of time. Simula should have pass-through and eye tracking which I think will be good for productivity (and it's designed for it). Vision Pro is obviously should have the best visuals. Since you bring up adding things to the headset, is there anywhere that is discussing the potential for hacking this headset? I'd love to see just a simple camera or two added for pass-through to see a keyboard.

I'm looking forward to getting eye tracking sorted on this headset, and have some interesting concepts on how to prevent various types of glare. This is definitely the headset I am planning on getting after a few other hardware upgrades. Thanks for the great video!

One of the things I always look for in the specs of a new headset I hear about, is weather it has eye tracking, or the possibility to add eye tracking. (Already having eye tracking, being a big bonus.) And I am always disappointed when I don't see that among the features. So I think it's fair to call it an important feature for future headsets to have.

I'm really excited for this. I've been collecting bits of kit to replace my Index in the lighthouse ecosystem this year, but I'm currently using the Quest Pro tethered to my PC as my Daily Driver. But I've collected up a set of etee controllers, backed both the Diver-X and Bifrost gloves, full set of Tundra Trackers... I am *stoked*.

They should offer it with a right of return. For us here in Europe, the risk is too big if something is defective, etc. to bear all the costs! @Shankar I would get your HMD if you bring it out under our conditions.

Solid video Brad, would love an update on Quest Pro if you're planning to make that video. Also looking forward to your Quest 3 speculations.

4:40 Inertia of the headset is the technical term for what you are trying to explain there

I had to stop playing hl Alex when my cv1 oculus died. I couldn't complete it with the quest2. The screens were way too washed out to enjoy on those shoddy lcd screen.

A truly fascinating none compromising device. Really appreciate all your reporting on it. I would very much like to get a new HMD and would love to support this small startup to succeed. The only thing keeping me from doing it is the combination of price and DFR support. DFR is a must for all new headsets. Having a price tag of $1,000 and no DFR support is for me the combination that breaks it.

I think that taking a feature specific approach should be the main goal for these companies. It's been ten years, and we still don't have a reliable Desktop OS experience in VR. For christ sake, really. People don't seem to realize how revolutionary it would be for VR.

the compromise on 90hz is a deal breaker for me. they gotta find a display that can make it work or forget about it. not dropping a grand for a not even 4k quest experience

I'm pretty excited about the new quest pro review cause i absolutely love that headset! All day, every day use. I know you didn't like it much before and i wonder if your experience changed over time.

Well done Brad, whilst I might not always agree with your conclusions I do appreciate the depth of conversation and authenticity of the opinion. I don't think this is a simmers headset but more of a generalists headset (in PCVR obviously) it simply lacks must have feature in 2023 imho. Lets see how it does in the market and then when/if Bigscreen wants to talk we can have a conversation about how they missed opportunity but here is the north star and not to use PR to circumvent it pls

would be cool if a HMD like Bigscreen Beyond was used as part of a VR full body tracking suit that housed the heavier parts like the battery and what not for a more powerful standalone option without having the whole thing strapped to your face.

No matter how much you may like the design of Apple's headset, it's not an option if you're sensible about how you spend your hard earned cash and given the competition.

I agree about having the clarity down low instead of up high, I hate looking down and my gun/hand/watch/body/whatever is blurry af, it’s the closest thing to me, it should be the clearest!

It sucks for EU customers that for them this HMD is 1500$.

thank you for this information Brad, helps to have realistic expectations on a headset before deciding to buy it or not

I run a vrchat club and I come from RL music scene to vr so for me having a headset that give me comfort and immersion is a game changer! BTW great video thanks for the infos and please make some mods for it im sure you will sell it ;)

Still sucks that full native resolution is not supported at 90hz. Although these are better panels it still reminds me of Arpara. It's probably a limitation of micro-oled and then the brightness seems to always take a hit there. We'll probably get better edge to edge clarity at 120Hz on the Quest 3 at this rate. Although the sweet spot is worse for the HP Reverb G2 V2, it can still rock 90hz at 2160 per eye for under $400. I love the form factor of the Beyond but the price to compromises is too high. It cost extra for corrective lenses if you happen to require glasses. The fixed IPD seems problematic if not measured correctly and having glare with these optics kinda sucks. I don't own lighthouse. I own earbuds is a plus? I am sorry. They can do better at a $1000+ Also don't these fog up in the hot summer?

I couldn't agree more about the eye tracking but I want it for foveated rendering.

I am a sim racer, and have been waiting several years in hopes of a vr headset coming out that is lightweight and has good performance. This is the first one I would consider.

Great info. Wireless streaming and eye tracking are exactly what's missing from this headset for my ideal setup. I think being able to make eye contact in a social app like VRChat is big. If this headset was running wirelessly I'd want to use a power bank wired from by pocket or belt to avoid adding weight to the head. Get a nice power bank (or two) and your battery time is virtually unlimited. However I think just having low weight and high comfort is most important, so I'll take it. With regards to the sweat issue: you can buy disposable VR masks online to put on your face before the headset. I'm thinking they could absorb some sweat. Replacing/cleaning masks might help with potential skin irritation too. I just wonder if they'd be comfortable and work with the custom facial interface on the headset.

Small and light is the future. The Gameboy proved this in 1989 by showing that the future of gaming was pocket sized. The Beyond has now proved that this same future awaits VR. Very exciting indeed!

Great re-review mate, thanks. I'm really hoping that this headset is going to be a worthy replacement for my almost 4yo OG Vive Pro1 (w/Etsy lens mod and Index controllers). Even though I can super sample the heck out of it thanks to my i913900k/rtx4090, the SDE is still too much for my liking. I really like your front to back top strap mod. I've found that those work much better for me with my QPro than side to side ones, together with a larger/thinner GC front mount with their thinner pleather pad. So, I hope that Bigscreen re-thinks their top strap mod. Also, I would like to see a bit more standard, glasses-friendly facial interface with mechanical IPD adjustability. I really don't think that these would significantly add much weight and would allow much more user flexibility. Anyway, thanks again mate for sharing all this and best cheers from Australia!

omg those cat ears are so cute!!

This is a such an amazing little hmd and they're really taking things in the direction. It's not for me though, but perhaps it will be in a few generations. The perfect hmd imo would be the specs of pimax crystal, the formfactor of bigscreen beyond and the software side of things made by valve.

The company has previously stated that the headset runs at full resolution at 90hz via DSC. This seems to be in direct contradiction with what Brad says it happening with the backplane and headset.

If nothing else, I wish we would see some other companies offer individual face interfaces for the big three devices

Great update! I'm finally looking at getting into the lighthouse/steam VR ecosystem after being on WMR and the Reverb G2 since 2018 Any advice for users below the IDP range? I've been stuck below IDP my entire time with VR so I'm hoping there wouldn't be any additional issues compared to the older headsets.

The addon you're looking for is called a sweat band.

Definitely hoping you touch back on the Quest Pro... Accessories have definitel made it a much better experience over time and i hope you have purchased some good ones. Honestly PM me and I'll show you what I've got.... I've spent a lot of money testing so many of them it's a little ridiculous.

This device covers a niche that is not commonly mentioned - playing all PC games with 3D, i.e. using a VR headset as if playing on a big 3D screen, like iMAX3D. This headset is so thin and lightweight making it the best device out of all VR headsets.

Hi Brad, we appreciate you

I became way less hyped for big screen after they reduced the quest pro price, that’s a lot of money for a no audio solution no face tracking no eye tracking, base station required no controller price, I’d say big screen might be viable if it was closer to 600-700 usd. Thanks for the video Brad!

Well, creating a comparably compact VR Headset that is standalone is possible as long as you are willing to accept a pocket or belt module that has the actual computing and batteries inside it. This would also allow for a lot more powerful hardware compared to something like the Quest 2 and would probably lower prices because it kind of gets rid of the extremely demanding weight and size requirements of those things being included inside the headset. Hey, maybe one could even create such a module that is compatible with multiple VR headsets? Would be awesome since it would functionally turn any VR headset into a slightly more inconvenient standalone with a lot more computing power.

Thanks for video! Like you put a lot effort to describe small details of daily use of this headset!

I am so thankful for your 3 months later reviews. It is a lot of time to find majority of kinks and weird stuff and try to solve it, but it is not 1 year later that is good, but product could change and people rarely wait that long to buy. Very few people buy products in first weeks and months, so 3 months after - is perfect in my opinion.

Can’t wait to get mine!

Thanks for the video, would love to see a halo strap for this so you don't have to use the facial interface for working in VR, and can see your desk/keyboard 👍

The two things I dont like about the Bigscreen VR, is the price here in Europe at a massive 1369EUR, AND the fact that it doesnt have a built in audio solution. Sucks :/

So happy the company is supporting the third party eye tracking.

good review, my only thing is VR is starting to feel like there is consumer products, and "forever limbo/content creator products". i've never seen these bigscreen beyond headsets, varjo, or pimax, or picos, or some of the trackers that never come out, body suits, haptic gloves, etc. like...this all looks cool, but ill believe it when i see it kind of thing. I have many VR friends, and spent a lot of time in VR, and I can honestly say, i don't know anyone with these "coming soon" products that seem to never come out, but every content creator has one lol good review, but till it like, "exists", it all feels very conceptual to be honest

The Apple FaceID requirement and lack of any resale value kills this for me.

I also dislike the pleather and rubber facial interfaces because I prefer something that soaks up sweat, and doesnt fog up my glasses and lenses

Thanks for the video Brad. 🍫

Can we get a “I want to Believe” Deckard poster in your shop?!

brad do you know if valve's implementation of foveated rendering will work with every steam vr game out of the box or if its something that the developers will have to implement in their games.

In terms of standalone headsets, we do not need the battery and processor on the headset itself, a short cable running down your back to your waist or a chest/back harness will still give you the freedom of movement without putting all that weight and heat on your head. PLEASE touch on this in a video some time, I've been saying it for years but my voice will never be heard, channels like yours actually make a difference!

you know i was wondering what it would be like if you chilled the gasket before use

nice Video i have pre orded a beyond to. how is the cable after 3 month will it get twisted like other vr cabels or do u have any tips for anti twisting cable ?

Sounds like a amazing headset all around, but I'm still hung up on the lack of higher refresh rate on VR. Hitting below 90 is a big negative to me. Really looking forward to the combination of Wifi7, better Graphics solutions, and better screen refresh to finally come together to completely alleviate that problem. I really hope that all-in-one units don't step on the neck of my dedicated display options like the Beyond.

i think your beyond looks awesome

I am actually considering this headset, but I'm gonna hold out for Dekard, to at least find out it's stats, before I choose me a new headset.

They were very unclear and disengenous about the resolution/refresh rate relationship. Out the gates it was said to have DSC compression which should be visually lossless. But then they started using the word "upscaling" which is not how DSC works. They should have just been honest and said out the gates what resolution you get at what refresh rate. It may be being upscaled to the full native resolution but what counts is the render resolution. Just like DLSS 4K isn't the same as actual 4K.

Thanks for the update but "...this can't happen with current technology at least for the next few years if you were to pack in all these chips and other stuff to do processing on board....". Those are very brave words, I salute you Sir !🙂

It sounds like something along the lines of one of those fabric VR Covers would be nice for the comfort, not that I'd hold my breath for VR Cover themselves to do it for such a niche product.

Eye tracking would have been day 1 purchase for me

6:35 Ehhh... While the resolution & contrast are fantastic for simming, a mere 75Hz max refresh rate unless you compress the video signal is a MASSIVE step backwards for a hobby where motion clarity/"temporal resolution" is absolutely paramount. This thing won't be "fantastic for simming" until a 2nd Gen model with a more advanced display controller chip.

The Elijah Wood of VR dropping the hard truths!

My only worry with it is the lack of eye tracking, if it had eye tracking it’d be future proof for the foreseeable future. If psvr2 goes full pc compatible it’s gonna be my pick for next gen vr.

The video that convinced me to get one of my own, can't wait!

Having a Quest 3, I felt like the next step was the Beyond, honestly was really considering getting it toward the middle of July but, after watching more and more reviews, even ones newer then this one, I'm leaning more towards waiting for something that learns from the Beyond, something with larger lenses, with better edge to edge clarity, and maybe eye tracking, eye tracking I think will be the next step in what attracts VR enthusiasts. I hope Bigscreen really has these two things at the top of their list for later versions, because someone will, given almost every reviewer mentions, customer support from Bigscreen is better then any other, and I really don't want meta to win, just get too much RP1 bad guy vibes, also passthrough is cool, but I'd take eye tracking over passthrough any day.

Brad based on what you've seen of the compactness of the internals of what I'll affectionately abbreviate the BSB, do you think a version that included IPD adjustment would be possible without adding too too much weight and bulk? It would obviously have to add some weight and presumably bulk, but I feel like it would still be significantly smaller and lighter than any other current and near-future offerings. With IPD adjustment I could have 2 or 3 facial interfaces made for other members of the household and share the HMD that way. If money was no object I'd just buy 3 of them lol, but that money tree I bought from the strange curio shop in the alley still hasn't sprouted anything. Jokes on him though; I traded him that monkey paw that grants wishes for it. Seriously though, good informative video and appreciate the insights. Cheers.

19 seconds the earliest I’ve been to a video

23:10 How about moving all non-display related things away from the headset itself and squeeze it into a pouch so that you can attach it to your belt ? That would be a cool idea to have standalone experience with beyond quality

how did you get it in such a cool color?

Hell ya a new Bradley video

Audio set is on website now, but i would go for earbuds🤔 any has an experiance testing those two options agains each other? Thanks

how did you get your earbuds working with acceptable latency? so far in my experience the only way for me to get a good connection with my pc was through a dedicated 2.4ghz wireless connection, and that limits which earbuds i can use drastically.

Unrelated but I've been binging Succession lately and i just realized you kinda look like Kieran Culkin

Reflection while watching movies is why I returned my QPro. The Bigscreen app is 99% of my VR use, and with the environment darkened I had reflection so bad it felt like I was looking through a milky haze. I'm hoping my headset was particularly terrible and it is not as bad with all pancake lenses.

I would love inside out tracking version. So small... so portable. Right now... ehhh. Ill wait for next headsets to come out and decide is i want to upgrade.

I hope someone make something similar to Beyond, standalone and with eye and hand tracking, and put the extra components on a puck you can put in your pocket or clip into your belt. I wonder why this havent been a priority on this industry, either putting everything on the headset or being tethered.

Bradley I own the Quest 2 and I didn't like the way it fit, so what I did was take the top strap off, and it fit a whole lot better, and I made sure the side strap was tight enough to wear. I wish you could try that. Terry

Awesome Video Brad, thank you so much. I've pre-ordered and am still waiting for my face scan email, but already trying to source a third party headstrap until BSB releases it (which I also pre-ordered). Would you have any information to share about your own DIY headstrap and whether or not something can be purchased now? And would you mind linking to those earbuds you are using. I was going to use my Airpods Pro but want to look around for any other options. Any issues with battery life on your earbuds with longer VR sessions?

All I want is big screen beyond with face and eye tracking lol

Can't wait for V2 :) 2 years from now everything will be awesome...

this sounds like a lovely piece of kit but at that price its still too compromised for me to buy as a long term solution, and the coverage of Hypervision's optical stack has made me determined not to buy anything else until something using it comes to market. everything else is ruined, and i hear it shouldn't take too long for them to be available. of course something else may come out and overshadow them in the meanwhile but if they can pack those lenses and displays into a similar lightweight, display only package as this i think i'd be covered until lightfield displays and other vastly revolutionary technologies mature. that'll be my platform to mod and enhance with additional PCVR hardware and accessories, from tracking tech to transparency and AR additions. hopefully.

It's ya boy Bradley!!!!

Don't wireless earbuds have too much lag???

Dope