1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,640 VR has been going through a period of explosive innovation, 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:08,840 but if you're a PC gamer, I wouldn't blame you for having missed it 3 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:13,520 because some of the biggest innovations have been so very small. 4 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,760 And sure, the Silicon Valley vision, pro, 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:23,360 of an AR headset that's integrated into every aspect of my life sounds cool, 6 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:27,720 but man, I just wanna be super immersed in my video games. 7 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:33,120 And the big screen beyond two may be the very best way to do that. 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,240 Let me put it this way. I can't see for s***. 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,440 The beyond one was so much better than my aging valve index 10 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,040 that it literally reignited my personal excitement for VR. 11 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,960 As for the sequel, somehow in one short year, 12 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:54,640 they've made it so much better that I now feel bad for anyone who jumped on the first one. 13 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,320 I'm talking dramatically improved optics, 14 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:01,680 multi-user friendly design, optional eye tracking. 15 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:07,120 And somehow it does all of that while being even lighter than before. 16 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,240 On paper, only a few things have changed since the original, 17 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:14,600 but those changes make this thing all killer, no filler. 18 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,120 First up, the transparent plastic. Now, he might not be able to see it, 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,920 but he looks dramatically more stylish. It's all relative. 20 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,880 And what I can see is the improved optics. 21 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:31,280 The pancake lenses in the original beyond, they were impressive for their small size and weight, 22 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:36,280 but they struggled with a number of issues that combined with some usability quibbles, 23 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,680 ultimately led to me abandoning my original beyond 24 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,840 in favor of my index in spite of its lower resolution. 25 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:48,600 First, there was the sweet spot, which is the area of the lens where the image is the sharpest. 26 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,680 It was so small. And outside of it, 27 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:57,360 things got pretty blurry pretty quickly with some gnarly chromatic aberration 28 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,680 sneaking in near the edges. The bigger issue though, 29 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,440 was that the multi-layered optics caused a pretty distracting lens flare 30 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,480 in high contrast scenes or even moderate contrast scenes with high brightness. 31 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,600 It's one of those things where it's absolutely a champagne problem, 32 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,080 but damn it, this is expensive champagne. And at this price, 33 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:21,080 there should be nothing to break my immersion. And somehow, despite them keeping the form factor the same, 34 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,280 all of that is resolved on the beyond too. I can pick out the lens flare if I'm looking for it, 35 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:33,120 especially in a menu or something like that, but in game, it's almost too good, too immersive. 36 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,360 Especially when like this. Which is impressive knowing 37 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,920 that they have the exact same 2560 by 2560 micro OLED panel 38 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:48,680 that's found in the original beyond. This is all just improvements to the glass. 39 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,440 We didn't even mention that they've improved the FOV at the same time 40 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,640 going from 102 degrees to 116, 41 00:02:55,640 --> 00:03:00,840 putting it in line with competitors that are much bigger in size. 42 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:07,880 There are still lingering issues with pancake lenses in general, like reduced brightness. 43 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:13,040 Apparently the panels that are in here are supposed to reach as high as 3000 nits. 44 00:03:13,940 --> 00:03:19,480 By the time that light reaches your eyes, it's more like 150, that's a yikes. 45 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,720 But it matters less than you might think, thanks to the excellent light seal 46 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,940 that you get from your custom face cushion that big screen manufacturers 47 00:03:25,940 --> 00:03:29,520 using a 3D scan of your face. They're super cool. 48 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:34,000 They're 3D printed out of a TPE like material that has magnets that click onto the headset 49 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,980 for a perfect seal. Improvements to manufacturing have the new cushions 50 00:03:37,980 --> 00:03:42,160 looking and feeling a little bit better, but we had new issues that we haven't seen before, 51 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,500 like both of our new face gaskets had magnets fall out. 52 00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:49,240 But that could be a problem with just a specific batch, but we thought it was important to note. 53 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:54,400 The Linus, however, had a different problem. Yeah, see, my eyelashes are so long 54 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,480 that they constantly brush up against the lenses 55 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:01,840 on the inside, meaning that if I'm playing for more than about five minutes, 56 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:08,640 what started out as clear and freshly cleaned with a microfiber ends up a blurry, smeary mess. 57 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,840 The good news, though, is that big screen actually offers the ability to create 58 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,320 a custom gasket for you that is ever so slightly thicker. 59 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:20,040 They actually sent one over, which I haven't tried yet. Let's give it a shot. 60 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:24,400 Big screen does advise that it will cost you a little bit in terms of your field of view, 61 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:30,480 but if you're particularly bothered by the blurry lenses, that could end up being worth it for you. 62 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,840 For me personally, oh man, I think I'd be tempted 63 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:37,880 to just stick with the improved immersion. And if you think that this is just 64 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,920 some special YouTuber treatment, it's not. Big screen's actually very good about addressing problems 65 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:46,080 with their face cushions, and will print you a modified one if you have any issues with the one 66 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:50,080 that you get out of the box. And we appreciate their make it right approach, 67 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,520 even if there's something that they can't fix, and that's the major swamp eye you get 68 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,560 when you're really into gaming. But you don't have to worry about getting too sweaty 69 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,880 when you're in our sport button up, only available at lttstore.com. 70 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,720 It's stretchy too. Is it my turn yet? No, not yet. 71 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,760 We did say that the Beyond 2 would be more shareable, 72 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,920 and it is, but only some of those improvements are implemented today. 73 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,720 First up is adjustable IPD or inter-pupillary distance. 74 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,000 All you gotta do is take this little BB screwdriver 75 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,260 that you will definitely never lose, and turn this little screw. 76 00:05:23,260 --> 00:05:29,200 Okay, that is substantially less convenient than the wheel on the Quest 3, but at least it's there. 77 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:33,660 And this is a huge deal, because a misadjusted IPD can lead to headaches 78 00:05:33,660 --> 00:05:38,920 and general discomfort for anyone who uses your headset who isn't exactly you. 79 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:43,440 The second big improvement to shareability isn't here yet. It's the universal face cushion, 80 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,520 which attaches to their halo mount, which also isn't here yet. 81 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,840 So yeah, it's maybe much more shareable, 82 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:55,880 and maybe only a little more shareable. Let's turn our attention back to what is here then, 83 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,520 and talk about the audio strap. It was developed with cost audio, 84 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:04,680 and uses drivers that remind me of those found on the cost port of pros, which are stylish, 85 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:10,120 but aren't famous for comfort or durability. And I found that these flimsy little pieces 86 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:15,300 would pop off pretty easily. They're designed to do that, but it's too easy. 87 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:19,060 And the foam, again, just kind of comes off. 88 00:06:19,060 --> 00:06:23,980 It also just feels extremely cheap, especially compared to what I'm used to. 89 00:06:23,980 --> 00:06:29,140 And like, I get it, they're all about keeping the weight down. And I genuinely appreciate that. 90 00:06:29,140 --> 00:06:33,780 But unlike the Valve Index or Pimax Crystal, these drivers are meant to be pressed 91 00:06:33,780 --> 00:06:37,660 right up against your ears, using this little knob to adjust their distance. 92 00:06:37,660 --> 00:06:43,060 So that cheap feel is something that I am constantly, keenly aware of. 93 00:06:43,060 --> 00:06:47,580 And that would be fine if it was cheap, but the audio strap is $130, 94 00:06:47,580 --> 00:06:50,580 which is $10 more than the price of an extra custom cushion, 95 00:06:50,580 --> 00:06:54,300 and offers up an experience that is more than sufficient for music games, 96 00:06:54,300 --> 00:06:57,460 but falls a little bit short in terms of immersiveness. 97 00:06:57,460 --> 00:07:00,460 With all that said about its cheapness and midness, 98 00:07:00,460 --> 00:07:03,660 the comfort it provides is so much better than the stock strap 99 00:07:03,660 --> 00:07:08,420 that I wouldn't recommend buying the beyond two without also springing for the audio mount. 100 00:07:08,460 --> 00:07:11,820 And maybe some third party replacement foam while you're at it. 101 00:07:11,820 --> 00:07:14,780 Adam, would you spring for the eye tracking though? 102 00:07:16,180 --> 00:07:21,420 Yeah, I kind of felt the same way, as cool as it is that for a $200 premium, 103 00:07:21,420 --> 00:07:26,380 the beyond two can be equipped with what Big Screen calls the smallest eye tracking on the market 104 00:07:26,380 --> 00:07:30,940 is the size of a single grain of sand. We didn't really get a chance to test it out, 105 00:07:30,940 --> 00:07:36,720 and we're not really sure if we care because the biggest reason to care about high quality, 106 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,960 low latency eye tracking is foveated rendering, 107 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,600 where your GPU works the hardest on the part of the scene 108 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:48,000 that you're actually focused on, and then it renders everything else at a lower resolution. 109 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,120 But foveated rendering is not currently supported in Steam VR. 110 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:57,320 So the main use case for eye tracking continues to be social VR experiences. 111 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,480 It's worth noting that if those are your bag, well, you might be disappointed 112 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,560 that there's no face tracking. So other users will be able to see your eyes 113 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:09,000 staring at the breasts of their anime avatars, but not your eyebrows going like eh, eh, eh, eh. 114 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,880 Wow, whoa, will they see me doing this? 115 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:18,440 Yeah, actually. Now let's talk about something that I didn't feel was a big deal, 116 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:23,880 but for Adam is a big elephant in the room. The fact that the default refresh rate on the beyond two 117 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,720 is 75 Hertz, while the maximum refresh rate is just 90, 118 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,760 with so many other headsets hitting 100 Hertz plus. 119 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:37,640 Okay, what's your take on this? It wasn't really the biggest deal to me 120 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:42,160 when I was coming from an HTC Vive, but after using the Pimax Crystal, 121 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:48,680 which can get up to 120 FPS, even with the tiny, tiny sweet spot on that headset, 122 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:52,980 it's just like so much more immersive. And if you're playing a game like Beat Saber, 123 00:08:52,980 --> 00:08:57,360 you kind of want the extra like feedback from having a high refresh rate. 124 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,800 That's fair enough. And it's not the only disadvantage 125 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,280 compared to something like a Pimax. This isn't really a knock against this, 126 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:09,040 but one of the issues with it being so small is that it loses tracking a lot easier. 127 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:16,080 I only have two lighthouses at my place. And if I turn the wrong ways or go to the corner, 128 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:19,320 because it doesn't go above any part of my head, 129 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:24,160 it will just lose tracking entirely. And the complete lack of any sort of inside out camera 130 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,840 is a real bummer. I mean, even the HTC Vive had a grainy camera 131 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:31,040 so that you could just see where a disconnected controller went, 132 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,000 or if you needed to get like a sip of water or something. 133 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:36,200 A sip of water or something. Over here, buddy. 134 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:42,640 It's also a nightmare for any kind of productivity, because even if you're a touch typist, 135 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,720 that's not gonna do you a ton of good if you can't find your keyboard at all. 136 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:51,280 Which brings us perfectly to the price. This thing is expensive. 137 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:55,160 It's $1,019 and that is just for the headset. 138 00:09:55,160 --> 00:10:01,600 So once you grab the necessary accessories and some recommended accessories, it adds up pretty quick. 139 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:05,400 And with it's everything you need and nothing you don't approach to design 140 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:09,920 in both the hardware and software, which by the way includes a great little optimization utility 141 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,440 that actually explains what settings do. Valve. 142 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:19,240 It can be hard to recommend the beyond two over other premium or even over other non-premium options 143 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:23,080 that might even come with a whole computer inside them. 144 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:28,440 With that said, it's hard to deny how perfectly big screen has executed on their vision 145 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:32,640 by eschewing inside out tracking and internal hardware for rendering. 146 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:36,520 They've laser focused this product as the definitive upgrade for folks 147 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:41,240 that are already immersed in the PC VR space and don't mind the tether. 148 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:45,020 So if you're on an aging HTC Vive or even an index, 149 00:10:45,020 --> 00:10:52,600 it's hard not to recommend it. Just like it's hard for me to not tell you about our sponsor. 150 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:59,360 If you guys enjoyed this video, maybe check out our review of the other best headset on the market, the MetaQuest 3.