I've found you’re always balancing GPU processing power against the sheer number of pixels you’re pushing depending on the VR headset and after a while it can get very costly. I’ve been through a similar upgrade path: 3080 → 4090 → now 5090, and on the headset side Quest 2 → Reverb G2 (which sadly died) → Quest 3, and I’ve now settled on the Pimax Crystal OG.

Headset	Per-Eye Resolution	Total Resolution (Both Eyes)
Quest 2	1832 × 1920	~7.0 million pixels
Quest 3	2064 × 2208	~9.1 million pixels
Reverb G2	2160 × 2160	~9.3 million pixels
Crystal OG	2880 × 2880	~16.5 million pixels
Crystal Super	3840 × 3840	~29.5 million pixels

Coupled with a 14700k z790 MSI board and luckily got 96gb DDR5 Ram in Sept for £170, it's now over £700.. I’ve still got the Quest 3 and a 3S, but they mostly come out when family are round for games like virtual golf.

The eye tracking and foveated rendering on the Crystal really help in MSFS 2020, which is still a bit heavier on the PC overall, and it also works very well in MSFS 2024. It does have the odd moment where I need to restart services, but generally it’s been very solid. I've got used to the weight and size of it now. 🤣 I did think about the new super, but you need a new card for that to run at full capacity (going from 16.5 to 29.5 million pixels, or reduce quality), again playing the costly upgrade path. Kind of settled with this now.

I don't take anything too seriously though, here's me smashing a 737 down into EGLC on the Pimax. For flying though, the Crystal OG has set a new bar for me.

 

Edited January 6Jan 6 by Benrb7

16 minutes ago, Benrb7 said:

I did think about the new super, but you need a new card for that to run at full capacity, again playing the costly upgrade path.

initially I thought so too, but I am not so sure higher resolution necessarily requires more powerful GPUs now that we have Foveated Rendering in MSFS2024, the new Steam Frame VR headset provides even Foveated Streaming (it is a wireless headset). optimizations everywhere I look. 😀

One behavior of VR that gets overlooked is that the resolution actually rendered by the app, e.g. MSFS, is usually about 1.4-1.5 times the HMD's resolution.  This is for the supersampling that's necessary to correct the barrel distortion inherent in VR optics.

I agree that foveated rendering really makes a significant performance improvement with very little cost to the visuals.  Been using it with my G2 for years, first with the OpenXR toolkit and now with MSFS 2024's implementation.  IMO not using it is leaving FPS "on the table".

Edited January 6Jan 6 by TheFamilyMan

The cost for the crystal OG with the headphones and an extra face gasket in very good condition off eBay was £500. The super was going to be another £700 on top of that plus getting it delivered would take some time.

They've also just released the OLED panel super which adds more cost and something slightly better but I try and get the best bang for buck.

Obviously the crystal light doesn't have eye tracking, very happy with the setup now as it is runs well and gives the decent clarity.

Edited January 6Jan 6 by Benrb7

32 minutes ago, Benrb7 said:

Obviously the crystal light doesn't have eye tracking,

true, but I don't miss that a bit. I turn my head where ever I want to look anyway, just like in real life. it has foveated rendering, that's all I need.

Edited January 6Jan 6 by turbomax

Ditto!

https://ibb.co/W4xK1Tm9

Edited January 6Jan 6 by Benrb7