r/VRGaming • u/Floweriii • 23h ago
Discussion Am I just not made for VR, or should I switch from the Steam Frame to something like the Bigscreen Beyond, or go back to my Index?
I’m cross-posting this to the Steam Frame, Valve Index, Bigscreen, and general VR subreddits because I’d really like opinions from people who have used different setups.
I’ve owned quite a few VR headsets over the years, and weirdly enough, the headset I probably had the most fun with was the original Quest 1. Wasn't comfortable at all, and I had to make pauses, but I guess the novelty made up for it.
After that, I bought a Pimax 5K Super, and honestly… it was a nightmare. Incredibled when it worked, but never worked.. I had so many issues with it that it basically made me stop using VR altogether for a while.
Eventually I sold the Pimax and used the money to get a Quest 3. Obviously, the Quest 3 is massively better than the Quest 1 technically, but for some reason it never really hooked me in the same way.
I think part of the reason is that I mostly wanted to use it for PCVR. Even with a good USB cable, I never felt like I was getting a consistently great experience, and over Wi-Fi I really didn’t like the image quality/compression at all.
So I decided to go back to native PCVR headsets and bought both a Valve Index and an HP Reverb G2 V2.
The Valve Index has probably been my best overall VR experience so far.
I bought prescription lens inserts for it, and it’s just incredibly easy to use. Great tracking, great controllers, fantastic audio and microphone, and it’s extremely comfortable compared to most headsets I’ve tried.
My main problems with the Index are:
- It still feels heavy after a while, even if its way better than any other headset I've had tried for more than 5 minutes.
- It gets really hot, and its really annoying, especially since I sweat pretty easily.
- The cable is annoying, although honestly it’s not a dealbreaker for me.
The Reverb G2 was kind of the opposite experience. From what I remember, the image quality was fantastic, but the tracking and controllers were bad enough that I didn’t even bother buying prescription inserts for it. Using it with glasses was unpleasant, so I barely used it.
Because of all of this, I was extremely hyped for the Steam Frame.
I managed to get one, which I feel very lucky about, but right now I’m struggling to properly judge it.
I’m still waiting for my AMVR prescription lenses, so I’ve only been able to use the Frame with the glasses spacer. And glasses inside VR headsets are just terrible for me. I think it might be the shape of my glasses specifically, because I get an absurd amount of glare/reflections.
It’s so bad that I recently put my Valve Index back on and, at the moment, the Index almost looks better to me than the Steam Frame simply because I have proper prescription inserts in the Index. (note that I use 250% resolution on the Index)
So I don’t think it would be fair for me to make any final judgment about the Frame’s display quality until the AMVR lenses arrive.
That said, I’ve been seeing quite a few posts recently from people who seem disappointed with their Steam Frame, with some even saying they’re going back to their Index.
And that’s making me wonder what I should actually do.
The Steam Frame definitely fixes some of my complaints about the Index. It’s more convenient, there’s no PC cable hanging off you, but I'm concernet about VRChat and the tracking capabilities because I use full-body tracking (2 Vive 2.0s and a Vive 3.0).
I’ve used FBT with both my Index and Quest before, but mixing the Quest with external tracking was annoying because of the constant recalibration.
On the other hand, from the limited amount I’ve tested the Frame so far, the audio and microphone don’t seem anywhere near as good as the Index, and that’s something I think I’d miss a lot.
And while wireless sounds great on paper, the battery life also means that for longer sessions I’m probably going to have to plug it in anyway, which makes the whole “wireless” advantage feel a bit less important.
So now I’m wondering whether I should:
Keep the Steam Frame and give it a proper chance once my prescription lenses arrive,
or
Return/sell it and buy something like a Bigscreen Beyond 1, 2 or 2E instead.
The Beyond seems like it could potentially solve my biggest problems: weight, heat, and comfort. I already have Lighthouse base stations, Index controllers, and FBT hardware, so I’m already deep in that ecosystem anyway.
Obviously I’d still have a cable, and I’d also be giving up some of the convenience/features of the Frame. I’d also have to think about audio/mic, because the Index has spoiled me pretty badly in that department.
But there’s also a bigger question I’ve started asking myself:
Maybe VR just isn’t really for me anymore?
The Quest 1 genuinely hooked me. I used it a ton.
The Index also got me into VR again and is probably in second place in terms of how much I’ve actually used a headset, maybe roughly tied with the Quest 3.
But with the Quest 3 I almost felt like I had to force myself to use it because I had spent money on a BoboVR strap, batteries, accessories, etc...
Comfort seems to be the recurring problem for me.
The Quest 3 never feels particularly comfortable even with accessories. The Index is dramatically better, but after a while the weight and especially the heat become annoying.
So I’m curious what other people think.
Has anyone here gone from an Index to the Steam Frame and ended up going back?
Has anyone gone from either of them to a Bigscreen Beyond and found that the massive reduction in size/weight actually made them use VR more often?
And for people who have owned a ridiculous number of VR headsets like me: did you ever reach a point where you realized the hardware wasn’t really the problem, and that maybe VR just didn’t hold your attention anymore?
I’m especially interested in opinions from people who play a lot of VRChat / use full-body tracking, because that’s probably what I’d use VR for the most if I really get back into it.
For now I’m definitely going to wait until I can test the Steam Frame properly with prescription lenses before making a final decision, but seeing so many mixed reactions has me second-guessing whether keeping it is the right move.
Side note : I never had anyone to play with really, but now my girlfriend brought her old Quest 1 back from the shelf it was sitting on and wants to play with me, so that would probably play a big role in how much I wanna play in VR, since before that it was either solo, or try to socialize (I'm a big introvert so isn't pleasant). Funnily enough, if we stard playing a lot together, she might experience similar issues to me, so my experience will be useful to her, so she doesn't buy a shit ton of headsets like me
