There is nothing confusing about this video. VR Flight Sim Guy has a passion for flying in VR. He has a number of different headsets that he rotates between. He helps many people get a better experience out of whatever headset they own which is appreciated by many who may not own the latest flavor of the week. But the root passion is flying. The headset is just a means to an end. EVERY SINGLE headset available today has compromises and strengths and weaknesses. There is no one headset that satisfies everyone's needs. Taken together information like this video and others can help someone see if a headset aligns with their personal priorities. These headsets are a temporary thing. Lots of cool new headsets are under development. Find something that works for you and enjoy it until you are ready for the next cool new headset.

"Currently" being the important word. It actually ended up being 34c / 94f. Hot, but still cooler this summer compared to 2022 when some private weather stations in central / southern England recorded provisional temperatures of 43c / 110+ f.

I have had my Crystal for a couple of days now and like them a lot. They are not as easy to use as the Varjo's but I'm hoping to get used to them. I do like both head set equally so far. I do agree that the air in the Varjo is a great thing. Thank you for your videos and expertise on the VR subject

OMG, the Aero just (permanently) dropped to €990!

Fascinated that the frames per second comparison for the two headsets even accounting for the same rendered resolution being higher on the Aero by as much as 5-7 fps, presumably with frame interpolation off just slips by in passing. Thats like the difference between a 3080 and a 4090!

Great video! Reason Number 11 for me has to be working Dynamic Foveated Rendering in DCS world. It was so amazing to crank up most of the settings I had always set low and it have no effect on FPS because of DFR. That really made a huge difference to me. I'm sure given time this feature will likely come to the Crystal, but it is not there yet. Eye Tracking is now a feature I really watch for regarding future headsets.

Thanks for sharing your opinions again, Steve! Very helpful! Love from Norway ♥♥♥♥♥

Loved the tip using the menu button to get out of VR without having to take the VR headset off. Amazing how I've had the Varjo Aero for a year without realizing/thinking of that possibility. Comes in very handy to check any text messages when flying online on Vatsim 👍

Let’s see, after you purchase an audio solution, bay stations and controllers, the price of the Varjo becomes ~ $1,000 more expensive. And all of that for a smaller FOV, reduced clarity, less contrast, etc. Like you Steve, I wear a motorcycle helmet and rode 2,800 miles in a week with it. I can’t see the Pimax size being an issue for simming. For me, I am looking for the most immersive video and audio fidelity with the largest FOV. I can live with the other trade offs. I preordered my Crystal today now that Pimax has resolved the glass lenses, power hub, and packaging launch issues. Software should only improve from here.

Another great video, always like to hear your take on this stuff. Makes me wonder what Varjo is doing behind the scenes. Surely they have something in the works as the Crystal and possibly the Somnium VR1 start to overtake their position? I can only imagine how good an Aero 2 could be.

Gotta say, the fans cooling in the Aero are absolutely a trump card for me against any headset. I absolutely HAVE to have it, and I have found I cannot live without it, actually. So, the Aero remains my fave as well. Also, everything from FSAcademy is incredible! I literally own every package they have, and have done all of their flights and training. They are incredibly well done.

Thanks for sharing.

can't wait for next varjo product

Build quality and the companies reputation is why i chose the aero. I want a hmd that will last and have comfort in knowing that varjo is in the vr space to stay because of their enterprise endeavors

It gets hot where my computer is located (no air conditioning), and I can say that the fan in the Aero is a life saver. I can only compare to the Reverb G2, but when it got hot the G2 fogged up within a few minutes. I was constantly removing the headset and cleaning the lenses, not to mention that it was just plain uncomfortable in the summer. The Aero stays cool and the lenses are clear even when the rest of me is hot. That's a game changer for me.

got the crystal for a week or so and its pretty mindblowing apart from the bad tracking but that will be gone with the LH plate,the panels with the qled and local dimming also no distortion at all is really neat the fov is small coming from the 8kx ofc but i dont see how overall the aero would be better in image quality,just the fact they aint still enabled the local dimming is weird because it works great in all games ive tried the crystal with,skyrim at night is insane.

Imma wait it out for a while, so many headsets coming out soon. Have you been able to play around with that bigscreen beyond yet?

Hi Steve! After watching your video, I have just ordered a Varjo Aero (they’re offering 2 base stations for free). Upgrading from a Reverb G2. I had preordered the Pimax but was tired of waiting. Looking forward to my Aero VR sessions 😊.

Hey man. I’m only looking to use the Varjo Aero for DCS and MSFS. Must I buy the base stations for the headset to function properly for these? Can’t find info on this anywhere.

Hi Steve, it's me again. Good work thanks.

I will not be able to afford either for a long time, but it’s still good info for making GPU decisions (no AMD for Varjo). Thanks!

OK so big question. I have a. 3080, and a Reverb G2 so what should I buy? Pimax Crystal, 4090 or dofreality?

Hi Steve: I recently upgraded to a 13900k and 4090, similar to your StormForce rig; although I’m still using a Reverb G2. No Aero for me yet, I wonder if you could do an updated / detailed vid regarding setup and settings? I know I would be grateful as would many of your fans. Keep up the good work! Thank you for the great content!

Hey Steve , I have a Pico4 and get about 45fps with an i5 12400f with a 3080ti. If I did a straight swap of the CPU and put in a i9 13900 with current msfs settings would that be enough of an upgrade to get upto or around 90 fps ?

I'm about to upgrade my HP G2 and am looking at they beyond/crystal/aero. beyond is out, although the slim form factor is nice, resolution is not up to par IMO. I was originally leaning crystal but I've heard so many mixed reviews with people having horror stories about the headsets not working half the time or some people at all, even later consumer models. I think between those worries and the higher fps on aero models reported by many, the aero is starting to edge the crystal out for me. I feel like I'm taking less of a risk with the aero from being disappointed. At the end of the day dynamic fov is important, fps is important and resolution is important. I think the 5 fps on the aero might make up for the slightly nicer blacks/colours in the crystal for me as fps is everything in VR which I've been struggling with since my day 1 purchase of G2 on 2080, then 3090 now 4090. 4090 is my first experience with decent frames in VR but still a bit of a struggle sometimes in MSFS for instance or marianas in DCS. Hoping DFOV will change this for me.

so, when does the '10 Reasons the Crystal is a Better Headset Than the Aero' drop?

Can’t you use a 5m usb c cable and plug your crystal in?

Hi. I never simmed before. What do you do in sims? Like. Is it objective based or do you just fly around for fun?

Steve, if you had to choose one headset to stick with for the rest of your life? Pimax or Aero?

I spoke to Joshua, the Pimax spokesperson, he informs me that motion smoothing is in the Crytal but not yet activated.

I played F1 23 in the Varjo Aero for about 5 hours straight, maybe if I had to charge the headset it would have been a good thing because I would have taken a break from the game lol.

Ok, watched this vid...Now I'm very confused. I was about to pre-order the Pimax Crystal. I have the G2 right now, and pretty satisfied with it, but with all the hoopla on the Pimax Crystal (from your previous vids), it was a better choice. I'm a flight and racing simmer who wants the best from a headset. So, what is the verdict on ordering the Pimax Crystal...sorry, this is a sore subject!

Nice and im sure both headsets are good for some people, I'm just a casual vr user and was looking for something at a reasonable price and noticed Brand new Quest Pro's can be had for £650.00. Did a little research on the DCS forum and noticed quite a lot using the Quest pro with great success and really enjoying it especially the new pancake lens and full clarity across the screen. Convinced me at that price and will probably be more than good enough for just doing this sort of thing, just wanted something better than my old quest 2. Surprised this channel hasn't reviewed one yet.

Which audio solution would you propose with this headset ?

Ive been happily using my 5k+ for few years now with great fov so if fov is better in crystal than varjo then its crystal for me!

What do you mean by better tracking from the Aero? My biggest issue with the Aero is that the tracking is too sensitive, picks up too much vibrations and makes it inconvenient for motion platforms and sim racing. Maybe I would like the tracking to be "worse"?

The visuals on the crystal are amazing and unbeatable, and I do own the AERO. I have had some issues though. I had issues with no sound, and the solution was to change display ports. My controllers also disconnect from time to time and the solution for that is to pause the headset with A quick press of the power button and then again to turn the screens back on and the controllers automatically reconnect. As far as the controllers are concerned, the tracking isn't good enough at the moment for shooters, nor table tennis or at all. Its barley adequate. You can play games but you will have some significant tracking issues. Premium bowling is one of my favorite relaxing games to play and I couldn't even get the ball to go without having to hold it directly in front of me and throw it unnaturally. Also after all day of trying and reconfiguring different things , for now I was able get rid of or eliminate the world movement that I was experiencing, for the most part. I have two rigs, one was having this issue and the other wasn't. I swamped gpu's and rolled back drives and everything to fix it. Something worked but I'm not sure what actually did it for me. Lastly, we must reach out to pimax and implore that they get us the light house module as soon as possible. Most of the games I platy will not be enjoyable with the state of the tracking at this moment. When trying to aim, your aim will be all over the place and is way to inconsistent. With all that being said, I'm loving is, and will all things are ironed out, its gonna be epic.

28c is normal winter weather for northern Australia.

Personally, I'm anxiously waiting for your review of the Beyond. That is currently my frontrunner to replace my G2.

I can not make it any clearer than this. DO NOT BUY A SINGLE THING FROM PIMAX!!!! They refused to fix my 8K for a year. They offered me £20 to remove my review off Amazon. As a gamer to a gamer, do not give them a penny.

Do you happen to use voice attack?

How are the blacks in comparison to the Crystal????

Is it possible to change the battery on the fly? Without the need to stop simulation.

Now having both I think I’d agree with MOST of what you say but honestly I think 90% of people that are looking at both will be better served with the Crystal…at this time mind you! The superior FOV of the Crystal can’t be overstated…it’s not a HUGE difference but enough that I’d go Crystal all day long!!! Now I’m no fanboy of any brand so I HOPE we get a Varjo Aero 2 and I’ll be all over that as well!!! But for now I’m sorry the Crystal is the “clear” winner! The build quality isn’t as far away as it used to be. Apple will kill them all so don’t even think about Apple in build quality that’s a non starter. 🎉 lol

Varjo must be putting some "lean" on you

I think many people always get money and do his good job, keep going with Varjo, no body can afford that😂

Do you want me to send you some of my crystal cooling fan mods steve?

It's a shame varjo dont seem interested in doing a larger fov headset.

Wow, Someone needs to write a program for virtual desktop for Crystal.. what a great feature that I was not aware of.

Just a technical point, but Basestation tracking is not "outside-in tracking". Your use of the term is a misnomer. Basestations are markers, not sensors. Basestation tracking is actually also a form of inside-out tracking, but requires these markers rather than using any arbitrary visual references in your playspace. The original Oculus Rift CV1 is the only popular VR headset that ever used outside-in tracking. Compared to actual outside-in tracking, Basestation tracking has the significant advantage of not being cabled to the PC.

So if i bought an aero (i have basestations and knuckles already) i would be fine basically?

That's why i like my Varjo.

Steve, do the lenses fog-up in the Crystal? I hated that in the G2, couldn’t stand it at all. Now that I saw this video, after having watched all of your Crystal videos, I am not sure about the Crystal anymore, I was all in before this!

As a software engineer I spent all my working life dealing with bugs, and so my tolerance for this in my personal time is zero. For this reason I'm just not interested in being a Pimax beta tester. I'll stick with my Pico 4 until Pimax produce a next gen product hopefully with better VFOV and contrast, surely it can't be that long as the Aero is two years old now?

With all the discussion about the Varjo Aero Vs the Crystal... there's no mention of the upcoming Pimax 12K QLED? The fact that the 12K is right around the corner should _definitely_ be a factor in any buying decisions made 'today' IMHO! :-)

Lack of a fan in the crystal is a real disappointment for me

Dang it Steve, I am now going to put a dent in my wallet and get the Aero... no regrets. Thanks for your insight! Bye bye , G2 sitting in Grapevine, TX repair facility.

My crystal has arrived today and I mainly bought it for MS2020. From my point of view it isn't worth the money. Especially In comparison to my Pico4 wich is far cheaper and also much better accessible in terms of setting- up, controller tracking etc,. I have two big issues with the Crystal, first: when I look in the distance in ms2020 it's just blurry and not so crystal as expected. The second point is finding and keeping the sweet spot is a real hassle, due to its bulkiness. Don't get me wrong, everything what is the near is crisp and for most other games it is not noticeable and the comfort, build quality isn't bad at all, but this blurriness in the far distance in MS2020 is for me is unbearably (yes , my unit has glas lenses. Btw. The controller tracking and technology is rubbish, always need to turn on/off the headset to reactivate the controllers. The initial Installation was bumpy as well. Connection worked out of the box, but at the beginning the displays flickered on the edges and the picture was completely off. After a restart of my System it worked just fine, somehow. Probably I will refund it, If i cannot find a solution. BTW, I preordered the Crystal in April, but did not get any email notice for final payment, so I bought it here in China from JingDong京东, and it arrived within 3 days, DMAS headphones was inklusive 🙂. Unfortunately i have to wait for another generation of HMD. Its an absolute niche product and only for simulations appropriated (if you don't making any quick movements, otherwise the HMD will move and you have to find the sweet spot again). Sorry Pimax, but the last 8 hours was not funny at all and for this 11999 RMB or 1599 Euros? As I mentioned before, at least for me it is not worth the money. My System is 5800x3D & MSI 4090GTX , Windows 11

I think you meant "10 things that the Aero does better than the Crystal" or similar. The title makes it seem like you think the Aero is better

Haha...Stevy got pressure from his sponsor Vario. Only few dass between Crystal "the best" and "Aero" is better....😂😂😂😂

Reverb G2 !

Your videos are so confusing. In one video you clearly say the Crystal is now the best simming headset and you always fly using it. In another video you are now listing all the reasons why the Aero is better and say if it wasn't for the content creation you would be using Aero? Very mixed and inconsistent messaging,

Seriously? An HMD that cost twice as much as the Crystal has better quality and more features?

Evening

Pretty stupid that they don’t support AMD cards.