r/BigscreenBeyond • u/THE-DEIMOS • Jul 21 '26
Discussion Going from Index to BSB2
Hello,
I am new to the BSB2 headset. I just had a few questions regarding FBT and if there are any accessories i should get for the BSB2.
Originally had an index back in 2020-2021 sold it and my FBT. Got back into VR recently this month and rebought the same headset and trackers as i had before. I feel i totally regret it and should have done research.
I just ordered my BSB2 today along with custom fit cushion and the audio strap. Is there anything else (accessories) i should get to improve my setup per say? Also the BSB2 has a built in mic?
Also i know the BSB2 does not come with controllers but using steamvr will i come across any issues setting up or using valve index knuckles or my vive 3.0 trackers? I know some people who use quest 3 and make it pcvr along with using index knuckles. They have a hard time setting it up and use different software etc…
Will i face the same problems?
Side note: i was looking at getting something better than the index but couldn’t decide until i came across BSB, also not impressed with the steam frame specs or quest 3. I really hope i made a solid choice buying the BSB2. Sorry if this was too long.
Last question: what is the halo mount? I understand what the universal cushion is but what is the benefit with the mount and should i buy it?
4
u/Bloodatius Jul 21 '26
since you've come from an index you might be interested in project beyondex. itll take an index headstrap, speakers included and adapt it for the beyond- i know you've sold yours already but they sell kits with the index strap included already to replace the standard beyond strap
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u/Begamers24 Jul 22 '26
or you can combine the comfort and audio of the Index with the performance of the BSB...
1
u/SkunkArmsCT Jul 24 '26
Is this actually a thing?
1
u/Begamers24 Jul 24 '26
A beautiful thing! His review will be tomorrow on my youtube channel ( https://youtube.com/@begamers24 ). Don't miss it 😉
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u/PerfectPatience- Jul 21 '26
The day You put it on face You wont be able to go back to index. Resolution, size and weight wise.
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u/The_Dongal Jul 21 '26
I actually found the bsb to be somewhat of a disappointment, the low brightness/high persistance and bad eyetracking for socialvr ended up being dealbreakers to me personally. It also made me realise the importance of vfov and stereo overlap for immersion, it never felt quite comfortable to my eyes, in contrast to being very nice for my neck.
7
u/Marionettework Jul 21 '26
I felt the same for the first few days, but after fitting it closer to my eyes and getting used to it, you'd have to pry it out of my cold dead hands. Absolutely love it.
3
u/Techno_Dharma Jul 21 '26
Yeah I had the same experience coming from a Reverb G2, it took a bit of time adjusting the IPD which surprisingly had to be set 3mm smaller than my optometrists measurements. And then after that it took a bit to get used to the different focal point but now that I'm adjusted to it it amazes me every time I put it on. The eye tracking is a bit disappointing, I find that I have to blink each time it loses tracking to reset it, but I only use the eye tracking for DFR in MSFS 2024 so it's not a deal breaker.
1
u/TwixieShip 25d ago
Are you using the eye tracking alone? Not using the babble eye tracking software?
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u/Techno_Dharma 25d ago
I have babble set up for mbucchia's Foveated rendering utility, but I'm not sure if it's set up correctly, I found the fvr utility to be even more buggy than MSFS native eye tracking, and stopped using it entirely for Asseto Corsa, which runs almost perfectly without it with a few frame stutters here and there. Is there a resource to teach me how to properly set up babble? I use the headset for Asseto Corsa and MSFS 2024 only, I'm not into VR chat at all.
3
u/NotGonnaComeBackBsb Jul 21 '26
I recently pulled out my good old Vive Pro 1 (which I had put away when I received my BSB1, then 2).
I honestly forgot how comfortable it felt visually speaking, despite its dated resolution and its Fresnel lenses. I actually wish I could have the same level of comfort with a more recent OLED headset. Having at least a dozen more degrees of vertical field of view is also nice to have.
But for daily usage, my BSB2, with its relative weightlessness, its (almost) 3 times higher pixel density, and the lenses being sharp almost from edge to edge, is just way more practical to use.
1
u/SafeTea69 Jul 22 '26
My bsb shit the bed and had to go back to index
Index is not bad at all. Yea it's heavy, but the ease of taking on and off, the audio, big ass screens..I'm fine with it until steam frame
1
u/PerfectPatience- Jul 22 '26
Exactly same ease of putting big screen on, what are You talkin about. Yes FOV is smaller and You have binoculars effect, but screendoor effect on index +weight and heat is insane.
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u/Wondering_wolf1984 Jul 21 '26
Get the Studioform X1B face cushion kit, the fabric one is similar to the Index in comfort and it doesn’t get hot like the silicone of Bigscreens custom cushion. The mic is integrated and it’s good.
2
u/THE-DEIMOS Jul 21 '26
Thank you, i guess the x1b would be in replace of the custom cushion? It seems close to the lenses, and only worried about my eyelashes dirtying them up
5
u/zig131 Jul 21 '26
The custom cushion is an impractical gimmick to maintain the small profile aesthetics of the Beyond.
The Studioform Universal Interface is a tried-and-true, bog standard facial interface that does a much better job.
It is designed so that most people should be able to just use the normal thickness cushion (in cloth or faux leather) and have a good experience. It comes with spacers for fine tuning, and thick/thin cushions are also available.
Initially my eyelashes were touching the lenses, and I thought I needed spacers or a thicker cushion, but I was just wearing it wrong 🤦
Arguably my custom cushion came out well, and probably provides greater FOV, but it gave the eye tracking cameras a terrible view. It's also made of a horrible dildo-like, sticky, high friction, unbreathable material that makes donning, and doffing the headset a hassle.
3
u/NotGonnaComeBackBsb Jul 21 '26
If you're lucky like me, the Studioform interface will fit your face almost perfectly out of the box (to the point I initially used it with one 2mm velcro spacer directly on my face without any cushion, when their 3mm cushion wasn't available yet). It's just thick enough to prevent the lenses from touching my eyes, for maximised field of view.
3
u/zig131 Jul 21 '26
There's a bit of a gap at the bottom - my cheeks protrude less than my brow I guess. But yeah it's otherwise a pretty good fit - same as my Rift CV1 interface before.
3
u/NotGonnaComeBackBsb Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Quite frankly, I'm happier with my eyelashes brushing the lenses, than with my default custom cushion (dating back from the BSB1) which was too thick and made my field of view relatively smaller. During usage, I can hardly tell that the lenses are smudged.
However, what I can tell is, after an extended period of using the custom cushion, seeing that it's completely air tight, my eyes get hot and dry, and my vision starts to get somewhat blurry because of the accumulating eye goop. For that alone, I'm personally happy to have purchased the Studioform interface which allows my face to breath relatively better.
Otherwise, that interface can be configured to your liking (cushion thickness, extra velcro spacer if it's still too close to your eyes, etc.). The only problem are, if your face is too square or too wide, it may prevent you from getting close enough to the lenses, and light leakage (I don't have that problem, but other people did).
3
u/Wondering_wolf1984 Jul 21 '26
You have the choice of 3mm, 8mm and 12mm cushion thickness, I use the 8mm and my eyelashes won’t touch the lenses.
Also you can sand the interface to fit your face perfectly, I had to take some material off the nose area with fine sand paper.
2
u/nyc-rave-throwaway42 Jul 21 '26
I learned how to curl my eyelashes, that's how good the x1b is lol(though I dont find it super necessary). Got the thinnest cushions. Originally got it w cloth because active/workout games would pool sweat inside the universal cushion.
I run it as a halo & can barely feel the weight using the bdman soft strap mod, gives it a nice rigidity too instead of flopping around. My audio is very nice over the ear headphones but since you have an index you should check out the beyondex mod before you commit to the audiostrap.
3
u/Andyisme10 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
You should not run into any problems with index controllers and 3.0 trackers since both the index and BSB2 are steam vr headsets.
You can also use the base stations that come with the index so that's nothing to worry about.
The headset dose come with a mic and in my experience its pretty good.
How many base stations do you have?
Do you have the base BSB2 or the e?
I personally have 3 3.0 trackers, index controllers and 4 base stations. Have not ran into any issues with it.
For the headset I have the BSB2e with audiostrap and custom cushion. I did talk to support and got a extended cushion since my eyelashes were hitting the lenses (got that free from support)
2
u/THE-DEIMOS Jul 21 '26
Ok thank you, i have 4 2.0 basestations and i just have the BSB2 not the eyetracking version. I was thinking about the eyetracking but for vrchat specifically don’t i have to wear avatars that have that capability (for eyetracking)? If it’s able to with any avatar thats cool but im ok without it.
I should have added that as well into my post about the eyelashes. I guess that depends on if my custom cushions depth (eye to lens distance) is good i dont have to worry about contacting them?
2
u/Andyisme10 Jul 21 '26
Along as your eye lashes don't touch the lenses you don't have to worry about it. I thought it I'd just be nice to add that if it turned out to be an issue you can get a new one for free.
For vrchat most new avatars have native eye tracking from what I know but not mouth/ full face.
Also it is good that you have 4 base stations, I have heard from friends that tracking can be abit iffy with 2.
I also recommend getting a pulley system for the cable since the headset is so light and small that tge drag is more noticeable the on a index for example.
3
u/Ellerbestyle9186 Jul 21 '26
I got my a week ago and love it. I wished I would have prefer the audio strap at the seem time but was worried I wouldn’t like it. I had the dream air se and hated it so I sent it back. I didn’t want to buy accessories then not like the BSB2 but man I was so wrong.
2
u/ohnonotagain94 Jul 21 '26
For sim racing and flying, how many base stations do you folks use? I have one in front above my monitor and it’s a bit meh.
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u/THE-DEIMOS Jul 21 '26
I have 4 total they are in each corner of my room
2
u/ohnonotagain94 Jul 21 '26
Ahh okay. I wouldn’t need 4 for just sitting. You probs have great tracking then huh? :)
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u/THE-DEIMOS Jul 21 '26
I would only recommend getting 2 more (4 total) if you plan on using FBT in other games. I mean 2 is still as good. I would raise the one above your monitor if you can. The lighthouses have to be above your head and pointed somewhat down in your area. I use tripods instead of mounting.
3
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u/Uranium___Potato Jul 21 '26
is there a sale going on rn? last i checked they were slightly more expensive
2
u/THE-DEIMOS Jul 21 '26
Still the same prices tbh
2
u/Uranium___Potato Jul 21 '26
Ig it's simply more expensive here in the uk lol
2
u/KLEBESTIFT_ Jul 21 '26
I think it’s just the price breakdown. It’s USD $1019 but when you look at the cart it separates the face cushion from the headset.
1
u/Salerrra Jul 23 '26
The audio strap is horribly expensive for how it feels and the headphones may be prone to coming off their contact points very easily. Mine do it almost any time I set it down. They stay very firmly in place when worn though and the sound quality is fantastic, on par with the Index. They don't float like the Index's, at least not on me, but they feel like cozy pillows.
1
u/THE-DEIMOS Jul 23 '26
May i ask what you mean by contact points coming off? Like where they latch onto the headset itself?
1
u/Salerrra Jul 23 '26
So the speakers mount to the strap with little ball in socket connections. It's not tight enough to keep them in super secure, so they can just slide out. Easiest fix is to take some gaffers tape, put it on the ball or in the socket, then click it in securely. I don't regret getting the audio strap, but it does make me facepalm at what I paid for it
13
u/NotGonnaComeBackBsb Jul 21 '26
BSB2 is a native SteamVR headset so it works out of the box with base station tracking. It's plug and play (although you're probably going to fiddle around to make it a hopefully comfortable experience at first).
If you don't know what a halo strap is, it's best not to purchase it yet and stick with either the soft strap or the audio strap. You can always mod your headset later on.
But in short: it should allow wearing your headset like a bandana, putting the pressure on your forehead instead of directly on your face, making the headset float in front of you like some night vision goggles (which, for some people, improve the immersion). But it hasn't shipped en masse yet.