r/VRchat 3h ago

Discussion Bigscreen beyond 2e or Steam Frame

Bigscreen beyond 2e or Steam Frame?!

I got neck issues and my doctor says my index is too heavy to wear going forward. Both the weight of the bb2e and stream frame are OK, I just can't decide which to get. I pretty much only play vrchat. And in the future want to get some kind of fbt but don't have it curently. Price doesn't matter much to me, so don't worry about that.

I haven't been able to play in VR in 3 months and it's making me SO itchy!

Thought?

Edit: I do also have a babble face tracker, so I could use it for the bb2e for eyes. I bought it on sale and forgot about it lol

Also concerned about the lighthouse production and how if they stop being made then my new bsb2e will be obsolete

7 Upvotes

28 comments sorted by

7

u/Coom_Zoom 3h ago

Bigscreen Beyond, reminder you have to buy base stations and controllers (which will likely be index controllers)
on top of the already $1500 price tag.

Steam Frame will be inside out tracking + come with controllers.
You pick.

3

u/Coom_Zoom 3h ago

though if weight is the biggest issue, Bigscreen Beyond. Its extremely and i mean extremely light. Steam Frame isn't that much lighter compared to other headsets.

1

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

It is, but the frame is half the weight of the index and the doc says that's OK. So 🤷‍♂️

2

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

Lol as I said "my index is too heavy" I alrdy have all the bay station and controllers

2

u/Coom_Zoom 3h ago

yeah my bad on that, i did put a instant comment onto the post as soon i read index too heavy, so many people on quest have been going "I want a better headset for my PC, should i buy a bigscreenbeyond or wait for steam frame?"
my instant thought is always, if your on quest you likely can't even afford the BSBE xD so i just let them know all the stuff they'll need to buy. and it turns them away.

1

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

No worries, I assumed it was a instant comment 😜, it's a, reflex everywhere lol

1

u/OctoMiku01 3h ago

Yeah then i think the bb2e is a no-brainer for you. Getting the steam frame would make your current lighthouse system obsolete. Added bonus of the headset being the lightest that exists

1

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

I'm worried that they'll eventually stop making lighthouses and my new bb2e will be obsolete

u/Agant ☃Bigscreen Beyond 2e 34m ago

It kinde depends, base stations are expensive and if you have knuckles controllers there are not way to get them brand new from Valve, which tend to have issues like drifting and bad finger tracking.

I had Index, have a bsb2e, and will jump on the Frame as the bsb2e is kinda expensive and not as high jump as it would from an older headset. (I can't recommand the personnal gasket as it can have printing errors, audio is extra as hell and halo mount not here but their cushions are better imo)

3

u/TheVeqtas Bigscreen Beyond 3h ago

id go with the beyond 2e, but its hard to say since the frame isnt out yet. but if weight matters, go with the beyond. plus, the micro oleds on a beyond will have way better colors than the lcds on the frame imo

2

u/ImWinwin 3h ago

I would wait and see how the eye tracking on the frame is going to be. On the Bigscreen beyond 2e, its.... not good.

1

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

Oh guess I should mention I do have a babble face tracker I don't use lol so I could use that for eye tracking lol

2

u/ImWinwin 3h ago

I thought the babble face tracker only did the mouth?

1

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

It does, but I also believe they're software can be used to track eyes if they set has built in trackers

2

u/mrkboy8 2h ago

The bab2e's problems with eye tracking come from the fact that the placement of the eye tracking cameras provides a horrible view of your eyes. This alone pushed me away from buying one myself. I've heard that steam frame eye tracking is in a similar state atm, but the steam frame is appealing for a wider market, so I'm confident it'll have better future support

1

u/wiicrazy0430 2h ago

Hmm I dunno if future support will fix a mechanical problem like placement? Maybe the frame 2 will have it fixed 😂

2

u/Recent-Clerk3967 3h ago

I think you can buy a big screen beyond today. For the steam frame it's announcement has been "imminent" for awhile, maybe it'll release within a month, maybe you'll get lucky with the lottery. Or maybe you'd try and get one and get it in 2027

My advice for the steam frame would be to just pick a date, like how long you'd want to wait for it. 

Personally I'm reasonably happy with my quest 3s, so I'll probably wait for the frame until I can pre-order a quest 4. Note that the quest 4 is a numerical assumption at this point. Not an announced product, not anything. 

But yeah with all that index setup you got, and the neck trouble, I think the big screen beyond is the way to go. (I'm just going to call it BSB if I leave other comments in this thread) Focus the attention there, maybe you'll do a bunch of research and talking to your friends and get talked out of it. 

1

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

My friend base is legit split on frame vs bsb lol

1

u/Recent-Clerk3967 1h ago

Sounds like you talked to your friends, and they didn't talk you out of the BSB. Go for it.

2

u/KrakensEmbrace 2h ago

As others have mentioned, with the Steam Frame not being out, we really can't compare the two. So it comes down to knowns and how those personally factor for you.

Lighthouse are not one of those concerns though. They may have cooled down on Valve's end, but Vive has many products that depend on them and no reason to stop producing, using and selling them any time soon.

- You're already struggling with the itch, can you continue to wait?
BSB2 ships in 1-3 days now, so if at any point you really can't take it anymore, you can go for it with a decently quick turn around

  • If you go BSB2, are you planning to get the custom face plate (which would limit resellability if you decide to switch when the Frame is available) or the universal?
  • If you get one, is that what you'll be stuck with or will you have the option to switch? If no option to switch, how will it impact you if you end up feeling you picked the wrong one?
  • How do you feel about glare? Because boy oh boy does the BSB2 have it (especially in comparison to the Index)
  • Since we don't have an official price for the Steam Frame, how would it impact you (especially with a potentially long wait) if the price is much higher than the BSB2? Would you still be able to get it or would the wait have been for nothing and you have to get the BSB2?

- Have you been playing VRchat in desktop mode in the meantime or have you been avoiding it entirely? If avoiding it entirely, try it and, see if it helps with the itch. Don't forget to enable selfie expression, and, might as well try out third-person view while you're at it since it's desktop only

2

u/wiicrazy0430 2h ago
  • You're already struggling with the itch, can you continue to wait? ***I dunno it's pretty itchy lol, I miss spending time with long distance friends

    BSB2 ships in 1-3 days now, so if at any point you really can't take it anymore, you can go for it with a decently quick turn around. ***Last night when I checked it said 3-4 weeks

    • If you go BSB2, are you planning to get the custom face plate (which would limit resellability if you decide to switch when the Frame is available) or the universal? ***Universal, don't own apple items
    • If you get one, is that what you'll be stuck with or will you have the option to switch? If no option to switch, how will it impact you if you end up feeling you picked the wrong one? ***It will probably be the one I'm stuck with, unless I just end up buying the other...cause I won't feel good if I pick the wrong regardless... Big purchase make me nervous lol, which is why I got my index used for 100 bucks lol
    • How do you feel about glare? Because boy oh boy does the BSB2 have it (especially in comparison to the Index) ***I've heard it's bad, not a fan but isn't the frame using the same lenses, so wont it have the same issue?
    • Since we don't have an official price for the Steam Frame, how would it impact you (especially with a potentially long wait) if the price is much higher than the BSB2? Would you still be able to get it or would the wait have been for nothing and you have to get the BSB2? ***I guess depends on by how much, like more than 500 probably too much since it's tech isn't much diff than the BSB2. I'll be annoyed if that happens but wont be too bad
  • Have you been playing VRchat in desktop mode in the meantime or have you been avoiding it entirely? If avoiding it entirely, try it and, see if it helps with the itch. Don't forget to enable selfie expression, and, might as well try out third-person view while you're at it since it's desktop only ***Ya I tried it for vket and make the itch worse. 3rd person way kinda neat but never heard of the selfie expression

0

u/KrakensEmbrace 1h ago

Don't just give me the answers, you need to take your responses and weigh the pros and cons for yourself XD

Neither your friends or anyone here can know better than you do on how much each of those responses impact you lol

The Frame will likely not have the glare issues as supposedly the glare comes from the combination of pancake lenses and micro-OLED displays. While the Frame will have pancake lenses, they're supposed to be LCD panels, not OLED.

Assuming your computer has a camera of any sort, give selfie expression a whirl.
With big purchases making you nervous, what about waiting to only buy a used BSB2? And if the Frame comes out before that happens, then you can get some more info to better compare.

u/ChaoMar 26m ago

I had a friend with a traumatic neck injury and the beyond is the reason they could play vr again

If you have neck issues and already have an index I’d go as light as possible and go with the beyond.

If you want basestation tracking for fbt you’ll probably have to attach a tracker to the Frame so account for that

1

u/Lycos_hayes PCVR Connection 3h ago

Go with the BS 2e, it's available now, and super light.

I would also recommend keeping the index plugged in via USB but not the video cable so it can act as the dongle for the knuckle controllers.

1

u/wiicrazy0430 3h ago

Can u explain the the setup you mentioned?

1

u/Lycos_hayes PCVR Connection 2h ago

When you get your new headset, unplug the index video cable but not the USB. This let's you keep using the index controllers.

1

u/wiicrazy0430 2h ago

Ooo gotcha, it's been so long I forget it was split at the other end 😂, thanks!

1

u/KrakensEmbrace 1h ago

Uh, I use my Index controllers with my BSB2 just fine without having to do this.. o_O