Ask HN: Best VR headset for remote work? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Best VR headset for remote work?

9 pointsmettamage13 comments

I'm going to travel soon for long amounts of time. I don't feel like carrying my 4K monitor in my hand luggage.

Are there VR headsets good enough for remote work?

Note: I own the Quest 2 and I don't consider it good enough for this purpose (I used the Immersed app). I know people say that you get used to it. I didn't get used to it. I'd much rather use a 4K screen. I do like the Quest 2 for gaming (e.g. Eleven Table Tennis or Beat Saber).

Also solutions like Simula VR is not what I'm looking for as I'm looking for a monitor replacement.

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I suspect the simula with some kind of ssh setup would be the best bet. I'm pretty sure it's just plain old Linux on there.

Another option might be the Pimax 8k X. I've actually been considering getting one of these lately. Similar to a valve index with slightly better hardware and mostly the same software but a little software that is slightly worse.

Later this year I believe Pimax is also coming out with the 12k model.

Needless to say all these options are essentially prototypes and quite expensive.

Simula is Linux, I want to keep using my Mac though. Otherwise I would’ve considered it.

I have a Varjo Aero, which is visually excellent but very expensive and probably not portable enough for your use case. The problem is that it depends on Valve’s lighthouse trackers, so unless you’re willing to pack one and a tripod in your luggage it’s a pretty stationary rig. It also needs a 30-series nvidia gpu, which would limit your laptop choices.

All of that said, I mention it anyway since it’s the only headset I’ve tried that feels comfortable for reading text on a giant virtual screen. A 4K virtual screen doesn’t look quite as sharp as a 4K display in real life, but you can tell the difference between a virtual 1080p screen, whereas on a quest 2 there’s no point rendering higher than 1080p.

The Simula is available in a “tethered only” model for $2k, which is the same price as the Varjo. It uses inside-out tracking though, and it has a pass through camera if you want to see your keyboard occasionally, so it might be a better option. It’s still pre-order only though, so it might be worth waiting for project cambria or whatever Meta’s new thing is.

Wait, so I can use the Simula on a Mac? Hmm…

I agree that waiting is the only option. It seems we’re not quite there yet as far as travel is concerned.

I see you say you can't get used to it on a Quest 2, so the natural progression would be to a higher pixel count headset like Pimax offerings or similar. But even then, who is to say you can get used to that after you're 1-2k invested? I don't think the jump to VR working is directly compatible with say, going from a single 19" 1080p monitor to a 2 x 32" 4k monitors in that sense. First you have to adjust to sitting with screens strapped to your face for 8-12 hours per day.

The biggest factor to me for long periods in VR is comfort, in which case I prefer using the Rift S because to me it's so ridiculously comfortable, even after trying many Quest 2 halo headbands.

Another option might be the Reverb G2 for fidelity but I can't speak for it's comfort!

I'm used to having the Quest 2 for long periods of time, it's purely the pixel bluriness when I see the monitors (for text). At best, each monitor in Immersed is a 1080p monitor. So 5 1080p monitors rival two 4K screens.

What software would you use other than Immersed? That only runs on Quest/2 and Vive Cosmos.

I don't know yet, but I'm sure there are other solutions available.

I'm unaware of any. But also Immersed is going to shit since they pivoted to NFTs, so hopefully you do find something.

Oh man I liked those guys. :(

Bold assumption

It's not out yet, but you might want to consider Project Cambria when it comes out. Its upgrades are specifically intended for remote working and productivity. Granted that doesn't help you right now.

While it doesn’t help now, it does show we’re not quite there yet. I can / have to accept that.

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