My Varjo Aero Review

[Lusekofte]

What always put me off with this kind of hardware. Is the price and knowing just won’t be the best for long. I can afford it. But the gpu and vr hyptrain is one I stay out of. 
I likely buy a new rig one more time for this hobby. This means I need to keep the one I got a while longer. 
by then I will see what I do. Several cheap good options together with multi screen and cockpit instruments is what I consider right now. Perfect setup for msfs , DCS and whatever this brand ends up with

[RAAF492SQNOz_Steve]

1 hour ago, Lusekofte said:

What always put me off with this kind of hardware. Is the price and knowing just won’t be the best for long. I can afford it. But the gpu and vr hyptrain is one I stay out of. 
I likely buy a new rig one more time for this hobby. This means I need to keep the one I got a while longer. 
by then I will see what I do. Several cheap good options together with multi screen and cockpit instruments is what I consider right now. Perfect setup for msfs , DCS and whatever this brand ends up with

I, personally, do not see VR as a 'hypetrain' and could never go back to flatscreen gaming.

I agree, keeping up with the latest technology is very wallet draining but while I am still working I like to think I can afford it.
Work is going to end in a year or two and then the Technology upgrade party is over for me....

So they better release that RTX 5090 and OLED version of the Varjo Aero pretty quick!

 

[Lusekofte]

5 hours ago, RAAF492SQNOz_Steve said:

personally, do not see VR as a 'hypetrain' and could never go back to flatscreen gaming.

I use a g2 now. But I fly DCs and find 2d with instruments  and mip far more realistic and comfortable. Vr is good for some modules 

[dburne]

8 hours ago, RAAF492SQNOz_Steve said:

Why is that a showstopper?

I only use the Varjo Aero for flight sims and have only ever needed one lighthouse unit mounted directly behind the computer with a 1 metre elevation from headset when worn.
My previous HP Reverb G2 internal tracking used to go all weird in low light situations and I much prefer using the single lighthouse setup.

I do actually have a second lighthouse unit but have never bothered to take it out of the box. Will keep it as a spare. 

 

Ligthouse Tracking is really hard to beat, pretty much the best out there currently. I have used it now with Index, Vive Pro 2, and Aero. Has worked fantastic with each headset.

 

 

6 hours ago, RAAF492SQNOz_Steve said:

I, personally, do not see VR as a 'hypetrain' and could never go back to flatscreen gaming.

I agree, keeping up with the latest technology is very wallet draining but while I am still working I like to think I can afford it.
Work is going to end in a year or two and then the Technology upgrade party is over for me....

So they better release that RTX 5090 and OLED version of the Varjo Aero pretty quick!

 

 

We are in similar cept my work ended about 6 and a half years ago. My wife is a little younger and she still works though which helps some. 

Edited January 14, 2023 by dburne

[SR-F_Winger]

Hey guys, i have an urgent inquiry:
 

I have an urgent question regarding the Aero.
I have the possiibility to buy a varjo aero VERY cheap.
The thing is that the headset is missing the connect box.
So it basically only comes the headset with an USB-C connector.
Do i need the connect box and can i buy it at Varjo?
I intend to use it on my RTX 4090

I would GREATLY apprechiate if you could help me quickly because the guy waits for my answer and i want to be quick since its REALLY cheap (900,-) dont worry i can pick it up and test when picking up.
Just need to know what i need in order to test it on my PC.

Best regards

 

Winger

Edited February 23, 2023 by Winger

[dburne]

2 hours ago, Winger said:

Hey guys, i have an urgent inquiry:
 

I have an urgent question regarding the Aero.
I have the possiibility to buy a varjo aero VERY cheap.
The thing is that the headset is missing the connect box.
So it basically only comes the headset with an USB-C connector.
Do i need the connect box and can i buy it at Varjo?
I intend to use it on my RTX 4090

I would GREATLY apprechiate if you could help me quickly because the guy waits for my answer and i want to be quick since its REALLY cheap (900,-) dont worry i can pick it up and test when picking up.
Just need to know what i need in order to test it on my PC.

Best regards

 

Winger

 

Yes - you will absolutely need both the Link Box and USB-C cable. Yes you can buy them from Varjo. 

Sounds like you just need the Link Box, interesting though this one does not have that.

https://international-store.varjo.com/accessories

Edited February 23, 2023 by dburne

[SR-F_Winger]

thanks for your quick reply. The guy i am buying from bought it used himself.

[dburne]

45 minutes ago, Winger said:

thanks for your quick reply. The guy i am buying from bought it used himself.

 

Ok I would just be a little concerned over why no Link Box? You may want to ask him to expand on that.

 

[kissTheSky]

1 hour ago, dburne said:

 

Ok I would just be a little concerned over why no Link Box? You may want to ask him to expand on that.

 

Yeah, how could he have used it without the link box? If he’s getting another Aero headset and needs the link box, why is he getting rid of this one?

[SR-F_Winger]

I am also a little concerned.
He however agreed to let me test the headset when i pick it up.
So i will probably buy the box, driver there and test the headset. If it works ill buy it and if not I dont buy it and return the box to varjo. Wich i hopefully can.

[dburne]

46 minutes ago, Winger said:

I am also a little concerned.
He however agreed to let me test the headset when i pick it up.
So i will probably buy the box, driver there and test the headset. If it works ill buy it and if not I dont buy it and return the box to varjo. Wich i hopefully can.

 

That is good though I don't know how he will test it with no Link Box.

Edit: Never mind I see you stated you will have the Link Box in hand. Very strange he would not have that.

Edited February 23, 2023 by dburne

[SCG_motoadve]

Make sure there is not a burnt image on the background stuck.

It happens if you leave the headset ON for too long (ask me how I know)

Headset will work fine, but you will see this ghost image all the time.

[SR-F_Winger]

Thanks guys. I realkly have no risk now. He agreed to trust me and send it to me without payment. I will test it and then either pay him ord send the headset back to him. Cross your fingers for me that everything is all right with the headset.

[SR-F_Winger]

Just a small update.
So the aero arrived. Everything worked flawlessly. Sadly it has a very annyoing pixel error on the left eye.
So i ended up sending it back to the guy.
I feel sorry for him because someone obviously sold this faulty headset to him and teh poor guy didnt know.
Thankfully I didnt pay anything. So i just sent it back to him.
Well, guess i have to wait for my crystal preorder to be fulfilled then.

Edited March 6, 2023 by Winger

[dburne]

1 minute ago, Winger said:

Just a small update.
So the aero arrived. Everything worked flawlessly. Sadly it has a very annyoing pixel error on the left eye.
So i ended up sending it back to the guy.
I feel sorry for him because someone obviously sold this faulty headset to him and teh poor guy didnt know.
Thankfully I didnt pay anything. So i just sent it back to him.
Well, guess i have to wait for my crystal preorder to be fulfilled then.

 

Ah sorry to hear that, too bad.

[IckyATLAS]

Even if I am not yet a VR user I keep an interested eye on what is coming. Over the years things improve and resolution per eye now is becoming excellent on the top models, It seems also that the screendoor effect has been basically eliminated even in the very high resolution headsets (I may be wrong let me know).

FOV remains the real issue yet. And by FOV one has to consider vertical and horizontal like dburne mentioned in his Varjo Aero experience. The manufacturers often stress the horizontal one. In many applications it is the only that counts, except in combat flight simulators where the vertical one is as important, to avoid unnecessary head movements. What is the use of having a teardrop canopy (P51D, Spit, P47) if you cannot use that advantage because of your tunnel FOV vision. Then better be in a FW190.

I have flown inside a cockpit with a bubble canopy and I know the feeling. You feel like you are outside of your plane in mid air. This is what I would like to experience with the VR solution. Sure having flown various airplanes I have probably more expectations but so it is.  And when the horizontal FOV is really good like the Pixmax then the image is not as good because optics, they must stay cheap otherwise the price would go to the roof. Optics here seem to be the heart of the FOV issue. When exploring this topic it comes out that to have a perfect optical solution for the eye has also its optical compromises (in terms of lens combination and parameters) and a perfect solution if possible would be very expensive which can be a limiting factor. It seems here we have some contradictory optical requirements between FOV and image quality across the whole image and price. It is not very clear if a tethered headset is finally still better than a cable-free one. In terms of raw performance probably a tethered one is better. I am still in a phase where I will not accept any compromise and image clarity must be excellent also when looking far away and not only the cockpit. But sure for that I will accept to pay the price. I think the day when I will jump is nearing fast but we are not there yet.

 

In this thread there is a lot mentioned about SteamVR. I do not use Steam, is it necessary to use Steam for using VR in IL2.

I always bought IL2 directly from the IL2 store. Is this an Issue?

 

 

[kissTheSky]

3 hours ago, IckyATLAS said:

Even if I am not yet a VR user I keep an interested eye on what is coming. Over the years things improve and resolution per eye now is becoming excellent on the top models, It seems also that the screendoor effect has been basically eliminated even in the very high resolution headsets (I may be wrong let me know).

FOV remains the real issue yet. And by FOV one has to consider vertical and horizontal like dburne mentioned in his Varjo Aero experience. The manufacturers often stress the horizontal one. In many applications it is the only that counts, except in combat flight simulators where the vertical one is as important, to avoid unnecessary head movements. What is the use of having a teardrop canopy (P51D, Spit, P47) if you cannot use that advantage because of your tunnel FOV vision. Then better be in a FW190.

I have flown inside a cockpit with a bubble canopy and I know the feeling. You feel like you are outside of your plane in mid air. This is what I would like to experience with the VR solution. Sure having flown various airplanes I have probably more expectations but so it is.  And when the horizontal FOV is really good like the Pixmax then the image is not as good because optics, they must stay cheap otherwise the price would go to the roof. Optics here seem to be the heart of the FOV issue. When exploring this topic it comes out that to have a perfect optical solution for the eye has also its optical compromises (in terms of lens combination and parameters) and a perfect solution if possible would be very expensive which can be a limiting factor. It seems here we have some contradictory optical requirements between FOV and image quality across the whole image and price. It is not very clear if a tethered headset is finally still better than a cable-free one. In terms of raw performance probably a tethered one is better. I am still in a phase where I will not accept any compromise and image clarity must be excellent also when looking far away and not only the cockpit. But sure for that I will accept to pay the price. I think the day when I will jump is nearing fast but we are not there yet.

 

In this thread there is a lot mentioned about SteamVR. I do not use Steam, is it necessary to use Steam for using VR in IL2.

I always bought IL2 directly from the IL2 store. Is this an Issue?

 

 

You may* need SteamVR to run the headset. Having bought the game from the Il-2 store wouldn’t be an issue.

 

* However, many of us moved on the OpenXR, and bypassed SteamVR altogether. All that one has to do is to drop a replacement dll into the game folder, and the start and exit the game twice so that OpenXR implementation is “introduced” to the game’s executable file. 
 

If I may, I recommend you not to wait any longer and try VR out with a Reverb G2. I think many would agree that it is the best price/performance out there, and an all around solid HMD. It will have a smaller/narrower sweet spot in the center, and no noticeable screen door effect. I kept waiting for a G3 announcement, but the rumors that HP is getting out of HMD market have been around for a while and an Aero level of device might be in my future. 
 

Right now, Aero (prosumer), and Xtal (pro) devices are at the top of the echelon, and unfortunately both seem to have the narrowest V-FOV of all the offerings. I know of a person trying to sell their Xtal for less than 2k, and I would have been very tempted had it not been for a small bracket on the head strap he mistakenly broke (not replaceable. The manufacturer says the piece is not really needed for the strap to function at 100%, but still.

[BigC208]

Aero price in the US dropped to $990. Might be interesting for some who were holding out for Pimax Crystal or Bigscreen Beyond. 

[Dagwoodyt]

8 minutes ago, BigC208 said:

Aero price in the US dropped to $990. Might be interesting for some who were holding out for Pimax Crystal or Bigscreen Beyond. 

For anyone who already has the 2.0 lighthouses the Aero looks like a relatively safe upgrade path. The BSB has no eyetracking capability and the current functional state of Pimax' eyetracking may be in doubt. The Aero return process also seems better established than that for the Crystal. The biggest drawback for the other HMD's mentioned is that you pay now and receive the product whenever the makers can get around to it. If you already have over-ear headphones with mic the lack of Aero audio is a non-issue.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Got amped when watching Varjo webinar and saw price dropping to humane levels. But always a catch somewhere. With Aero it is the nVidia coupling ? Using AMD now and no plans investing in the green team anytime soon. So bye VR. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by LLv34_Flanker

[Picchio]

On 9/25/2023 at 6:33 PM, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

Got amped when watching Varjo webinar and saw price dropping to humane levels. But always a catch somewhere. With Aero it is the nVidia coupling ? Using AMD now and no plans investing in the green team anytime soon. So bye VR. 

 

Quest Pro ?

[TCW_Brzi_Joe]

On 2/15/2022 at 7:01 AM, RAAF492SQNOz_Steve said:

All we need to do now is get VRNecksaver working with the Aero ............................

Necksaver still does not work with aero? I have currently one unit, but with each necksaver turn I see for a moment 2 black bars and picture freeze; It is not possible to use necksaver in current state with aero.

[56RAF_Roke]

You need to use the XR necksafer version, that works fine (and is better anyway as you can use it for vertical not just horizontal). 

 

Obvs it will require a switch to open composite first, but that's not so hard to do. 

[TCW_Brzi_Joe]

18 hours ago, 56RAF_Roke said:

You need to use the XR necksafer

thx Roke. I will send my Aero back, my IPD is too big, and color shift bothers me. Anyway Aero is sure excellent for some people. From 5 people which tried my unit 2 said it was really excellent, 2 couldn´t set it to be clear (do not know why, but it was just short test)), and me with IPD much bigger then aeros 71mm...

Edited October 24, 2023 by TCW_Brzi_Joe

[dburne]

15 minutes ago, TCW_Brzi_Joe said:

thx Roke. I will send my Aero back, my IPD is too big, and color shift bothers me. Anyway Aero is sure excellent for some people. From 5 people which tried my unit 2 said it was really excellent, 2 couldn´t set it to be clear (do not know why, but it was just short test)), and me with IPD much bigger then aeros 71mm...

 

They have a fix being tested you can opt in for on color shift, not bad.

Nothing they can do of course about the IPD situation.

[TCW_Brzi_Joe]

On 10/24/2023 at 5:42 PM, dburne said:

They have a fix....

Yes, I know for that tool. But why they did IPD up to 71mm only? I do understand physical limit to minimum (until lenses collide), but to maximum...

[dburne]

4 hours ago, TCW_Brzi_Joe said:

Yes, I know for that tool. But why they did IPD up to 71mm only? I do understand physical limit to minimum (until lenses collide), but to maximum...

 

Now that one I have not a clue. I think most are so blown away by the incredible image that they forget about it LOL. That as certainly my case.

Edited October 26, 2023 by dburne

[Dagwoodyt]

On 10/24/2023 at 8:42 AM, dburne said:

 

They have a fix being tested you can opt in for on color shift, not bad.

Nothing they can do of course about the IPD situation.

At IPD ~63mm I'm not seeing color shift as an in-game issue. I also think the "letterbox" imagery used in some reviews shouldn't be taken too lilterally.

[dburne]

28 minutes ago, Dagwoodyt said:

At IPD ~63mm I'm not seeing color shift as an in-game issue. I also think the "letterbox" imagery used in some reviews shouldn't be taken too lilterally.

 

Yeah letterbox has never crossed my mind. My IPD around 67-68.

[Pajeka]

IPD 69 with me…..all good!