Review of the Varjo Aero - Re-tested - Incredible Software Upgrade!

March 4, 2022

Update: There was a Patch 07 March 2022. To reflect on this, I have distortion, warp, chromatic aberration and software reliability today (09 March 2022)

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Good morning IL-2 community,

the Varjo Aero has arrived end of February and I took a week testing it. I had already initiated the retoure, but then was contacted directly by <unnamed source> one day later: There was a patch on its way. So I kept it here for a bit.

After that software update in the second week of March, I re-tested it.

Edit: 09 March 2022

My recommendation was to not buy, unless you had the right to return, so you could try if you could cope with the issues. That was true last week. The warp was bad, distortion was there, chromatic aberration strong. For a € 2373,00 headset, it was disastrous. A software update from 07 March solved these issues, and Varjo has exchanged all headsets that had pixel errors.

To make things short, if you don't mine the über price, only play Flight Sims, and don't mind the tiny FOV, go get it.

Due to the software limitations around Varjo Base and SteamVR, I recommend two Lighthouses and at least one Vive Controller even for Simmers. Please prefer sellers that offer a right to return in case your facial shape does not fit it.

It's the next-level device in most regards.

Let's start with the basics and work through the different topics that make or break a headset.

Costs:

Spoiler

In addition to €2373,00 of the headset, you require a minimum of two Lighthouse stations for 2x €199,00. The minimum entry price for someone switching to a Varjo Aero from another system is €2771,00 in Europe as of March 2022.

If you want normal sound and not perceive the noise of the Aero's fan, you will need to use headphones. Decent HiFi headphones start at €100,00 for non-audiophiles, makes sure to use a short cable with an 3.5mm to put into the Varjo Aero's aux, or BT5 / aptX-LL capable wireless headphones.

You also need a microphone - one which you can tug to the headset which sits beneath it, due to the fan being on top of it. My headphones inbuilt microphone picked up the fan all the time. Hence I recommend a ModMic at €130,00 for this use-case. The delivered in-ears with in-cable-microphone are something kiosks sell for 10 bucks and don't even trigger voice activation correctly.

If you want Index controllers for €299,00, which are a requirement to call up SteamVR and all of its features and tools while in-game, for example browser, map, etc., you sit at a comfortable full price of €3300,00.

If you want to use the Varjo Aero like it's meant to be used, you also want to look at an RTX 3080 as a minimum, better a 3080ti, 3090 or 3090ti. While a Mercedes-Benz also comes with diminishing returns, we still need to see wether it is worth its premium.

Software:

Spoiler

Its importance is often underestimated. Varjo comes with its own base software. It allows use without needing to post into SteamVR's home or base environment. It posts you into their own Varjo environment, presenting a virtual desktop, which you can control only with mouse and keyboard - if you can find them, because you're in VR.

This applies if you don't use Controllers:

This also means that the SteamVR icon does not post on the desktop, so you cannot change resolution easily, or use any other SteamVR features such as fpsVR, in-game windows for maps or browsers. You cannot switch to something like SRS quickly while in VR itself, you're locked out from the tools and programs (SRS, Discord, etc.) because you cannot call them while you're in-game.

For this you must use Index or Vive Controllers, both hard to juggle when flying with HOTAS. Other headsets like the Index, Vive Pro 2, etc. this was solved more elegantly by being able to call the SteamVR dashboard without having to take/find any controller, and then aim at the menus just with your head itself. This is more than a comfort feature, it's thus the tool-set missing as well, which I really miss on the Varjo Aero. Discord/Teamspeak/SRS overlays do not work, so sometimes you don't know if you're in the right channel, who entered one, or who is talking at the moment as a result.

The software itself is plagued by bugginess regarding the SteamVR integration. The taskbar icon and little settings window of SteamVR we all know and need - is often missing! If you want to call SteamVR manually, you get presented with this 2/3 times:

Where is SteamVR? This happens on two systems (Win11, Win10, clean installation of Steam/SteamVR and Varjo Base).

The only resolve is to cut power to the Varjo, close its software, restart both, and cross fingers. Or use Steam Controllers - that can be one or two Vive Controllers, or Index Controllers.

Tracking:

Spoiler

The tracking is based on Valve's Lighthouse system. Varjo recommends four Lighthouse stations, however I have noticed that two suffice in order to turn and rotate your head around in the airplane. Let me be clear, one basestation is not enough.

The Aero regularly loses tracking and sets you at weird angles, blocking the application, if you just use one basestation. You can look forward that way, and that's it. Don't believe people that say otherwise, unless you only want to fly MSFS or X-Plane and look forward only.

That out of the way, with two or more basestations the headset is in the best tracking system - by far - that exists on the market. Then it is spot on, down to the millimeter.

Eye-tracking:

Spoiler

The cameras within are filming from the center at the nose, so in them the eyes look somewhat off-angle!? Looking upwards to the center, you can also see the tracking diodes. While they seem to be shining into the pupills here, I didn't notice anything of them.

Eye-tracking is used to set up your IPD upon putting on the headset. This is very comfortable, as it is an almost instant process. Eye-tracking is not used for adjusting the distortion profile, or chromatic abberation, or to control foveated rendering in IL-2, DCS, ACC, or any other simulation I have tested. While it is comfortable, it isn't much more than a gimmic right now, as the games we love do not use it for foveated rendering.

Other games use it, and it gives significant framerate improvements there.

Fit:

Spoiler

The fit seems great at first. It allows for all kinds of adjustments in order to position the headset. This way it seems you can find the perfect position. At the second look, one of the most important features however is missing: There is no eye-relief like in the Index or the Vive Pro 2! You also can't get closer by mouting a thinner face-pad, as the way the strap is built the headset does not get pulled towards your face.

If you have deep eye-sockets, you may experience less of a field of view and more warp. The deeper your eye sockets are, the more this will be pronounced.

Comfort:

Spoiler

The headset has an inbuilt fan which defeats fogged lenses - that's great. It aligns your IPD automatically, that's also a great comfort feature. The pads are vegan leather and easy to clean. The headset is light and balanced, there is enough room for big noses as well. It does not press on your face, so adiós to divers' goggles' marks.

There are however two issues: The first is that the headset has no headphones nor microphone. If you use any decent over-ear headphones with a microphone like you want to in order to block out the Varjo's fan-noise, you wear them above the Varjo's strap. In practical use this means, whenever you want to grab something, or look at your spouse, or child, or cat, or find the soothing beer, you'll first need to remove the headphones and only then can take off the Varjo. Taking off the Varjo is not easy, you need to unscrew the back wheel and take it off by pulling the back up, while the front of the Varjo moves down. There is no elasticity in the strap that lets you pull off the headset to spy along or beneath it at the nose. You can of course also get good in-ear headphones, but then you sacrifice a good immersive soundstage, which leads the high-end immersive VR experience ad absurdum (into absurdity). It would be no issue if it had enough space to wear headphones beneath it like the Vive Pro 2 or the Pimax 8KX - you can take these off without removing earphones.

The second issue is that the headset does not have pass-through. Unbelievable for a 2022 headset. The Mixed Reality, HTC's and Meta's headsets all feature pass-through, which allows you to call the real environment. This means that whenever you need to see spouse/kid/cat/beer, you must take off the headset - triggering the first issue: Take of headphones, turn wheel to loosen strap, pull backside of strap over the head to remove the headset. Takes incredibly long, requires two hands. Once you got used to passthrough called within 1s, it's something dearly missed.

Sound/Microphone:

Spoiler

The delivered in-ear plugs with the small plastic case hosting a 50c mic is a good present for someone you hate. Joke aside, they are so bad that I would not even gift them. You need Active Noise Cancelling Headphones and microphone that sits beneath the headset at your mouth. The Microphones from my headphones themselves are inbuilt and located around the ears, hence they'd pick up the fan noise.

I use Sennheiser PXC-II and a ModMic Wireless, they work well in combination. I recommend them - your motherboard needs to support Bluetooth's aptX-LL.

Lenses (edit due to patch of 07 March 2022) :

Spoiler

The Varjo Aero has aspheric lenses. These give the clearest image and largest sweetspot on the market. They have no godrays whatsoever. That part is perfect.

However, with the Aero this comes with negative side-effects. In order to exclude a false vertical fit, I have adjusted many times and talked to German VR community members - they all perceive the following issues.

Edit on chromatic aberration: It was a strong side effect of aspheric lenses, but significantly reduced compared to earlier software versions. It is still slightly present, but not that it disturbs, even when coding.

Edit on warp:

A side effect is a stretching warp of the picture, starting at the outer 66% of the radius of the lens. It was strong, now it is softer - yet still there. Have you played Alien vs. Predator back in 2008? You are the Alien now - but only in the beginning. The last outer 10% of the lenses feature an even stronger warp, with objects enduring spaghettification as if falling into a black hole. The picture is geometrically inconsistent. Upon request, Varjo admitted they are "still working on the distortion profile". To fact-check this, they have said that since the first units have been trialed in 2021, and there was one firmware update on it so far in December. As of March 4th 2022, the headset is geometrically not consistent, stable, and thus cannot be immersive.

This can be worked with - almost forgotten or simply ignored - after the 07 March patch and after using the headset for one to two weeks.

Sidenote on people wearing glasses:

I discussed the following with my personal friend (experienced ophthalmologist, Doctor, very interested in VR) upon the topic of the Varjo, another headset before, and regarding my experience following lasering my own eyes: Wearers of glasses may not suffer as much from it, as their attention focus is more focused to the front and less towards the peripheral vision. They are used to disregard the peripheral, especially if they haven't avoided glasses entirely and worn contacts during the previous 6 months. They are thus not used to geometrical stability or the feeling of presence, so while they may feel clumsy and nerfed catching stuff at times, they may not even perceive these issues as much, or to a lesser extend. Not knowing what they miss, can't hurt them in this sense. So if you wear glasses, your experience might not be as bad, you may not even notice!

Just make sure to get precription lenses from VROptiker.de or any other VRoptician so you do not scratch the beautiful aspheric lenses of the Aero!

Field of View:

Spoiler

Measured in TestHMD, overlap read-out by risa2000:

Varjo Aero FOV: 70° vertically, 98° horizontally, stereo-overlap 69°. One of the smallest FOVs on the market.

Reverb G2 FOV: 88° vertically, 96° horizontally, stereo-overlap 84°.

Index FOV: 106° vertically, 106° horizontally, stereo-overlap 86°.

You want to fly a combat plane, look upwards and track your enemies, perceive your environment and place of your enemies? As much as this hurts, the values of vertical FOV speak for themselves. The clarity of the lenses do not automatically lead to a larger Field of View. It has sometimes been said, but is false. Chromatic abberation and the strong distorting warp did defeat that hope quickly, but after the new patch it is not as bad. The FOV now appears larger than it is, which is a nice feature.

The stereo-overlap is often not mentioned, but it is an absolute requirement to sit over 80° to feel present and immersed in VR, as if objects are coming at you. In the Varjo Aero, you see a big black pyramid in the center of your vision, instead of seeing the world. Some people with small noses might disturb that.

Here is thorough data posted on risa's hub for those interested.

The FOV remains the smallest to date. Imagine a G2 far away from the lenses. You need to be comfortable with that.

Screen quality:

Spoiler

High resolution of 39 pixels per degree, clearly the clearest picture on the market. That's absolutely great. The pixels are not fuzzy as in the G2, and there's no diffusion as in the VP2 or Index. High fidelity amazing colors, tainted by chromatic abberation starting at the outer 50% of the radius and non-existing blacks. The blacks are not there. Night-time scenarios or space games all turn into a grey winter's day across the entire range of vision.

It thus takes third place regarding colors of non-OLED headsets, behind the Reverb G2 and Vive Pro 2. Black is a color as well, it's not excluded, as it shapes the entire scene.

There is still an issue with movement of the view. Rotating the head quickly leads to blurriness, even if we maintain 90Hz. It has been reported many times to Varjo now and they are investigating the issue. It has not been fixed yet.

Performance:

Spoiler

The performance of the headset is the same as with other headsets in our simulation games. It depends on the resolution, it is not quicker or smoother with less 0.1% or 1% frametime spikes. The software is not sleeker or magically better, you do not get better performance with it. That's a myth busted.

Another issue is that there is no motion smoothing working properly. Given that the resolution amounts to 4148x3556, and you actually want to use the high resolution for it is the purpose of this headset: We are not magically getting good performance, especially when in motion.

When flying straight in MSFS at 30fps, it is alright. In IL-2, combat simulator and prop-sport cannon-fun, it is not. Fortunately, it performs quite well when using fholger's AMD FidelityFX's upscaler, just like the other headsets too!

Build quality:

Spoiler

Last but not least. The headset feels sturdy, grips nicely with its woven structure at its base, and the wheels feel sturdy. I can't say much to their reliability after one week, let's be honest, that would be speculation. The lenses are properly fit, the IPD motors work correctly, the fan as well, albeit a bit loud at times.

The left screen has two dead pixels, right in the center.

They are so small that they are only visible against white or blue background and when actively looking for them, but they are there.

Varjo replaces all headsets that have pixel errors amiably!

Conclusion:
This headset shows where the journey will lead us regarding sharpness and clarity.

But with all the issues, especially two dead pixels, the smallest FOV, no eye-relief, no pass-through, no sound or microphone, no third party tool-set support unless with controllers, and greyish blacks, it has a hard time justifying its price-tag to become part of that journey. Fortunately, the clarity of the lenses, the quality of the screens, and the professional development of Varjo save it.

I must admit to myself that €2373,00 bound in a headset is dead money. I had resolved to return it to the seller for a full refund. With the patch released, Varjo's great support as the polar opposite of some other VR headset manufacturers, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. I went to re-order it.

Recommendation:

In the past my recommendation was to not buy - which was absolutely correct at the time. I trust many others are done with buying just potential and then disappointment. No hype, no BSing, staying true to what is.

I do not change my opinion, which is based on values and characteristics of a headset. But these characteristics can change in quality, as done by the Varjo Devs here.

My recommendation is now, after the surprising 07 March 2022 patch, to buy if you don't mind its way too high price for what it delivers over others, and if don't mind the tiny FOV. If you want to try it, be aware of its downsides beforehand, so you can make a more informed decision. Please look into purchasing from a seller that allows right to return.

It's the next-level headset, but still carries many downsides. It's not the super-duper headset yet, because of its shortcomings like tiny Field of View, no sound, no mic, no passthrough, some warp left, some fan-noise, some software issues, the total cost (HMD + 2 stations + at least 2 controller + headphones + microphone).

So it may be the best in the end, but it comes with cost. It probably will lose a lot of value during the next year or two as well.

Hence, on a bright note, you can probably be very happy with what you have got! ??

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Best regards,

Fenris Wolf

Simulated Combat Group

Edited April 15, 2022 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

March 4, 2022

Thank you very much of this review, much appreciated.

March 4, 2022

If it is not too late, how is spotting on long distances, that 1 pixel co-alt, 20km away? I barely see it in Pimax 8kx (just as small flickering discoloration), and I am afraid with higher resolution I will not see it at all.

Edited March 4, 2022 by TCW_Brzi_Joe

March 4, 2022

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this detailed review of the pig-lamb-chicken!

I understand that for lower resolutions (for example total 19.5Million pixels) it still provides a greater view than the G2 with 19.5 pixels, right? and same performance , right?

If it is still not too late, could you please do a couple of SYN_VANDER benchmark runs (G2 vs Aero) just for the records.

I believe Varjo will continue this domestic market line and perhaps they will provide better FOV, eye-relief, overlap, etc in future devices.

March 4, 2022

Great / detailed review! I concur 100% with everything you said. I sent my Aero back.

New here, btw, just getting into IL-2. I intend to play it a lot more when my YawVR2 motion sim shows up this year.

I'm LukeEFF's friend IRL. (if there is such a thing as RL)

I will be posting my experience comparing the Aero with the Pimax 8KX on the Varjo and Pimax subreddits within the next week or so.
Here are some of my thoughts...

I also have a G2, had an Index. Started with the OG HTC Vive.

The chromatic aberration was indeed a horrible distraction for me. I will say that this chromatic aberration exists in most headsets, you just don't notice it nearly as much.

I can see it in my 8KX if I really try to. With the Aero I can't NOT see it. There are bright neon outlines wherever something dark intersects something lighter.

The extra clarity of the Aero allows the chromatic aberration to stick out like a sore thumb.
This is a major problem headset manufacturers are going to have to tackle, including Pimax with their upcoming 12K QLED headset.

The black levels (as you said, non-existent) were a shock. I couldn't believe it. Worst I've seen in VR by far.
If everything you do has bright scenes, you'll be fine. Otherwise... blehhh!!!!! Really, this is just unacceptable.
Everything I tried that has darker scenes was essentially unplayable.
2k+ for a headset and it achieves a dark-medium-gray for blacks.
I realize the panels are mini LED, and they have a huge number of local dimming zones.

There is the potential for this headset to have near-OLED blacks.
Don't bet on it! Last I heard Varjo hadn't enabled local dimming due to some artifacting issue they were having.
There is no guarantee they will ever fix this.
To me the colors were washed out, reminded me of the Valve Index in that department.
It's also too bright for me, overall. I started getting used to it after a few days, but it did hurt my eyes.
Obviously if that could be adjusted, the black levels would improve.

My Aero also suffered from pixel inversion / vertical screen door / pixel shift. The issue has many names (a row of transparent-looking vertical lines appear in certain contexts when you move your head up/down). The VP2 apparently has a big issue with that in many headsets. My Valve Index had this problem. Sent it back. My first Reverb G2 had this problem, replaced it. For 2K+, the Aero had BETTER not have this problem. My Aero had it!

In the end, the Varjo Aero made me appreciate my 8KX more.

I personally can't go back from the FOV of the 8KX. I thought the clarity of the Aero would do it.

It's nice to see that next iteration of clarity, but CLEARLY clarity isn't everything. =D

I know for many people the 8KX was a bad experience. That's unfortunate.
At first it wasn't so great for me either, took some time to dial in.
Hopefully Varjo updates their software to allow adjustments like Pimax did.
Now the 8KX blacks (ahem, dark grays) are the best I've seen in VR next to OLED, colors are better than G2 but worse than VP2.
Some people complain that the periphery of the 8KX is blurry. Well, so is the periphery of the human eye.
The purpose of the periphery is mainly to detect movement, and it works wonders for that.

Out of the 20+ games/sims I tried, MSFS2020 was the only one where I preferred the Aero. That extra clarity made the detailed scenery much more meaningful.
The Aero is LESS FUN for me. Way less immersive. I really get an amazing sense of presence with my 8KX.
Going from the Aero back to the 8KX in IL-2 made me go... WOW! I thought it would be the opposite.
For me the Aero was like looking at a nice small window to a virtual world, and the 8KX is like being in that virtual world.
Sure, 8KX is far from perfect. All of them will be for a very long time to come.

Amazing times, though!

Edited March 4, 2022 by Kaizen777

March 5, 2022

@SCG_Fenris_Wolf Thanks for producing a comprehensive review of your experiences with the Varjo Aero.

I will be keeping my Aero due to the clarity being a big plus for me.

My experience has been somewhat better than yours but would not dispute your general findings, others have made similar observations as well.

My experience:

1. Yes, can see some chromatic aberration but can substantially minimise it by headset positioning. Then disappears for 70 - 80% of the FOV.

2. Not seeing much distortion at all (very small bit right at the top) but would note that I only use the Aero for IL2 and MSFS

3. Found the colours to be superior to the G2 apart from the greyish blacks

4. Run the Aero on the High setting which is 27 ppd and get very similar performance to the G2. For IL2 vs G2 100% SS .i.e. within 1 - 2 fps.

5. Have not observed any stuck or dead pixels but have seen multiple reports of them being present for others. Varjo have, so far, been happy to offer replacements for users having this issue. I do not know how long the turn-around time is on getting your replacement

6. Love that in built fan!, fogging up on the G2 was quite an irritation for me.

7. Framerates for MSFS are similar to the G2 but the visual experience feels much smoother for some reason.

Have not used a 8KX so do not have to wean myself off it's wide FOV.

The biggest negative for me so far, for the changeover from the G2 to the Aero, is that I cannot get VRNeckSaver to work.

Would be great if Varjo could address chromatic aberration and black shading issues to make the headset more appealing to a wider audience but for me it is still a positive step-up as is.

Edited March 5, 2022 by RAAF492SQNOz_Steve
Mandatory typo fix

March 5, 2022

22 hours ago, TCW_Brzi_Joe said:

If it is not too late, how is spotting on long distances, that 1 pixel co-alt, 20km away? I barely see it in Pimax 8kx (just as small flickering discoloration), and I am afraid with higher resolution I will not see it at all.

I have just checked out your question, but I did not find a situation in which I would spot 20km away. However, various situations with approximately between 10-15km (I compared my location on the map to the location on the bandits, but it was on Finnish Server so no precise GPS information on myself).

If you look for spotting, the Varjo Aero beats them all. It clearly has, due to the clarity and the amount of precise information you can take in, the throne regarding the player's ability to spot bandits at long range and short range. It is also #1 in IDing targets.

I used Highest (39PPD), 4148x3556, 90Hz, Ultra, AMD FidelityFX 0.77, at around 85-90fps.

The environment was Kuban, day, few clouds at around 2000-2500m.

The question remains for me, if all the downsides - of which there are many - are worth this clarity.

I will need a few more hours in my cave to contemplate. The worst downside is the warp, which is affecting roomscale VR almost radically negatively, and the kaputt pixels. I can still decide between RMA and refund (and get my new car sealed ceramically instead). What to do with that play money is a good question.

I will answer to Steve's points later when I'm back home.

March 5, 2022

12 hours ago, RAAF492SQNOz_Steve said:

@SCG_Fenris_Wolf Thanks for producing a comprehensive review of your experiences with the Varjo Aero.

I will be keeping my Aero due to the clarity being a big plus for me.

My experience has been somewhat better than yours but would not dispute your general findings, others have made similar observations as well.

My experience:

1. Yes, can see some chromatic aberration but can substantially minimise it by headset positioning. Then disappears for 70 - 80% of the FOV.

2. Not seeing much distortion at all (very small bit right at the top) but would note that I only use the Aero for IL2 and MSFS

3. Found the colours to be superior to the G2 apart from the greyish blacks

4. Run the Aero on the High setting which is 27 ppd and get very similar performance to the G2. For IL2 vs G2 100% SS .i.e. within 1 - 2 fps.

5. Have not observed any stuck or dead pixels but have seen multiple reports of them being present for others. Varjo have, so far, been happy to offer replacements for users having this issue. I do not know how long the turn-around time is on getting your replacement

6. Love that in built fan!, fogging up on the G2 was quite an irritation for me.

7. Framerates for MSFS are similar to the G2 but the visual experience feels much smoother for some reason.

Have not used a 8KX so do not have to wean myself off it's wide FOV.

The biggest negative for me so far, for the changeover from the G2 to the Aero, is that I cannot get VRNeckSaver to work.

Would be great if Varjo could address chromatic aberration and black shading issues to make the headset more appealing to a wider audience but for me it is still a positive step-up as is.

1. I am not that fortunate. My eye-sockets are middle to deep. I have a considerable distance to the lenses. It might play a role.

2. The distortion is not as visible in IL-2 / MSFS / DCS. It is very prominent in all VR games that also play in rooms. The further away the maximum horizon, the less it appears.

3. The colors are indeed superior to anything but OLEDs, fully agree. The blacks are lacking severely. Same experience.

4. I ran the Aero on Highest, and to compare performance on High.

5. The dead pixels are in the center of the left screen. Right where you don't want it.

6. I also love the built-in fan. I use ANC headphones anyway (Sennheiser PXC-550-II, and a ModMic Wireless).

7. I usually dial my applications in to 90Hz or 45Hz reprojected. The Motion Repro does not work in the Aero, but it does in the G2.

The 8KX is a more blurry experience than both G2 and Aero, even in the center. It has different advantages - the largest being the FOV which leads to improved immersion and a great feeling for velocity. There's no headset that delivers more fun weaving along trees.

Edited March 5, 2022 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

March 5, 2022

I have found a bug.

When in-game, I must alt-tab in and out once. If I don't do this, the game remains locked at monitor refresh rate which is 60Hz.

The same happens when using Aero's HMD button in order to see the desktop via Aero's in-built software function.

Simple fix is to alt-tab twice, and get back to 90Hz.

I can't exclude the possibility of having gotten a monday unit, as there are too many conflicting voices out there. I will buy another Aero to see what's up with that.

My recommendation stands - only buy if you have the right to return (or be sure that an RMA process is gallantly solved).

I want to note that Bestware in Germany does a real good, proactive service.

Edited March 5, 2022 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

March 5, 2022

4 hours ago, SCG_Fenris_Wolf said:

I have found a bug.

When in-game, I must alt-tab in and out once. If I don't do this, the game remains locked at monitor refresh rate which is 60Hz.

The same happens when using Aero's HMD button in order to see the desktop via Aero's in-built software function.

Simple fix is to alt-tab twice, and get back to 90Hz.

I can't exclude the possibility of having gotten a monday unit, as there are too many conflicting voices out there. I will buy another Aero to see what's up with that.

My recommendation stands - only buy if you have the right to return (or be sure that an RMA process is gallantly solved).

I want to note that Bestware in Germany does a real good, proactive service.

Hope you get a positive result the next time around.
You are certainly making a comprehensive attempt to fully evaluate the the positives and negatives.

Re: Comment about distance of eyes from the lenses.
I would also consider that my eyes are deep set but this is just an personal opinion. Was hoping, due the Aero's shorter focal distance of 85 cm, that I could get away without wearing glasses. Alas, they are still required as due to the clarity of the headset, I can clearly identify that my left eye is substantially weaker than my right eye. Once I get a updated optical prescription, will be looking at lens inserts. My glasses work fine in the headset but are an added complication when fitting and removing the headset.

Based on numerous comments I have, briefly, perused I get the impression that the Aero can have distortion issues with VR Room games. I, personally, do not play VR Room games so do not see that aspect of the Aero's behaviour.

Do not know if you are involved in the CLOD VR Beta test but, if so, I have made some comments on my experience, with the Aero, on that testing forum. Obviously my comments can only be made accessible to other VR CLOD Beta testers via that forum.

March 9, 2022

BUMP

The software upgrade from beginning of March has changed the playing field. I had recommended to not buy it, which was true - until two days ago.

I had already initiated the retoure, but then was contacted directly by <unnamed source> one day later: There was a patch on its way. So I kept it here for a bit to check it out.

My recommendation has changed.

If you have the funds, go get it! Please be aware of the additional costs though, add around € 700,00 on top to its price for 2 basestations and at least 1 controller.

March 9, 2022

Be aware the popularity of the Aero combined with logistics issues from Covid is causing delays in production. Currently likely looking around 4+ month lead-time. So if you really want one better get on it soon. From what I am seeing the orders are increasing rapidly after this latest update.

It is very nice to see high end VR doing well in the consumer market.

March 9, 2022

Another current downside is that VR Necksafer does not work with the Aero. Hopefully that will change, though no recent word about any work being done to get it to work.

For me it would be a significant loss of a feature, albeit an independent 3rd party feature.

March 9, 2022

1 hour ago, Charlo-VR said:

Another current downside is that VR Necksafer does not work with the Aero. Hopefully that will change, though no recent word about any work being done to get it to work.

For me it would be a significant loss of a feature, albeit an independent 3rd party feature.

Not a downside for me thankfully. However wouldn't that onus be more on the mod maker than on Varjo?

March 9, 2022

31 minutes ago, dburne said:

Not a downside for me thankfully. However wouldn't that onus be more on the mod maker than on Varjo?

I'm unsure about that, since VR Necksafer works via SteamVR, which Varjo seems to add more complexity with how it integrates with SteamVR. At least, that's what I glean from the Varjo Discord discussions.

I'm sure J2_NobiWan (the developer of VR Necksafer, which is free, for those who didn't already know) wants to make his software work with all major HMDs, and he has responded when Varjo users have brought to his attention that it doesn't yet work with the Aero. Varjo has also acknowledged it doesn't work with the Aero yet.

It's really just a me situation anyway, allowing myself to become dependent on VR Necksafer to enjoy competitive MP (I have a 55 year old neck that has experienced lots of semi-whiplash types of events). Hence, why I am still satisfied with my G2 experience because I don't want to give up VR Necksafer. It gives me the neck of a 20 year old and helps offset the FOV limitations of current HMDs.

But I remain very Aero-curious ?

March 9, 2022

I am considerably older than you and have some pretty severe pains in my shoulder and neck currently due to a bulging disc. But I still insist on no mods, and like the 1:1 tracking.

The key is situational awareness...

Having said that though I only do single player so there is that. Probably if I did serious MP I might feel different. But I actually like my 1:1 tracking with no modifications very much.

March 9, 2022

Details please. =D
What improved that lead you to change your mind?

March 9, 2022

1 hour ago, dburne said:

I am considerably older than you and have some pretty severe pains in my shoulder and neck currently due to a bulging disc. But I still insist on no mods, and like the 1:1 tracking.

The key is situational awareness...

Having said that though I only do single player so there is that. Probably if I did serious MP I might feel different. But I actually like my 1:1 tracking with no modifications very much.

Don't aggravate it dude, that thing's called "Necksafer" for a reason. Plus I've seen plenty of videos that prove real pilots can look right back over the tail. With the headset on and no Necksafer, no way possible in a fixed seat.

March 9, 2022

46 minutes ago, Hetzer-JG51 said:

Don't aggravate it dude, that thing's called "Necksafer" for a reason. Plus I've seen plenty of videos that prove real pilots can look right back over the tail. With the headset on and no Necksafer, no way possible in a fixed seat.

Swivel chair will help.

Only way to check six in real plane is with the harness very loose, and still not that easy, in game you can pull 4 Gs and check 6 like nothing, also when you start doing vertical maneuvers you are all over the place if harness is loose, did it once , never again, now harness its tight on every flight, which makes harder to check six than in VR, specially with a swivel chair.

March 9, 2022

1 minute ago, SCG_motoadve said:

Swivel chair will help.

Only way to check six in real plane is with the harness very loose, and still not that easy, in game you can pull 4 Gs and check 6 like nothing, also when you start doing vertical maneuvers you are all over the place if harness is loose, did it once , never again, now harness its tight on every flight, which makes harder to check six than in VR, specially with a swivel chair.

Yep I do use my swivel chair - a lot.

March 10, 2022

20 hours ago, Charlo-VR said:

But I remain very Aero-curious ?

You could resolve to fly gentlemen's planes, such as the Spitfire. They feature not one but two compasses, proper reins as nobility expects, and mirrors.

That mentioned though, I'd like to add that the Aero allows you to see stuff right at the edge of the lens. So you do not need to turn as much as with the G2, even though the FOV is smaller.

March 13, 2022

To clarify, the FOV is really the tiniest I've seen. It's a matter of taste and experience - if you're used to Pimax headsets, you won't be happy with the Varjo Aero.

The Pimax 8KX has changed considerably since its release last year and may allow for 100%-stability in value - if you buy the Pimax 12K Qled next year. It's definitely not all roses and sunshine with the Aero.

March 13, 2022

Horizontal FOV seems about same as Reverb G2 to me - and I think IL-2 reports it about the same IIRC or very close. Vertical FOV yeah it is pretty small. I think the vertical makes the horizontal have an appearance of being wider. Plus the overall clarity in the image really helps there as well. I think all the hours I have in this thing now I have just adjusted to it to where it does not bother me. But yeah if one is more about FOV than image clarity then Aero would not be a good choice.

March 23, 2022

I wrote a review of the Varjo Aero on the Pimax Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pimax/comments/tkiz8j/my_review_of_the_varjo_aero_coming_from_the_pimax/

March 23, 2022

.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Drum

March 23, 2022

On 3/13/2022 at 11:27 AM, dburne said:

Horizontal FOV seems about same as Reverb G2 to me - and I think IL-2 reports it about the same IIRC or very close. Vertical FOV yeah it is pretty small. I think the vertical makes the horizontal have an appearance of being wider. Plus the overall clarity in the image really helps there as well. I think all the hours I have in this thing now I have just adjusted to it to where it does not bother me. But yeah if one is more about FOV than image clarity then Aero would not be a good choice.

At G2 level I would defo go for more FOV than resolution.

April 7, 2022

I think the Aero is the best of the pack to date. I have the Aero, G2, Vive Pro 2 and had an 8kx. I could not live with the low res of the 8kx so sold it. Bang for buck the G2 is the clear winner, neither the 8kx or Aero are close. I didn't love the wide 'out of focus' FOV in the 8kx as it didn't add enough to the experience to give up detail. I do fly a lot of DCS as well where reading instruments and being able to spot ground targets form a much longer distance are a distinct advantage of the Aero. I have a feeling that the Vive Pro 2 could be the best all rounder (detail + FOV) except it will bring any system (3090 included) to its knees so frame rate is unbearable in IL2 and DCS unless you like winding back all your settings to low res and what is the point of that. The 8kx and Vive Pro both have sound built in but it is not worth keeping it so really not a benefit. Here again the G2 blows them all away. I just use headphones these days and problem solved, if I could I'd stick the G2 headphones on all my other HMDs. In a years time there will be more and better available. However the Aero will also likely have enabled some of its unused hardware capabilities by that time which gives it a unique upside. Eye-tracking enabled foveated rendering and improved blacks are possible. I don't fly at night in IL2 so have no real comment on the black being grey issue and in DCS I put on my NVGs so night is dark grey and green in any case If you have a G2 stick with it. If you are buying a new one on a budget or want bang for buck = G2. If you have the $$$ I would recommend the Aero over the Vive Pro 2 or 8kx IMHO.

April 9, 2022

Eye-tracking enabled foveated rendering is neither possible for IL-2 nor for DCS, unless they jump back to forward shade rendering, basically rolling back a lot of effort they've put in to cast lights more efficiently. Or progress to DX12. I don't know if the IL-2 devs are planning for that, or will be.

I can't seem to really stomach the incredibly limited FOV and missing stereo overlap on the Aero, still. It has fixed what it promised though. It's super clear, indeed, but the FOV is so... tiny. There is nothing as small as this.

I have cancelled my second Aero-order and am re-testing the new 8KX now, which seems to be in its third incarnation. Pimax switched components on PCB several times but the name remained 8KX. It's the 8KX v.3 now, internally called by some 2001-designation. Sigh.

The changes include screens and audio controller. The colors - after some setting adjustments - are very good, the darks are black - much darker than Aero or G2. The sound seems to compare to the Index/G2 now, it's basically a copy-cat of their tech, which is good. The googly-eye effect is gone, the picture seems stable and real, the headset only supports 90Hz (so it's the latest version, 8KX v3 doesn't support 75Hz).

But there remain some software problems. It turnt off on me and wouldn't reawake until I restarted Windows. Then after room setup it turnt off sound. Sigh. I'll see how it behaves tomorrow. 8KX v.3. It's interesting enough to test though. ?

Edited April 9, 2022 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

April 9, 2022

From mbucchia posted yesterday on the Varjo Discord, the developer of Open XR Developer Tools and current MS employee, regarding DCS with the Open XR Mod.

Quote

Well no promises yet, but by inspecting what the game engine is doing, it looks like we can create a left/right eye correlation based on depth buffer association, and once we see this correlation for a few frames, we can detect on the fly which rendering pass is left/right eye. This would enable proper FFR and even FR with Varjo if we succeed.

Message Link and more discussion:
https://discord.com/channels/839478779256897546/852421698481553419/962071849171288064

Seems he is working on some pretty exciting stuff for both WMR and the Varjo Aero. He seems to think eye tracking with foveated rendering for the Aero may be possible in DCS. Note emphasis on "may".

Also from another post on Discord from him regarding Aero, same thread:

Quote

I'm working on doing the heuristic for eye detection in DCS this week-end, I think I cracked the technique, just have to implement it now.

If one reads through that entire thread looks like some very exciting stuff may be coming from him. Now if only the flight sim devs would offer native Open XR support. I am liking the direction I see him going for sure.

Regarding Stereo Overlap might want to have a look at this thread, seems some Nvidia Profile Inspector settings can really help that for some, and not just DCS either:
https://forum.dcs.world/topic/298226-mod-better-3d-in-vr-greater-depth/

Edited April 9, 2022 by dburne

April 10, 2022

This sounds great, he posted that yesterday? I did not know about the OpenXR mod yet, that would be great for IL-2 as well!

17 hours ago, dburne said:

If one reads through that entire thread looks like some very exciting stuff may be coming from him. Now if only the flight sim devs would offer native Open XR support. I am liking the direction I see him going for sure.

I totally agree, that's quite exciting indeed ?

April 13, 2022

After a few Software issues with the 8KX, which I could navigate around, I decided to send it back. Always having to switch sounds in Windows because neither PiTool nor SteamVR grab the sound correctly is unnerving, and so is the large size and weight of the headset. The cable is too short with 4m, too thick and heavy for roomscale operations. After the 8KX disaster last year and seeing the supply chain challenges, I also do not trust that Pimax can release a 12K QLED this year except for the paper launch.

They have also been ambiguous regarding where to buy for the trade-in, they have stopped advertising it on Amazon and only advertise for that now when buying through their own website. I am not going to trust them with this.

After seeing the leaks to the Meta Cambria (already in full production) and possibly the Valve Deckard for this year or the next, both wireless, I have resolved to wait for them instead. Today a new headset will be revealed, in around 1 hour on MRTV and VRTech.

Edited April 13, 2022 by SCG_Fenris_Wolf

December 20, 2023

Great review. I was thinking of buying an Aero, but think I will keep waiting for something better, even at $900+$140 for a base station.

Edited December 20, 2023 by =DW=_drewm3i-VR

December 20, 2023

Why revive a one year old thread?

December 22, 2023

On 12/20/2023 at 6:06 PM, Freycinet said:

Why revive a one year old thread?

Because all of its info is still relevant. Are you the forum police?

Review of the Varjo Aero - Re-tested - Incredible Software Upgrade!

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