Bigscreen Beyond review: Gunning for the VR throne

engadget.com:

The Bigscreen Beyond is miraculous. I expected the first hardware from Bigscreen, a company known mainly for its VR movie-watching app, to be merely a noble effort. You know, a brave attempt by a newcomer to make a splash in the niche world of VR – something that deserves golf claps and little more. They say hardware is hard for a reason; how can a small software company take on titans like Valve and Meta?

Despite everything stacked against it (and it's not without some freshman stumbles), the Bigscreen Beyond stands out. It's less a headset like the original Oculus Rift, and more akin to an oversized pair of glasses that can still immerse you. Consequently, it's the most comfortable VR solution I've ever tested. It also has some of the sharpest displays I've ever seen, thanks to cutting-edge Micro-OLED panels (Meta, meanwhile, has fallen back on cheaper LCD displays for the Quest 3).

Somehow, a small VR app company built a truly compelling upgrade from the Valve Index, which is still one of the best VR headsets around. That deserves more than just golf claps.

With all that being said, the Bigscreen Beyond also isn't something I can recommend to most people. The average gamer doesn't need a Ferrari, after all. While Meta is aiming for the masses with the $299 Quest 2 and $499 Quest 3, the $999 Bigscreen Beyond is squarely targeted at Valve Index owners and VR enthusiasts who demand more comfort and better screens. It's meant for a niche of the niche. The Beyond is even harder to justify if you're stepping into high-end VR for the first time, since it requires two SteamVR base stations ($300 for a pair) and Valve Index controllers ($279). A $1,578 setup isn't exactly the best introduction to VR.

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