Thanks for confirming that I’m not completely crazy :).
Couldn’t disagree more. I own a CV1, Odyssey, and Odyssey+. I much prefer the gen 1 Odyssey to the other 2. Better picture than the CV1 and way more comfortable than the O+. I don’t have any trouble running Oculus store bought apps and the image quality improvement is worth dealing with WMR.
I think the only thing we’ve found out about VR for certain in the last couple of years is that there isn’t ‘one true system’ that works for all. It’s like HOTAS’s or pedals, people know what they like and it’s a personal thing.
We can chat about what is ‘best’ but there is never going to be consensus, just because we all value different things. I tend to come across pretty confidently or opinionated, but please don’t anyone take that as me telling you what to do - it’s all good. Go buy what you like. 
Also, I should add, there are probably quite a few people here that have tried VR and dislike it enough to just stop using it and just go back to TrackIR and big screens etc. I doubt those people think any VR Pepsi vs Coke debates are that interesting.
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No, @PaulRix, nobody is confirming that… 
Coke, any day!
But I have close friends who prefer Pepsi, and we manage to stay friends… We never touch the subject of ‘favourite soft drink’, naturally.
You are absolutely correct, @fearlessfrog.
VR is not important to everyone. VR is a compromise. And VR is experienced individually.
Another important factor is expectation. What are you expecting to get from VR.
I mean, I love the VR experience, but given the choice, I’d take a physical cockpit and a 270° Dome screen, any day. I’d need a hangar to store all the different cockpits, but I’d take that as well…
As for Rift S, keeping the CV1, waiting for HP Reverb or Valve Index…
I’ll just got this email, from facebook Ireland.
As I’m not expecting more than an improved Rift without external sensors, I feel I can’t go wrong.
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Just impossible to choose…
Pepsi has more sugar, but Coke is more… culturally exposed.
New comparison vid.
Rift S vs. Vive Pro vs. Odyssey +.
Black levels look very good.
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The most striking thing for me was the eye test chart. Despite having the lowest resolution screen, the text on the bottom row is clearer than on the Vive Pro and O+…
Now, as Tyriel states, it is not an exact science trying to film through a headset lens, but still…
Also, the blacks do seem pretty good to me, and the whites are brighter and whiter, so I am feeling pretty optimistic about the Rift S right now.
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I expect him to shout out if the pics he’s showing doesn’t convey his experience of the difference between the headsets…
But yes, that does indeed look good.
That looks pretty good. I’m not sure I’m sold on the vertical looking alignment of the pixels though…that really kind of stands out in some of the comparison screens… 
Having already gone to an O+, I don’t think the difference would be a big step forward over what I have already with regards to visuals (other than the controllers of course…), but coming from an earlier HMD I think it will be a nice upgrade.
I think the Rift S looks much clearer than the original Rift. In the HP Reverb review screenshots today, here’s a good ‘in a normal game’ sort of text test:
There is quite a big difference in clarity.
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Ah yes…does the Rift S have a straight up and down / left right orientation compared to a diagonal for the original Rift and O+? Or am I seeing things?
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It’s a bit complicated, but the way colors are being displayed and the panels tech is different.
A color panel design can be either Pentile or RGB in sub-pixel layout. Sub-pixel is just another way to say 'how does a display show a single color pixel. A pentile layout is really 2 sub-pixels, where you need 3 pixels to make up a color, but they use alternating colors. A sub-pixel can only show red, green or blue at various brightness. A RGB sub-pixel layout uses three pixels individually.
Then there is resolution, which is just the plain count of pixels available to show.
After that there is the choice of OLED vs LED LCD illumination. Generally the OLED gives a better range of colors and contrast.
Here’s how I understand it (although could be wrong here, I should check the numbers):
-
Rift (original), Pentile sub-pixels, OLED display, 1080x1200 per eye
-
Odyssey Plus, Pentile sub-pixels, AMOLED display, 1440x1600 per eye
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Rift S, RGB sub-pixels, LCD display, 1280x1440 per eye
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HP Reverb, RGB sub-pixels, LCD display, 2160x2160 per eye
Because resolution numbers are hard to picture, the nearest comparison I’ve seen has been a chart like this:
EDIT: I should have done this originally rather than too many words. The left one is the pentile layout that uses 2 sub-pixels and alternating colors. The right one is true RGB pixels.
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I noticed this in the Assetto Corsa comparisons.
This is the last comparison (S/VP/O+)
This the first comparison (S/CV1/Vive)
The S does indeed look more vertically aligned, than the others.
Comparing the S in these two pictures isn’t conclusive, but could it be just a moire effect?
Any idea what we are seeing here, @fearlessfrog?
Link?
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I think the Rift S RGB sub-pixel is designed in a grid, while the existing Rift Pentile sub-pixel used a 2 - 3 -2 sort of brick layout. The Vive OG used a diamond with fairly big gaps, showing that it hasn’t aged well. The spaces between the sub-pixels are all different too.
I think the basic resolution of 1280x1440 per eye on the Rift S really only tells part of the story. The clarity they have got out of that RGB sub-pixel layout, plus the range on that LCD panel make it a really nice display.
The Reverb stuff is down from here - Tested did a good review: VR News: HP Reverb - Second Gen headsets are on the way - #170 by fearlessfrog
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Could this explain why there are vertical lines?
Looking at those pixel pics you posted, it would make sense that when the screen is showing an area in a color close to either Red, Green or Blue, there would be more black space in the pixel grid, creating the lines?
For instance in that very red Assetto Corsa example. Green and blue subpixels would be black, which creates the vertical grid…
I’d also mention that such artifacts might not really show themselves in motion as opposed to a zoomed in still. Might be a bit of seeing the trees instead of the forest in some examples…
OK…but if a tree falls in a forest and there is nobody there with a VR headset to see it…?? 
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Or worse…maybe it fell outside of your field of view! The horror!
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If a tree falls in the forest outside your field of view, is it still rendered?
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