Bigscreen Beyond VR Review: Big Experience, Tiny Headset - XR Today

Behind the Scenes with the World’s Smallest VR Headset

Published: November 1, 2024

Rebekah Carter

Is the Bigscreen beyond VR headset the future of extended reality?

I’ve tried out countless XR headsets in the last couple of years, and while they all have their own unique pros and cons to consider they almost always share one consistent downside: size. Sure, options like the Apple Vision Pro might look sleeker than the Meta Quest 3, or the Varjo XR-4.

Plus, it’s safe to say that XR vendors are taking steps to make their headsets more slimline, lightweight, and comfortable in general. But the reality is that no matter how much you spend on a premium headset, you’re probably still going to feel like you’re strapping a computer to your face.

That’s where Bigscreen Beyond comes in, with a new VR headset specifically designed to tackle the size problem once and for all. The company, founded in 2014 launched its headset with one goal – to create the smallest possible headset without compromising on image quality.

So, did the company succeed, and if so, what does this mean for the future of virtual reality? I tried out a demo of the BigScreen Beyond VR headset to find out.

The BigScreen Beyond VR headset is one of the most compact and comfortable VR headsets I’ve tried – but it has some issues. First is that it’s a PC headset – not a standalone option, so you have to be tethered to a device at all times.

Secondly, you can’t share your headset with anyone because it’s customized to your face (more on that later). Plus, although the visuals are good, there’s room for improvement. Despite all this, I still think the BigScreen Beyond is an impressive headset, and a great choice for certain VR users.

Pros:

Cons:

The BigScreen Beyond VR headset is a unique competitor in a world currently dominated by the likes of Meta, Apple, and Varjo. First, it’s a full virtual reality headset. There’s no full-color passthrough option for mixed reality. BigScreen Beyond prioritizes complete immersion.

Secondly, the headset is much smaller than anything I’ve tried (outside of AR glasses). It’s a tiny, 127-gram headset that still manages to deliver 2560 x 2560 pixels of resolution per eye and a decent 90hz refresh rate. On top of that, the BigScreen Beyond headset takes personalization to the next level. While Apple offers customizable Apple Vision Pro faceplates to improve comfort, BigScreen Beyond actually custom-builds its headset for each user.

It even manages IPD for you, so you don’t need to adjust anything when you’re setting up the headset for the first time. Here’s a quick run-down of the specs for this $1k headset:

Let’s start with the most obvious standout feature of the BigScreen Beyond VR headset – the design. This headset is truly tiny. Imagine someone chopped the top and bottom sections off a Valve Index, and you’ll get a good idea of what this device looks like.

The headset is so small, it’s actually just on the verge of looking similar to a bulky pair of AR glasses. To make the product so small, BigScreen Beyond has made a few compromises. For instance, you don’t get built-in audio (speakers), and there’s no battery for standalone usage.

The company has also decided to customize the headset to every user. Before you buy one of these products, you’ll need to use an app to create a 3D scan of your face. The company then uses that as the blueprint to create a custom face pad for your headset.

When I say “custom,” I mean it. The face pad fits your face like a glove, ensuring absolutely zero light leakage. Obviously, this really upgrades the comfort factor, but there are some downsides too. For instance, you can’t adjust your IPD manually. Plus, if you try to share your headset with anyone else, they’re not going to get the same experience as you.

If you’re happy with those caveats, you will surely be impressed by how the Bigscreen Beyond VR feels. It takes comfort to the next level, spreading (the relatively small) weight of the headset evenly across your face and making it feel like you’re not wearing anything at all.

One slight point worth keeping in mind is that because the headset is so compact, you can’t wear standard eyeglasses behind it, but you can request a pair of custom prescription lenses.

Though BigScreen Beyond was happy to compromise on some things to make their headset much smaller, visuals weren’t one of them. This headset uses pancake lenses like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3. The Micro OLED displays generate up to 2560 x 2560 pixels per eye for an authentic “4K experience”.

Since BigScreen Beyond matches the headset to your face shape, there’s absolutely no light leakage when you’re immersed in VR. That’s great for increasing immersion. However, with no passthrough options, you really are “blind” to the real world around you when you’re wearing this headset, which can be a little frustrating at times.

Overall, the visuals are phenomenal, with crisp colors and fantastic levels of contrast and brightness. You don’t even have to worry about the common “screen door effect” on other headsets. However, the experience isn’t 100% perfect.

First, if, for any reason, your faceplate isn’t perfectly molded to your face, you’ll need to reach out and get a new one. Otherwise, you’ll notice a major drop in visual quality. Remember, you can’t adjust the IPD yourself, so you can’t just “tweak” the experience when your headset arrives.

Secondly, the field of view isn’t amazing. You can achieve a FOV of up to 102 degrees diagonally, according to the company. However, slight deviations to the position of the headset can amplify issues, reduce field of view, and create blurriness.

In high-contrast scenes, the pancake lenses can occasionally show glare – it’s not as bad as what you’d get with a set of Fresnel lenses, but it’s still noticeable.

Another point worth making is that the BigScreen Beyond VR headset has no built in audio. Although the company is releasing a deluxe strap which will include speakers, without this accessory, all you can do is connect the headset to your own headphones.

This won’t necessarily be a deal-breaker for everyone, but the lack of audio can be a real problem, particularly if you’re using your headset for things like immersive collaboration. If you don’t want to use your own headphones, upgrading to a premium strap also makes the headset more expensive. You’ll need to pay $130 just for the strap alone.

Unsurprisingly, the strap also adds extra weight to the headset (though it’s still more comfortable than a lot of alternatives. Ultimately, if you’re looking for spatial audio, and fewer wires and accessories, this might not be the device for you.

From a performance perspective, there are a few things that might cause the BigScreen Beyond VR headset to lag behind its competitors. First, it’s a PCVR device, with no integrated battery.

That means you can’t use it as a standalone device – it needs to be tethered to a VR-ready computer at all times. In my opinion, the “tethered” nature of the headset detracts from the benefits of having such a lightweight and compact device in the first place, because it restricts your freedom of movement.

Additionally, the BigScreen Beyond doesn’t have integrated inside-out tracking, like most of the modern headsets designed for spatial computing today. There are no built-in cameras, or sensors. You’ll need to connect with the Steam VR ecosystem and purchase SteamVR base stations alongside Valve Index controllers to actually use this headset.

Again, this all adds to the price of purchasing one of these headsets. The device isn’t cheap to begin with, retailing at around $1,000. So when you start adding on accessories and essential integrations, you end up with a pretty expensive product.

Plus, it’s a little disappointing that this headset doesn’t feature any mixed reality capabilities whatsoever. That seems odd to me at a time when so many other headset vendors are exploring AR/VR and MR possibilities. Focusing on VR alone almost seems like an outdated approach.

Despite this, the fact that the BigScreen Beyond VR headset is a PCVR system means it can work seamlessly with most of the apps you already use on your PC. If your PC is good enough, there’s no limit to what kind of software you can run. Plus, you won’t have to worry about running out of battery, provided your headset stays connected to your computer.

So, is the BigScreen Beyond VR headset the future of virtual reality? Maybe. I doubt it will change the future of extended reality on a broad scale. After all, most companies are investing more in mixed-reality solutions and standalone devices these days.

However, if you’re looking for a true VR headset, and you prioritize comfort and ergonomics, the BigScreen Beyond has a lot going for it. It’s definitely more lightweight, and compact than any other VR device I’ve tried. It’s also got fantastic visuals, provided that you get the right face plate made for you by the Bigscreen Beyond team.

However, I don’t know if this headset will blow other popular VR solutions out of the water any time soon. Not only is it more expensive than something like the Meta Quest 3, but it’s also more restrictive as a PCVR solution with no MR capabilities. Plus, you can’t even share your headset with friends, which makes it hard to see enterprises investing in this device for teams any time soon.

In my opinion, BigScreen Beyond has introduced a potential solution to the problem of headset size, but the future of VR will hinge on more than just vendors creating smaller headsets. Making devices more compact is important, but innovators will need to find a way to do this without compromising on as many features as BigScreen Beyond has with their headset.