I have access to a Varjo XR-3 VR/AR headset, which is a similar idea - ultra high resolution but similar FOV to the Quest. The XR-3 has an even higher DPI than the consumer Varjo Aero, because (similar to the Pimax 12k I guess), it has a special ultra-high-DPI “focus screen” that stays in the center of the image (using eye tracking for a form of dynamic foveated rendering). And I have to say, whether I choose to use the Varjo for VR or my Pimax 8KX depends on what I want to use it for.
As a virtual desktop, the Varjo wins hands-down - it’s just amazing, a virtual desktop floating in the room with you looks exactly like a real monitor. I have a curved ultra-wide monitor I use for software development, 5620x1440 resolution, and if I put a curved virtual desktop above it, they look the same! It’s the first time I’ve experienced VR that has perfectly replicated the sharpness and solidity of a real monitor display. I just wish the Varjo head strap was comfortable enough to do hours of work on it.
…but for VR games, I always go for the Pimax, mainly for the immersion. For me, FOV trumps sharpness by a long shot. Heck, I kinda think the Varjo’s ultra-sharpness is less immersive, less realistic, because it makes the infinite focus much more apparent - everything you see seems sharper than real life everywhere you look. Don’t get me wrong, I wish I had more sharpness in Flight Sim 2020, I crank it up as high as I can get my computer to go (and don’t come close to hitting the limits of the Pimax 8KX). But I’ve played Flight Sim 2020 with the Varjo, and I lose a lot of the immersion - sure I can read the finest text in the plane’s gauges and displays without even thinking about it, but looking out the windows and seeing the ground far below and the clouds at the same detail and sharpness pulls me out of the moment.
So put me down on team FOV
I want the Apple headset for its AR capabilities, but give me the Pimax 12K for gaming.