The original Beyond headset made headlines with its ultra-lightweight design and stunning microOLED visuals packed into a shockingly small form factor. However, it wasn’t without flaws—glare-heavy lenses, fixed IPD, and limited field of view kept it from being the ultimate PCVR device. Now, Bigscreen is back with the Beyond 2, a direct successor that aims to address those pain points and deliver an even more compelling package. And for many, it just might hit the sweet spot.
A Worthy Successor
At first glance, the Beyond 2 looks familiar—and that’s a good thing. The headset keeps the same custom-molded face gasket system, compact form factor, and gorgeous microOLED panels with 2560 × 2560 resolution per eye, running at 75Hz or 90Hz. But under the hood, Bigscreen has made several crucial improvements.
The most notable upgrade is the new lens system. The Beyond 2 now offers significantly less glare, a wider field of view, and improved edge-to-edge clarity, addressing one of the biggest complaints from Beyond 1 users. Color shifts toward the edges are gone, and the overall visual fidelity is much more consistent. Additionally, Bigscreen has finally introduced IPD adjustment, which was absent in the first model. While the adjustment process requires a tool and feels fragile, it allows users to set each eye individually—great for asymmetric face shapes. Importantly, this change means there’s now just one universal SKU, simplifying the buying process and improving resale value.
Another major update is the addition of a new halo mount strap (still upcoming), offering a comfort solution similar to that of the Meganex headset. Pricing starts at $1,019, and for those looking to future-proof, the Beyond 2e variant adds eye tracking for a total of $1,219.
The headset remains a DisplayPort-powered, Lighthouse-tracked device, requiring external base stations and compatible controllers like the Valve Index ones. It also continues to upscale a 1980 × 1980 input signal to the full 2560 × 2560 resolution when running at 90Hz.
Visuals – Display Performance
Visually, the Beyond 2 delivers an impressive experience. The microOLED panels offer perfect blacks, vibrant colors, and adequate pixel density. Compared to the Quest 3, the image is unquestionably sharper and more immersive. While it doesn’t reach the sharpness levels of higher-resolution competitors like the Meganex, Play For Dream, or Crystal Super, the difference isn’t deal-breaking for most users—especially considering the GPU demands of those other headsets. Not everyone owns a 5090 beast, after all.
There’s no visible mura, and the overall image is highly enjoyable. Brightness has improved slightly, likely due to the upgraded lenses, and while it’s still not as bright as LCD panels, it holds up well. At 75Hz, the panels run at their native 2560 × 2560 resolution. At 90Hz, due to panel limitations, the input resolution is reduced to 1980 × 1980 and upscaled—but even then, the image still looks good. That said, native 75Hz does look noticeably better.
Visuals – Lenses
The new lenses are a massive leap forward. Glare has been reduced significantly, edge-to-edge clarity is much improved, and color fidelity is now consistent across the entire visual field. For the first time, you can actually look around with your eyes, not just your head. While there is still some glare present—and the Quest 3’s lenses arguably still lead the segment—it’s clear that Bigscreen’s improvements were crucial and well executed.
Field of View and Binocular Overlap
Beyond 2 also brings a noticeable FOV improvement. I measured 106° horizontally and 92° vertically, which is impressively wide, especially given the headset’s size. However, this comes at the cost of reduced binocular overlap, now at just 73%. This is similar to the Quest 3 and something you can notice in VR. That said, I personally found it more acceptable than expected. Whether it bothers you depends on your preference: more FOV or better 3D overlap.
IPD Adjustment
With the move to a universal SKU, Beyond 2 now supports individual IPD adjustment for each eye. This is excellent news for users with asymmetrical face shapes. The adjustment, however, is done with a small, fragile tool and isn’t practical if you frequently share the headset with others. For work or multi-user scenarios, this is still a limitation—but it’s far better than no adjustment at all.
Distortions
Distortion handling is another area where Bigscreen nailed it. The distortion profile is expertly tuned; even in the far periphery, I couldn’t detect any noticeable issues. This is one of the most distortion-free VR visuals I’ve seen in a consumer headset—an impressive technical feat.
Comfort
Comfort is an area that still needs final judgment—mainly because I haven’t been able to test the new halo strap yet. The existing setup still uses the silicone face interface, custom printed for each user using an iPhone face scan. While it ensures a snug fit, the material sticks to the face and gets uncomfortable when sweating. It also blocks airflow to the eyes, which could be annoying for long sessions.
That said, the ultra-light form factor remains a major plus. There’s no front-heavy feeling, and you can whip your head around quickly without experiencing inertia. Bigscreen also offers an optional audio strap, which helps improve comfort and adds sound.
Audio
Speaking of sound—there’s no built-in audio, so the audio strap is a must. It uses tried-and-tested Koss Porta Pro drivers, delivering very good audio quality. Unfortunately, the build quality of the strap leaves something to be desired. The headphones clip onto the head strap but don’t lock in securely. I often had to re-clip them, which quickly became annoying. Hopefully, mods like using the HTC Vive Deluxe Audio Strap will become more common.
On the other hand, the microphone is phenomenal. It’s arguably the best built-in mic on any VR headset right now, making it viable even for content creation.
Controllers & Tracking
Beyond 2 relies on Lighthouse tracking, so you’ll need at least one (ideally two) base stations and compatible controllers like the Index Controllers, which are not in the box.
Tracking remains absolutely top-notch. Sensor placement is perfect, and I never encountered any tracking issues. This is still the gold standard for consumer VR tracking.
Software
The Beyond 2 is a native SteamVR headset—and that’s a strength. You get all the familiar features like Smart Smoothing, and the headset works without any proprietary launcher or ecosystem lock-in. It’s stable, it’s finished, and I’ve had zero software issues. There’s also a dedicated app for adjusting refresh rate, IPD, brightness, and even the color of the headset’s external LED.
Rendered Resolution & Performance
Running at 100% supersampling in SteamVR, Beyond 2 renders at 3560 × 3560 per eye. That’s a fantastic level of detail—sharper than the Quest 3—and those microOLED colors really pop. Best of all, you don’t need the very latest GPU to enjoy it. It’s a very reasonable performance target, making the headset a great choice for those who want the benefits of OLED but don’t need the absolute bleeding-edge 4K resolution.
Game Compatibility
This is a PCVR-only device, and it excels at it. SteamVR titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Assetto Corsa, and Half-Life: Alyx run great. OpenXR-based games also perform well thanks to SteamVR’s OpenXR implementation. It’s a flexible, reliable system for PCVR enthusiasts.
Conclusion
The Beyond 2 is the update the original Beyond needed. The major issues—glare, lack of IPD adjustment, limited FOV—have been addressed, and the headset is better for it. Starting at $1019, it’s competitively priced, and existing Beyond 1 users can reuse their custom face cushion, which is a thoughtful touch.
While I still want to try the halo strap to fully assess comfort, what I’ve seen so far is very impressive. For many, this could be the perfect PCVR compromise: microOLED clarity, great colors, solid performance, top-tier tracking, and better return policies than some competitors.
It’s a winner—and yes, I wholeheartedly recommend the Beyond 2.
Alternatives Worth Considering:
- Meganex Superlight 8K – For those who prioritize visual sharpness and binocular overlap, but don’t mind a smaller FOV.
- Play For Dream – Ideal for users who want wireless freedom and don’t need DisplayPort connectivity.
- Pimax Dream Air – Another Micro-OLED competitor that does not require base stations, comes with eye-tracking and built-in audio, but will only launch later this year
