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So I picked up an Odyssey+ to go along with my Rift and HP WMR headset and have played around with it for about a week.
tldr: Amazing display and serviceable controllers with easier setup.
The main point of comparison is to the Rift as the HP headset was a cheap backup that I let my kids play minecraft in. It's definitely serviceable and a good cheap intro headset, but the Rift and Odyssey+ are on a different level.
First, display comparison, and there really isn't one. The Odyssey+ is hands down better. Wider FOV, higher clarity display and almost non-existent sde. There is some visible mura, which replaces the sde as the most noticeable 'artifact' in the display, but the Rift has it as well. It's just tough to notice through the sde and is no worse on the Odyssey+, just more noticeable due to the improved display. There is some motion smearing in high contrast areas. This is only noticeable in certain situations, but I have never noticed it on the Rift and, in the right situations, is pretty noticeable on the Odyssey+.
Lense wise, the Odyssey+ has vastly reduced god-rays. They are still there but nowhere near as bad as on the Rift. There is some increased banding due to the concentric circles in the lenses, but only in certain situations (like when looking at the sun or clouds in a bright sky in-game). The sweet spot is smaller, so you have to take care to get the headset in the correct position, but once in it the clarity is actually better across the screen. The edges of the view get a little less blurry than the Rift.
Comfort wise, they're about equal. The RIft is a little more comfortable on the head but the Odyssey+ is much cooler. It doesn't hold heat in at all, unlike the Rift. The Odyssey+ is a little heavier, but in use they're both fine for extended use, I just don't end up with a sweaty face in the Odyssey+. I have VR covers for the Rift, but don't think they'll be necessary for the Odyssey+
Sound wise both are similar, decent but not great. Neither are worth replacing, imo, but if you wanted to it's more difficult on the Odyssey+ as the headphones are hard wired in. Easy enough to rotate out of the way, but not removable without cutting them. This could come into play if you want to run long extension cables (see other considerations)
Control wise the Odyssey+ is a step down from the Rift. The tracking is actually quite good, even for games like Onward where you have to reach behind your back and down to your belt for ammo etc. No issues there, but the controllers aren't as comfortable, don't rest in the hand as easily and when, say, pulling the pin on a grenade they hit each other due to the rings sticking out on the WMR controllers. They also don't sense finger location like the Oculus does, which reduces hand presence. The control schemes also aren't always as well thought out - for example using the track pads instead of the joysticks for movement, which is less reliable in my experience. Thoroughly workable, but it's a definite step down. I'm sure some of that can be tweaked, but on the Rift it all just works perfectly.
Other considerations:
- while there is no external tracking on the Odyssey+, it is sensitive to low light. You need to have a well lit area for it to track perfectly, otherwise it may work well for a while but then fall apart when you get close to the ground (like crouching or lying prone in Onward). A couple of times when I bent down to pick something up in the game (ammo or a needle) it'd lose it's positional tracking until I stood up again. With good light it doesn't do that, so easily fixable but you may have to add an extra lamp or something to your play area if it's darker.
- It doesn't deal with extension cables as well as the Rift. I have 10' hdmi and usb extensions for my Rift, which lets me move around my whole room without issue and the cord stays mostly out of the way. Attaching the Odyssey+ to those resulted in the sound turning into a loud screech after between 3 and 10 minutes. I tried an 'active' usb 3.0 cable and same issue. I tried a 6' usb 3.0 extension and the problem went away. This still allows me to use the whole play area but the cable gets in my way from time to time. My solution was to order a Vive breakout box as it boosts the signal, so another consideration if you have a larger play area or your computer is off in the corner (like mine). Of course, I had to buy 3 usb extension cables for the Rift, and with a Vive you have to run power to the trackers (along with using the same breakout box), so still a better setup in that it requires a lot less work/setup even if you want to run a larger play area.
- Setting up a new play area takes around 30 seconds. Hold the headset up to center it, click center, then trace the play area and it's done. It also remembers multiple play areas, so once you've mapped them out, it should recognize them when you go back, provided it hasn't changed much. Even if it has, it takes 30 seconds to map it.
- Software wise it's similar to Oculus, you have MR portal and Steam where Oculus has Home and Steam. Extra step if you want to use Revive for Oculus games. Since I already have a couple, I installed it and it worked with most of the Oculus games except Onward. I ended up re-buying it on Steam, lesson learned (buy from Steam, even if it's on sale elsewhere). Both allow easy access to the desktop virtually from within game if necessary - Oculus has higher clarity I think due to Carmack's magic ("Cylindrical TimeWarp Layers") despite the Odyssey having a better display and optics.
tldr: Amazing display and serviceable controllers with easier setup.
The main point of comparison is to the Rift as the HP headset was a cheap backup that I let my kids play minecraft in. It's definitely serviceable and a good cheap intro headset, but the Rift and Odyssey+ are on a different level.
First, display comparison, and there really isn't one. The Odyssey+ is hands down better. Wider FOV, higher clarity display and almost non-existent sde. There is some visible mura, which replaces the sde as the most noticeable 'artifact' in the display, but the Rift has it as well. It's just tough to notice through the sde and is no worse on the Odyssey+, just more noticeable due to the improved display. There is some motion smearing in high contrast areas. This is only noticeable in certain situations, but I have never noticed it on the Rift and, in the right situations, is pretty noticeable on the Odyssey+.
Lense wise, the Odyssey+ has vastly reduced god-rays. They are still there but nowhere near as bad as on the Rift. There is some increased banding due to the concentric circles in the lenses, but only in certain situations (like when looking at the sun or clouds in a bright sky in-game). The sweet spot is smaller, so you have to take care to get the headset in the correct position, but once in it the clarity is actually better across the screen. The edges of the view get a little less blurry than the Rift.
Comfort wise, they're about equal. The RIft is a little more comfortable on the head but the Odyssey+ is much cooler. It doesn't hold heat in at all, unlike the Rift. The Odyssey+ is a little heavier, but in use they're both fine for extended use, I just don't end up with a sweaty face in the Odyssey+. I have VR covers for the Rift, but don't think they'll be necessary for the Odyssey+
Sound wise both are similar, decent but not great. Neither are worth replacing, imo, but if you wanted to it's more difficult on the Odyssey+ as the headphones are hard wired in. Easy enough to rotate out of the way, but not removable without cutting them. This could come into play if you want to run long extension cables (see other considerations)
Control wise the Odyssey+ is a step down from the Rift. The tracking is actually quite good, even for games like Onward where you have to reach behind your back and down to your belt for ammo etc. No issues there, but the controllers aren't as comfortable, don't rest in the hand as easily and when, say, pulling the pin on a grenade they hit each other due to the rings sticking out on the WMR controllers. They also don't sense finger location like the Oculus does, which reduces hand presence. The control schemes also aren't always as well thought out - for example using the track pads instead of the joysticks for movement, which is less reliable in my experience. Thoroughly workable, but it's a definite step down. I'm sure some of that can be tweaked, but on the Rift it all just works perfectly.
Other considerations:
- while there is no external tracking on the Odyssey+, it is sensitive to low light. You need to have a well lit area for it to track perfectly, otherwise it may work well for a while but then fall apart when you get close to the ground (like crouching or lying prone in Onward). A couple of times when I bent down to pick something up in the game (ammo or a needle) it'd lose it's positional tracking until I stood up again. With good light it doesn't do that, so easily fixable but you may have to add an extra lamp or something to your play area if it's darker.
- It doesn't deal with extension cables as well as the Rift. I have 10' hdmi and usb extensions for my Rift, which lets me move around my whole room without issue and the cord stays mostly out of the way. Attaching the Odyssey+ to those resulted in the sound turning into a loud screech after between 3 and 10 minutes. I tried an 'active' usb 3.0 cable and same issue. I tried a 6' usb 3.0 extension and the problem went away. This still allows me to use the whole play area but the cable gets in my way from time to time. My solution was to order a Vive breakout box as it boosts the signal, so another consideration if you have a larger play area or your computer is off in the corner (like mine). Of course, I had to buy 3 usb extension cables for the Rift, and with a Vive you have to run power to the trackers (along with using the same breakout box), so still a better setup in that it requires a lot less work/setup even if you want to run a larger play area.
- Setting up a new play area takes around 30 seconds. Hold the headset up to center it, click center, then trace the play area and it's done. It also remembers multiple play areas, so once you've mapped them out, it should recognize them when you go back, provided it hasn't changed much. Even if it has, it takes 30 seconds to map it.
- Software wise it's similar to Oculus, you have MR portal and Steam where Oculus has Home and Steam. Extra step if you want to use Revive for Oculus games. Since I already have a couple, I installed it and it worked with most of the Oculus games except Onward. I ended up re-buying it on Steam, lesson learned (buy from Steam, even if it's on sale elsewhere). Both allow easy access to the desktop virtually from within game if necessary - Oculus has higher clarity I think due to Carmack's magic ("Cylindrical TimeWarp Layers") despite the Odyssey having a better display and optics.
