VRHow / Guides / Bigscreen Beyond 2 vs Pimax Crystal
Bigscreen Beyond 2 vs Pimax Crystal
Specs side by side
Prices and availability above are retailer/manufacturer listings checked October 11, 2026, not guaranteed checkout quotes. The Beyond 2 product page also shows an “estimated ship date 3–4 weeks” beside the $959 configuration, while its banner says “ships in 1–7 business days”; that is a source conflict, so confirm the estimate at checkout. The Crystal price and out-of-stock status come from Pimax’s current comparison page, not a live reseller offer.
What the tradeoff means
Displays and optics: Both publish high per-eye resolution, but they make different display choices. Beyond 2 pairs micro-OLED with pancake optics and publishes an exact three-axis FOV figure. Pimax publishes the Crystal OG’s 2880 × 2880-per-eye figure and a “Wide” FOV label, but the cited comparison does not give an exact angle or lens type. Do not treat the pixel counts alone as a sharpness ranking.
Tracking and controllers: Beyond 2 requires separate SteamVR Base Stations, which makes the setup dependent on Lighthouse hardware; its official setup guide confirms SteamVR controller compatibility but says controllers are not included. Pimax lists Crystal OG as inside-out and Lighthouse-compatible, so its tracking path is more flexible on paper. Crystal OG controller inclusion is unverified from the cited official source.
PC and ecosystem: Beyond 2’s official minimum is explicit: Windows 10/11, 16 GB RAM, a quad-core CPU and a DisplayPort 1.4 GPU at the listed RTX 2070/RX 5700 XT level. No directly comparable Crystal OG minimum is verified here, so do not assume the two impose the same GPU or connection requirements. Neither cited product page provides a complete standalone app-library claim; this page therefore treats the comparison as PC VR rather than inferring a standalone-versus-PC library difference.
Cost and availability: The listed Beyond 2 starting price is lower, but it excludes the separately purchased base stations and controllers needed for a typical tracked setup. Pimax lists the Crystal OG at $1,599 and out of stock. Those totals are not like-for-like ownership costs, and the Beyond shipping statements conflict on the same page.
Which fits whom?
- Choose Beyond 2 if the published 107 g headset-only weight, micro-OLED/pancake design, adjustable IPD and SteamVR ecosystem fit your priorities, and you already have—or are willing to buy—SteamVR base stations and controllers.
- Choose Crystal OG if its published 2880 × 2880-per-eye display, wide-FOV positioning, dynamic eye tracking and choice of inside-out or Lighthouse-compatible tracking better match your PC VR setup. First verify a seller’s inventory, exact bundle and PC requirements because Pimax lists it out of stock and the cited page does not verify those details.
- For either: treat the headline price as a dated listing, not a complete setup budget. Beyond 2’s required tracking hardware is explicitly extra; Crystal OG’s current controller bundle and exact PC minimum are unverified in the sources used here.
Sources
- Bigscreen Store: Beyond 2 product page — product price, shipping banner, display, optics, FOV, refresh rate, weight, tracking, ports, PC minimum and included box contents.
- Bigscreen: Introducing Beyond 2 (March 20, 2025) — launch announcement and dated product context.
- Bigscreen: My Beyond setup guide — SteamVR controller compatibility and controller requirement.
- Pimax: Crystal OG vs Light vs Super comparison — Crystal OG release row, price, availability, resolution, refresh, eye tracking, weight description and tracking.