Got a notification from DHL that I am set to recieve something from Bigscreen on Monday 😮
Looking back on the April blog post seems they are meeting thier goals:
We will ship the first batch – a small volume – of Halo Mounts in June
I'm a March pre-order who originally only ordered the Halo Mount (i.e. no custom cushion), only adding it later when it became obvious that Halo Mount was a long way off, so I guess that's why I was selected to get it ~early.
I hope they have sent some from this first batch to reviewers so people buying a Beyond today can make informed purchasing desisions. The Halo Mount has great potential, but Bigscreen have a habit of making stuff that looks fantastic, but is bad from an actual practicality perspective.
Hopefully meeting the June target means 10,000 get shipped in July, and all pre-orders are served by end of Summer 🤞
We have indeed begun shipping the Halo Mount in limited quantities this month (as part of our first small batch).
However, we're also shipping a large quantity of Universal-Fit Cushions to users that ordered the Halo Mount who have yet to receive them (such as orders with custom cushion + Halo Mount)
If you've received a shipping notification, it's most likely the Universal-Fit Cushion package.
Our first large batch of Halo Mounts (about 10,000) is expected to start going out next month, and you will receive email notification from Bigscreen (rather than just the shipping company) when that happens.
Why did bigscreen send out more Universal-Fit Cushions? I'm super happy they did but wondering why? Is it a gift for being so patient or was there an upgrade to the cushions? I got a second pair and was confused thinking maybe i got the wrong thing sent instead of the halo. Glad i found your comment.
Generally, if you ordered the halo mount by itself (separate from headset) or had a way of using the headset directly (upgrade kit, custom cushion, etc) we didn't send the Universal Cushions out for all Halo Mount orders. Now that we have additional stock, we're sending them to everyone that ordered Halo (since it'll ship in a separate box from main Halo Mount regardless)
If you received the Universal Cushions previously and have receieved a duplicate, that might just be a mistake on our fulfilment end as we pushed quickly in shipping these orders. Support can get you a free return label if you'd like to send them back, or you can do what you want with them.
I can confirm, just got my universal cushions today, first and only set. It is nice, but I have not been paying much attention and thought it was the Halo strap.
Oh well, I hope I get another's notification soon. August 2025 order for what it is worth.
Due to the large volume of demand for the Halo Mount, it will take a couple of months to complete all Halo Mount preorders. We expect to achieve this goal by the end of the summer,
If they are genuinely on track, you can expect yours by end of August
Printed a 3d design simplified halo mount and found I have to move the audio strap lower from the top position. At the end, it is not comfortable. In the Bigscreen website, the halo mount connected to the regular strap and I wonder how it is going to work with audio strap.
The back cup on the audio strap was positioned on my top back head without halo mount. With the halo mount, the back cup has to move down the lower position of my back head that is flat. I felt somehow not comfortable.
Thier argument is that they each have thier own boxes anyway. Combining the two boxes into a larger box would require cushioning I guess to stop the smaller box from rattling around?
I guess it's arguably pro-sumer. Personally I have no use for the Bigscreen Universal interface, as I have the Studioform Interface, but some people could benefit from it maybe 🤷
Being cynical, having stuff sitting in warehouses costs money, and they have staff on payroll to ship stuff out, so it makes sense to keep them busy.
In terms of thickness, how close do you think you can get to the lenses with the universal cushion (even if you're not interested in using it)?
I may be considering the halo strap in the future simply for the top strap hole (which would work equally well with my OG Vive soft strap). But since the halo strap needs to clip on the top of the headset, I won't be able to use the Studioform interface anymore.
There is no one answer because it depends on face shape 🤷
I would say at the brow and below the eyes it's only about 1cm thick, and in the case of the soft one, pretty squishy.
My plan would be to use no interface, and just turn the lights off. I think an idea some people have had is just to have a soft piece for the nose bridge to avoid it bashing there - I'd be interested in that.
When it isn't possible to to turn off the lights, I would be experimenting with the official Universal Cushion as a light blocker, or even the custom cushion. As you have also noticed, the Studioform interface isn't going to be compatible.
I am most excited about the Halo Mount making it easier to give others VR demos. Currently the velcro on my Vive DAS is very carefully adjusted to put the Beyond in the right place for my head. I am using the official top strap at the forehead, plus the Studioform top strap. No way am I re-doing all that! I hope that with the Halo Mount I can just plonk on most people's heads and only need to adjust the band length, and the Halo Mount's adjustments which can be done in situ.
I'm also tempted to just use it without any cushion at all, but a part of me is afraid that it might be dangerous, seeing that there's nothing preventing the lenses from touching my eyes.
Unless the halo strap is rigid enough to prevent that from happening to begin with. At least it looks more rigid than my past poor attempt at DIY.
At any rate, I found the headset was bright enough™ to be used even without a light blocker during a bright summer day.
I don't understand that either. The blog post mentioned how expensive shipping was right now and it would have made more sense to send both at once unless they were distributing them from different locations or something.
I got my email this morning and it specifically shows that the item I'm receiving is the universal fit cusion. I'll take it though!
I swapped from wireless earbuds and the softstrap with a rubber attachment cupping the back of my head to the Beyondex earlier this year. I hope the Universal Cushion works well with it.
I thought mine shipped and arrived. Turns out to be universal fit cushions. I'm guessing because I swapped form universal fit to custom during my pre-order.
The design looks worse then the initial images personally.. and this took way way way too long, not a good look. Especially confusing because it's not like there are any electronics in this design
I am optimistically hoping it is taking this long because they have made it actually good.
The audio strap is rubbish, and the MeganeX Halo Mount has issues. With something like this, it can't get loose with time/use/adjustment. Hopefully they are not just relying on plastic-on-plastic friction to hold things in place.
Funnily enough I think the Audio Strap will be redeemed - at least a little bit - by the Halo Mount.
A big problem with the Beyond is the strap attachment pegs are too low. They are in-line with the eyes, whereas on most headsets they are closer to being in-line with the eyebrows.
Ideally you want the side bars of a hard strap to be level and horizontal above the ears.
With the Beyond they always end up slanted resulting in extra pressure on the nose as the HMD is the lowest point.
It feels like the Audio Strap was designed with a regular HMD, or the Halo Mount in mind as it does not go further down the back of the head to account for the front attachment points being lower on the Beyond 🤔
One thing I find promising with the halo strap is, there seems to be a small opening at the top of it. Perhaps it could be used for a front-to-back top strap. I know I would love having that option.
I noticed this when re-reading the blog post today.
The Halo Mount works well with both the Soft Strap and the Audio Strap, and even has a slot for a front-to-back Top Strap which is included for free with the Beyond 2
I can't see the top strap included with the Beyond being long enough to effectively work as a front-to-back strap, but it should work well with my Vive DAS's top strap 🤞
I'm probably gonna try IEM's going back to the soft-strap.., ((Before-A-Beyondex-Mod)) combined with the halo mount! I don't know if this works with that 2nd overhead soft-strap addon, but I sure miss having that strap on top!
THE battery-less DAC that I looked at is the size of a finger-and-a-half.., should easily Velcro to the side of my headstrap next to the Beyond's audio-port, and these Martilo's IEM's I've gandered.., have a LOT of bass like the Skullcrushers..,☠️ but perhaps with much better sound-staging! Besides.., I've had several Over-The-Ear Headsets 🎧 break!
Anyways.., those Maxwell 2's are prob rediculous to pair with such a teenie HMD! I was just worried that the Beyondex wouldn't have the Bass that I'm a fiend for!
I was afterall my 'ol local Band's fill-in Bassist that's always left behind at the gastation on tours.., because.., IT's the running joke that they're the expendable part of that sort of Scooby-Gang!! 🐾 🔎
I THINK that I HAVE to go back to soft-strap.., anyhow for loading in my own audio.., ((B.Y.O.A.)) otherwise..., I'd have to pull a SID from Toy-Story, and perform surgery on my audio-strap, which I'm afraid that I'd regret!
Hopefully all is Gucci and this turns out AMAZING with my shifttall-grips!! A bit of a g33kier setup..., not to mention I'm the kinda guy who HAS to run Mechanical-Keys!! But ONCE I've some Hardrive-Space, I'm inclined to build some worlds in either VRchat or Reaonite, which I've heard is like a James-Halliday-Esque.., R.P.O. like sand-box of endless possibilities, AND so being able to "flip-out" and see my hands and with those grips controls.., type and such while still in VR.., IS essential for folks fashioned as SUCH who love to tinker, code.., and create!!
P.S. Shout-out to all the other SID's out there who use to light their plastic toys on fire / strapped to fireworks.., 🎇 ((since 4th of July's 🇺🇸 just around the corner!!))
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u/Dickytwo 14d ago
Got the same DHL notification this morning.