VR glasses, hardware requirements and resolution scaling

[Freesurfer]

I want to explore the world of VR and I am considering getting an HTC Vive pro 2 headset with controllers and base stations. It has a total resolution of 4896x2448 at 120Hz (2448 x 2448 per eye)
I have an Intel i7-6700k CPU, Nvidia RTX 2080 and 16GB of RAM. I use a 2560x1440p @ 165Hz display which runs most non-VR games fine.

I am wondering if anyone is familiar with the hardware requirements for decent performance with VR, and if my computer should be able to handle it at a decent framerate at that resolution. I know that it is possible to run the headset at a lower resolution than its maximum to gain some extra performance, but then there's the issue of resolution scaling. We all know that running for example a 1440p display at 1080p, looks much worse than a 1080p display running at its native resolution because of the stretching and blurring. It's not like the good old days of the CRTs that could look good at any resolution. Are VR headsets like that, too?

Another option could be to buy an older generation headset with a lower native resolution, however I don't like to buy something old when investing into something new, and eventually my PC is going to be upgraded too.

Does anyone have any idea? I know that this is not really a "gaming forum" but I am trying here anyway :-)

[Fred27]

You should have no problems with that setup. I have a slightly lower spec than that and a Valve Index and all is good.

The Vive Pro 2 seems good, but some people prefer the Valve Index. I'd recommend the Index mainly because it's a bit cheaper and come bundled with Half Life Alyx. I was not a gamer until I tried HLA  and it was so good I bought a new PC and a Valve Index just for that!

[Freesurfer]

Hehe indeed. That's one of the first games I am looking forward to play. It looks great even on a normal monitor, so can't wait to see it in VR. 

But still, even if the pixel count doesn't look much higher at first glance, the HTC vive pro 2 has roughly 2.6 times as pixel count in total. Vive pro 2's 4896x2448 = ~12 million pixels, vs Valve index' 2880x1600 = ~4.6 million. I know that 2.6 times doesn't necessarily mean that the performance will be equally worse, but my main concern is, how much does it matter, and if I need to trade resolution for extra performance, how bad will the resolution scaling look?

Unfortunately the Index isn't available in Norway. Not from any of the usual stores, nor directly from Valve. If it was, it would have been an easy choice. But the only way to get one, is to import it from unofficial sources like ebay or sellers on amazon. But with such an expensive piece of kit I'd rather not have to deal with customs and the potential extra hassle in case I need to return it under warranty in the future.

So the HTC Vive pro 2 seems like the second best option on the list. I know that the Vive pro 2 gets a bit criticised for poor hand controllers, but as far as I know, I am not stuck with those and can use any VR controllers out there like the Index ones.