This is my take. If money is no object and you are planning to fly HDZero quads sometime soon then get the HDZero Goggles, but just keep in mind that with the constant flow of firmware updates which always seems to have some impact on the analog functionality, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

If you aren't planning on flying HDZero quads then the HDZero goggles are really an overkill for analog only use, so just get the Skyzone SKY03O Pro goggles which never have any firmware updates that you need to worry about, and which will tide you over for flying your remaining analog quads with or micro analog quads until you have moved all your remaining quads over to digital or they are just too old school to be flying anymore.

I heard back from Patrick at AU/NZ Repairs today, so three days to hear back is nice. He is checking if they are in stock. $80 USD apiece. If he has them I will have to decide whether to buy one or a set of two. I don't know if LCD screens age or wear out. But I would hate to buy one and have it be brighter or somehow different than the other. Fingers crossed.

I think that buying a bunch of HDZ stuff right after buying a bunch of Walksnail stuff would be a little irresponsible, LOL. So yeah, I would just be using HDZ goggles to fly old analog quads. Better to save $ and see what the future holds.

I borrowed a friends Skyzone SKY04L LCOS goggles and compared them to my Fatshark HD3's. Note that my HD3's are equipped with Rapidfire, the Skyzones with their SteadyView. Flying whoops indoors and in the backyard I prefer my HD3's. The Skyzones screens not being OLED there just wasn't a big difference, or there was but it was all pros and cons, the Skyzones had a more detail and resolution but the colors were kind of washed out, my HD3's had better color and contrast so the overall effect was more to my liking. The big problem was the screen static on the Skyzones was terrible, faint white bands across the screen coming and going constantly, with three different quads, indoors and out, and poorer range. I thought there was something wrong with them but Bardwell's shootout of similar goggles by Eachine showed the same static which he attributed to the antenna switching. My old Rapidfire equipped HD3's have none of that and got better range and penetration, also as illustrated in Bardwell's comparison. Bottom line is I am really turned off on the Skyzone goggles now... And I question reviewers statements that the Steady View module is on par with Rapidfire. Also, if I buy a new pair of goggles they have to be OLED.

You can put a RapidFIRE module in the Skyzone SKY04X series of goggles. It does required a bit of fettling and maybe a 3D printed adapter, but people have done it. Have a look on Thingiverse or Printables.com and you will probably find something. While the LCOS screen goggles might not be for you, the OLED equipped SKY04O version might be suitable.

I did not know that, thanks.
I may have been a little hard on the impressions I gave. I just did another round of comparisons and the difference in range is not as bad as I suggested. I think that is down to my Meteor 75 Pro having particularly poor range, maybe more a factor than the goggles. But the excess static is noticeable all the time. Also the FOV is not good enough in the SKY 04L (37) I want at least the 42 degrees of the HD3. I was leaning towards the SKY 04O Pro until this comparison so having the backup of installing the Rapidfire is good.

I thought I'd recalled that the RapidFIRE needed some work to make it fit in the goggles, but it's the Fusion module which requires some work, not the RapidFIRE module. The RapidFIRE fits without any modifications. You just need to print a new cover for it because the supplied cover doesn't fit, that is all. You can have a read of another thread HERE which contains information about that. Keep in mind that it's quite an old thread so any discussion on the SteadyView is likely now irrelevant with new hardware and firmware having since been released.

Below are the links to the 3D printable SKY04 covers for RapidFIRE...

• https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5021546
  
• https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5408870
  
• https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4673657
  
• https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/100...one-skyo4x
  

I wonder if the SKY04O Pro and SKY04X are the same module interface? I'll do some research.

I pre-ordered a set of SKY04O Pro goggles today. Time to ditch the box goggles (and eyeglasses) and since the replacement module I ordered for the CobraX seems to work I decided to roll the dice with Skyzone again.

$360.00 from Skyzone direct, with $10.00 spring discount today

Unless you need 720P 100fps and/or a 52 degree FOV (which are the only better things that the SKY04X Pro has over the SKY04O Pro), then it definitely looks like the Skyzone SKY040 Pro is currently the best bang for bucks analog goggles out there right now, especially seeing as it also comes with a reasonably decent fusion VRX module.

I definitely don’t need 100 fps / HDMI in. I guess I’ll see how the 42 degree FOV works out. My WalkSnail HD goggles are 46 and the box goggles I’ve been using are 50. Hope it’s not a show stopper.

I think you will like 42 degrees. That's what I have in my HD3's and at least with 4:3 they look good to me and I don't feel they are limited compared to my GogglesX. FWIW I don't like the really wide FOV of my Headplay box goggles for flying close to anything, they are just for cruising or loaning to people. If people ask I tell them the box goggles are like being in the back of a theater and the regular goggles like being in the front.

Also the wider FOV lets you move the OSD data out to the sides a bit more.

Cool - looking forward to being pleased then

BTW - got an email saying the goggles shipped today (?) I thought they were pre-order ...

Probably someone just printed a label and that qualifies these days as 'shipped'. Or maybe April Fool's ...

Oh yeah, CaddX does that, LOL. The fact that they printed a shipping label does not necessarily mean it will ship tomorrow.

I didn't see anything in this thread about the HDZero Goggle Expansion Module
which has the analog de-interlacing feature. As I understand it, the de-interlacing 
feature works with any analog receiver module and has the effect of "cleaning" up
the analog feed (which is interlaced). 

The above module is for the HDZero goggles, however, I think that it has standard
pin set up and can be used with any goggles that accept the modules. 

From what I can tell, it still requires an analog receiver such as Rapidfire.  

As an interesting side note, I have found a mod for the EV800D goggles to add
a module interface so that these (Rapidfire, etc.) modules can be used with them.
I plan to do this in the near future. Yeah, I know this is a bit of work and not for
the faint of heart, but, it looks like a good idea to me. With this mod and the
above mentioned de-interlacer module and a good receiver, then maybe I get
an improved analog view in the goggles and DVR. I don't know for sure, but I
estimate the total cost to be about $ 200 or so for all components. That cost
is in line with what I would pay. If I can get video as good as the expensive
analog goggles, then I think that I would be ahead of the game.

Since I am ok with analog, if I can get a half decent improvement and still be
able to use any analog gear on the quad, then I would be ecstatic. If this works,
then it may just be sufficient to negate the need for HD digital, ever.

That said, if I ever did go with HD Digital (probably HDZero), then I would 
already have the analog receiver setup. Hmmm.



 

OK great! I am anxious to hear your experience. Particularly with regards to static in the video feed. That really bothered me when I compared my Rapidfire Fatsharks with my friends Skyzones.

Right now I feel that I am more lost than ever with this goggle choice business. After the heat sink swap and software upgrade my Walksnail GogglesX turned to S---. Crashing quads, boot up fails, poor signal strength, etc. I sent them back to CaddX in mainland China, who knows if I will ever see them again? So all my shiny new Avatar equipped quads and builds are parked. And I am debating sending my analog goggles (Fatshark HD3 LCD), which have sunburn, to Australia to be fixed, which would probably cost me about $200 in the end. Luckily I have my first goggles, Fatshark Atitudes, to tide me over with truly ancient video quality, if I elect to repair them versus replacing them with OLED analog goggles.
Watching a lot of YT videos this last week has me more confused than ever. Is Walksnail truly as bad as all that? There are lots of guys having lots of problems with every type of Walksnail goggle including the super complicated combinations of their ground unit with various analog goggles. There does not seem to be any clear winner. Analog goggles are a minefield of price and performance and compatibility issues as well. If I thought I could simply toss out all my old goggles (including my brand new GogglesX) and buy one (or two) new goggles that would be guaranteed to work reliably with my Walksnail and Analog quads, I probably would. But that does not seem possible.

Maybe some of you with an "ear to the ground" of the FPV world could point me in the right direction?