Ive spent some time at the office today playing around with the 8KX, using different resolutions and settings. Mainly testing Assetto Corsa as its just an easy-to-jump-into sim racer with keyboard and mouse without any hassle. I know there are better looking and more demanding racing sims out there, but I must say:
The image overall: The resolution bump to native 4K (going from the 5K+ as a reference), together with the wide FOV (using Large in this example), is taking this sim racer to a whole new level, with crazy details on distance. I dont really know how to describe it, as any through-the-lens photo or video might not look so super-impressive, but in real-life usage, everything just looks so d*amn sharp and crisp. It kind of getting me touched every time. The view is competely SDE free and looking at the farthest distance possible, I still see the road and the cars with outstanding detail. Without any SDE pattern or pixels the image and scenery just looks more realistic now. I know many of you with an HP Reverb has felt this before, and I agree HP has great sharpness. Although, here with the 8KX, everything is somehow more “crisp”, and so easy to look at across the entire binocular overlap with a wide sweet spot.
The resolutions. Using PiTool 1.0, which gives us a resolution very close to 3840x2160, the aliasing is almost completely gone. On very straight lines and on far distance, there could be some minimal aliasing still seen, but that is probably possible to eliminate complately in-game with higher AA than the maximum value 4 possible in the settings. Also, running the 8KX at PiTool slider above 1.0 does basically nothing to the image itself, as its already as good as it gets on 1.0 in my opinion. There might be a minimal decrease in aliasing on PiTool 1.5 and above, but its really minimal and not even worth to use.
We are currently testing different resolutions to find the best proper values for PiTool 0.75, 0.5 and even below if possible. All I can currently say is that even when lowering the resolution by nearly 40%, it still looks bad*ss and super sharp! Lowering the resolution introduces more aliasing in-game of course, but the image as a whole is still extremely sharp, which is most likely thanks to the native signal sent to the panels. Once we have finished the resolution tests, I will probably inform you more about the results and the exact numbers.
Performance: I know you wonder if the 8KX is more demanding than the 8K+. All I can say is that you dont have to worry. Not even taking the optional upscaler into consideration, the 8KX will definitely not hurt your GPU more than the 8K+. Personally I would say its the opposite. You can gain better framerates and still maintain a great looking image with the 8KX compared to the 8K+ and that is all because of the native signal. The lower resolutions (either lowering PiTool slider or SteamVR SS) just looks better on the 8KX than they do on the 8K+. More sharp, more clarity and less aliasing - butu the same frame rate. And thats despite the fact that the 8K+ scaler is indeed doing a great job, much better than the old 8K scaler did.
The 8K+ does indeed look great as well, and the SDE is of course the same as the 8KX. But the clarity and sharpness of the 8KX is just impossible to match using the 8K+. Im sure you will agree once you try them both at VR Days
Oh and Assetto Corsa runs fully smooth of course
Anyways… I think we have come to the point where racing and flight simulators just looks as we always wanted them to look like. Im 100% sure all VR simmers will be super impressed and happy with the 8KX. Its really an impressive unit. probably also the 8K+ of course, but if you are a picky guy like me, you will definitely appreciate the 8KX clarity over the 8K+.
I cant give you full details about everything as of now (as we are still polishing the software side), but believe me, this is something worth waiting for!
Here is a short through the lens video in Assetto Corsa, recorded in 4K (so watch it in 4K on YouTube). Its shot with 12mm (24mm full frame) lens, so its only showing maybe 100 degrees of the whole 170 FOV in the headset I was running. What you see in this video is of course MILES AWAY from what your eyes actually see in VR, and it looks way sharper inside the headset. But having my old TTL videos in mind, and comparing them to this new one, I must say I have never been able to catch such good looking TTL videos before. And thats all thanks to the native 4K panels.
Im soo looking forward to show you this on VR Days and the other upcoming roadshows/meetups
And guys. Please dont tell me this is advertizement. This is just my personal feelings, as a true VR simulator freak I am myself. I have no reasons to fool you. And soon you will see it for yourself!
Would love to see some Elite Dangerous footage too.
And about AA, is it possible to do AA for only far away objects? Would that not save some rendering power but deliver the right amount of prettyness to the distant objects we want to focus on?
I have no doubt you will, but would be great to revisit best quality vs performance settings as the 8KX and 8K+ approach release, and get Pimax’s latest recommendations on balancing PiTool vs SteamVR quality etc. Eg this thread has helped get the best out of Elite with PP: https://community.openmr.ai/t/best-quality-settings-for-steamvr-ive-found/22614
Some assistance with contacting Frontier about the launcher authentication issue when launching the game from PiTool would be appreciated - with this we could remove the need for PP. Has anyone at Pimax ever been in touch with anyone on their side about this?
Two of the things I have fought with with the 8K has been image sharpness and aliasing.
I would have thought though it would be better for VR to turn in game Anti Aliasing off and bump up Render Target Super Sampling instead. At least that is what the Valve VR guys have stated.
In game AA tends to blur the image and at least on the 8K with the poorer screens and upscaling - it looks like a smear.
If you run PiTool 1.5 with FFR on Aggressive, you will get the clarity in the sweet spot and a nice softening of the image rendered to the edge of the FOV, especially in Large FOV. That and a decent performance benefit over AA or non FFR.
I’m still experimenting with Il2 but I prefer PiTool at 1.25 and above even if I have to run SteamVR at 50%
Another thing I am testing is leaving SteamVR Video on auto but then running SteamVR App at 150% or 200% PiTool at either 1.25 or above.
Anyway - I’m liking the vid and again Martin - Thanks.
Wow, I thought my 8K looked good but this is fantastic. 2 questions;
1 When will it be available?
2 When will the next Pitool be released that adds resetting the origin for the motion compensation?
We have exhibitions coming up over the next 4 months and would love to show this on our motion simulators.
ohh my… THIS is truly what I have been waiting for, seeing the clarity in the distance I Play Assetto Corsa Competizione myself and ED for the most part.
Can’t wait for P2 Day and the backer prices and maybe options that are still unknown to US.
Thank you so much for this video and short “review”
Thanks Sweviver! Looks great, damn you are rising my anticipation again for the X .
Edit: I guess we won’t have more info till PiDay Nr 2 - but can’t wait to here about all the details and especially ordering an possible savings. Still I think it would be awesome for a PiMax to have an (optional?) awesome lens
They are definitely raising the bar on the VR market. Lets see what the competition will have to say and do next. If pimax can clean up the sotware and ergonomic side of this device, they will rule the market! Maybe now pimax will get the attention it deserves. Stay tuned…
And congratulations to Martin for landing his dream job…“that aint working, thats the way you do it”…
If we’re doing Elite Dangerous shots; Try for an approach to a distant landing pad at nighttime - all that tiny geometry with all those point lights tend to comprise an aliasing nightmare. :7
I Play Assetto Corsa Competizione myself and ED for the most part.
I was thinking the same song when I started reading
