Will the latest version of the controllers be shown at CES 2018 ?
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So, if I understand this correctly, it means
- prototype V5 will be demoed at CES 2018
- depending on the feedback from the crowd, further design corrections/enhancements will be applied
- once these have been carried out, the shipping dates of the (limited number) 1st batch will be announced (shipping update for the further batches seems to be announced in January too but what will it be worth if the design decision on the 90 Hz refresh is only due to be taken in March - only when that has happened do Pimax really know when they will ship the fully functional units)
- these 1st batch type units will be made available in closed door demos to a select group of users/bloggers
- this 1st batch type units will likely only support stable 80 Hz (possibly stable 83Hz as was mentioned end of November)
- design decision on 90 Hz refresh to be taken in March - so if not resolved by that time, it may mena that Pimax may decide to ship at the stable rate which they did reach so far, or delay the release further.
- at this time, March 2018, can we at earliest expect a genuine delivery schedule assessment by Pimax, as they then would hopefully have made all final calls on the design and be down to production and shipment.
- realistically this means that delivery should not be expected earlier than May 2018
- alternative for the impatient: volunteer as beta testers with the 80/83 Hz Version who might get their hands on it in February 2018
Did I get it right ? I am not complaining, I guess this is the most realistic announcement I have seen in a while, and like the majority I value quality over speed as long as it does not mean something drastic like say 9 months of delay (because by then HTC, Oculus or others may have announced their own high-resolution HMDs).
So this means I will have to make up my mind if I want to risk going with a sub-par early version to save (at least) 3 months of waiting, or expect it in later spring time.
Tough call. If it were only for the 90 Hz part, one does wonder how bad 80 Hz are and if that is not a trade-off we might voluntarily make in favour of less demand on the GPU/CPU anyhow. But come Volta/Ampere, things may change and we would be disgruntled by the fact that we cannot increase the refresh to 90 Hz.
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@deletedpimaxrep1 thanks for the update.
I would reccommend seeing if known media backers would be interested in being a part of the test group. Folks like @Cdaked @SweViver Vrkommando & Kevin from Tomās Hardware (i know Kevin Backed). & the French fellow that came to Toronto. As folks that regularly review vr would be able to give good feedback & can showcase progress reviews.
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Gotta wait for more details at CES. Not enough info to make a decision yet, but Iām leaning towards receiving it as early as possible if impressions and reviews on this latest prototype are as good.
80 - 90 fps difference is probably not even noticeable for many.
AFAIK
Production version will have lenses made from one piece.
The (earlier) prototypes did however have glued together lenses.
What heās saying is that nothing is shipping before March. And it is a good decision. Better to delay and ship the best product possible than to ship earlier with problems.
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remember that this is strapped to your face. How fast you can turn your head will be limited by the refresh rate of the screens if you want it to look smooth. Iām willing to bet that the math works out to 90 Hz to be unlimited by refresh rate in this regard.
Are we sure that the 80hz refresh is stable on various condition?, could be 75hz for some people they seem to give a lot a work to increase the heat dissipation of the headset. Your right we need more information, but Iām inclined to think that the first design is somewhat flaw
The last report in the challenge of reaching the āholy grailā of 90hz was 2 months ago, until this moment they have not reported anything new on that subject, no progress has been made beyond 80hz stable and I doubt very much that this can be reach in 2 or 3 months more.
The fact that they announced it as a sales claim should not blind us and accept that with the current hardware little else can be done, it is already causing them problems with heat dissipation ā¦ the only option is to wait 5, 6, 7 months ? Until some manufacturer of screens or components develop something to make this possible, I do not think that is what anyone is willing to wait.
Instead I think we should ask ourselves how important are those ā90hzā to be able to perceive that fluidity of movements, I would propose to compare them in the same place with a htc vive and do a survey among testers of the headset at ces about what differences they feel in that aspect, of course only expert testers and backers
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I think thatās a great Idea, A review by Tested would at least give us some good data to base an early sub 90 hz decision on or whether it would be better to wait for a full 90 hz hardware update
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I would also like to see a comparative test like what you propose to be able to evaluate the use of the headset at 80 Hz. It would be very interesting a test like that.
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I personally donāt care if the headset reaches 90HZ. āAs long the headset can do 75hz -80hz stableā and working async, that is good enough for me.
If an āoptionā exist that offers the shipping units with 75-80hz stable, I can take that. 90hz is ānot actually necessaryā for everyone, it is mainly to ensure no strobing on the minority of people that have hyper sensitive eyes.
However, the tracking latency should be below 17ms and then have proper warping shaders for the peripheral area of the lenses to avoid motion sickness
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As an 8kx backer and an engineer I would be happy to test and give feedback on one of the 8k beta headsets at 75/80hz and return it when my 8kx is ready.
I also own an HTC Vive so I will be able to do comparisons against 90hz VR
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A 2 month delay isnāt that bad, I would like to have it ASAP but iām also waiting for the steam knuckle controllers and the new lighthouses. And I doubt valve is going to release those in Jan.
You are right, but as a company they should do this with a more professional set of beta testers, not the general public. This way you can get the best roi.
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As an 8K X and 5K backer, I am very happy to wait for perfection 
Get it right and the VR world will love you xxx
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I would be keen to test on a high spec gaming pc, i will be happy to return the unit after testing.
Eno
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Wish I knew about the 8K VR found out about this like literally last week and bough a dam VIVE. My guess is the retail version wonāt be out until probably close to SEP 2018. Really hope they sell just the headset since many people will switch over to this one from the vive.
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Adhawk! Nice!! This would be awesome!
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I still want 8K shipping in January please consider manual part replacement after March conclusions for this small group of active backers
Thank you !
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