Development of v1.1.92 driver?

Honestly, I was very (negatively) surprised that they didn’t take that 10k deal from that guy who wrote his own driver. This guy is really a crack, has very in depth knowledge that nobody else has, wrote his own renderer, one that actually works… This was really THE way to finally make the Pimax 4k grow up. All they need is 1 brilliant programmer who knows this stuff. I gave it to them. They declined. Really too bad, this could have been a win/win for everybody, for Pimax, for us and for that guy. Now it’s a lose/lose for everybody.

Anyway, no merit in looking back, we now need to look forward. Hence this thread with the idea to switch back to the Steam renderer.

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Actually pimax4k currently works well with nolo in osvr environment. However, you need to adjust the distortion.

EDIT I misread your post. You’re actually saying the Pimax works with the NOLO osvr driver ? That would also make sense though, since Pimax mostly is just OSVR.

If you add dk1 tracker to pimax4k, it works through osvr.
I have thought about the piplay1.2 driver that it will be needed for 8k development.
If I am guessing correctly, 8k will have to display the same image at different coordinates on the left and right displays.
Considering the optimization of pimax 4k, pimax is wise to offer options for us to choose from. Of course pimax will require twice as much effort.

Yeah I think that’s the main reason they switched to their own renderer, the 8k has its unique challenges and I think they can’t be solved with the Steam renderer, you need a custom renderer to deal with the unique challenges that a headset with such huge FOV brings.

So that’s probably the main reason why they switched to a custom renderer for the 4k too. So the 4k users have become ‘victim’ of the 8k headset and we’re now stuck with an inferior renderer. It’s just really too bad …

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Making 4k perfect will help pimax make 8k (as I said earlier). In fact, the reputation of pimax4k in Korea is still not so good.
This is because 4K has not been implemented yet, and piplay is confusing every time it is released.
People will cheer if 8k is released, but 4k will gradually be forgotten by people. And competitive products with oled displays will take their place.
If the pimax is using the TC358870XBG, the realization of 4K60Hz is probably impossible.
Pimax should pay attention to the discussion of users here.
The surrounding situation around pimax changes very quickly. (Even in China, Snapdragon chip based all-in-one 4Kvr has been released.)

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I agree with sjefdeklerk,

this is similar to the microsoft release cycle… we had XP…
XP was great in its time and almost everyone adopted to it, then came Vista and NT… hmm… it was supposed to be better and Microsoft did try to convince everyone that it was better. but it really never was.

then came Win7. oohh ahh… and yes it was better and more secure than XP, but some of the old apps on XP would not work on Win7. ‘compatibility issues’

then win 8… less said about that the better… then came 8.1… a little better and better compatibility but now we have Win10, with and without the Service Packs, Win 8 and Win 8.1 and then a Win 10… and they all have to be patched and tweaked!

i can understand for the Oculus compatibility they need to move to a 1.2.x driver and that fine… but some of us dont use Oculus and prefer SteamVR (an older version of the software like Win7) and Microsoft is still patching it! We need to be in the mindset that not everyone wants Steam and Oculus support. and why are they trying to reinvent the wheel when Steams Developers are doing a grand job on their own with the renderer, its like trying to build a house when you can leverage off a builder who has been doing it for years already! let Steamvr devs do their thing and Pimax just ‘use’ that code, they can spend their time improving the Oculus side and the UI for customers rather that reinventing the wheel.

Eno

I do hear what you’re saying and I understand the complexity of producing a product like Pimax.
I am an embedded systems developer myself and can identify your skills in this area.

However this goes beyond just continuing development of the 1.1.92 renderer because Pimax needs to have full control over all aspects of the product development in house.

I suspect that there are issues with how the 1.1.92 renderer would fit with the development of Pimax8K and so it doesn’t surprise me that they are developing their own renderer.
It’s the only was for them to be sure that they are not hampered by what happens outside.

Also I can understand them not taking up the offer to have an outside person write the driver for them for US$10k.
It may have been a bargain but what happens after that?
And how would they know what they would get for their money.

I do hear you and I agree with what you’re saying, but I understand that Pimax must develop their products in line with their business plans otherwise they would have ciaos. After that the market will decide the fate of their company.

For me, the point of VR is what you see, and that involves resolution and clarity, thats all, now headtracking, positional tracking, controllers and even audio, they are addons (Necessary of course). Now Pimax has show us that Pimax 8K development is their primary and only target. Why the guy or team that made Piplay 1.1.92 did not continue upgrading it ??? Instead of that, they made their own drivers for Pimax 8K giving us (Pimax 4K users) a thrash of software (involving to clarity).

I hope that new Nvidia drivers or Steam VR updates in the future would not brake Piplay 1.1.92 compatibility, because with Nvidia DSR and Steam VR (Extended Mode) in Pimax mode; I´ve reached good resolutions (5K-4K) and crystal clear clarity.

Hopes like everybody the support for this Piplay version.

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You know, it might make a little sense that they are developing 1.2.x with the Pimax 8k in mind, but then you have to consider something: nobody bought the 8k.

We paid for the 4k.

@PIMAX-Support, can somebody just be honest and give us an answer here? Is the custom renderer for the 8k? Really now, why did you swap to your own custom renderer?

I honestly care little for the 8k, especially after how the 4k turned out. I don’t have a monster of a cpu to handle it anyway. If I had that kind of money, I would never have bought a budget headset to begin with.

Please, oh please make development for the 4k for, well, the 4k. Don’t get ahead of yourselves, Pimax. Finish what you started please. I want to see these headsets be successful, and nobody wants bad drivers.

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And even more, if they can’t fix their renderer, who will buy the 8k anyway? I think it’s incredibly stupid of pimax not to obtain pro help to fix their problems

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I do not know what is the Pimax’s market strategies for its upcoming HMDs and for the updates to its current HMDs. It is not said that the experience of who bought the 4Ks is vital for the Company. The Pimax could:

  1. Achieving customer satisfaction to create a stable market for its products by choosing quality.
  2. Step up to competition with the next generation of more prestigious HMDs, becoming an cheap alternative for those who can not afford the next VIVE or OCULUS, choosing the convenience.
    If Pimax chose the first option, it would listen to the forum’s directions:
  3. Developing the most successful version of Piplay: 1.1.92.
  4. By involving the community with the development of new drivers, for example through gitHub.com and by betting on the ability to gain only from is hardware, like HDK2 do.
  5. Releasing hardware upgrades, such as better lenses, thicker foam mask, longer cables, new blue light filters (whatever is this thing), and so on.
  6. Being more aware to the eyes of its customers by creating commands to quickly adjust the brightness of the LCD screen (3 times brighter than OLEDs and hence even more “dangerous”), the ability to record multiple user profiles, possibility to adjust more professionally and finely the IPD.
    For now I’m not convinced of Pimax’s reliability because:
  7. My 4K screen has many dead pixels, from the beginning. I suspect they do not opt ​​for the first choice of screens to save money but I do not know for sure. I would like to know how many Pimax 4K owners DO NOT have dead pixels in their screens.
  8. The lenses are not at the level of Oculus and Vive.
  9. Many of the HMD hardware limits have been hidden: “blue filters” are not “blue filters” but they serve to decrease the “blurring effect”; HMDs are sold as 4K but can not work at that resolution yet; The regulation of the IPD is another Achilles heel that is not noticed until after the purchase. Piplay does not work as it should in many parts, including in the download section of the Pimax software; Collaboration with Nolo, reiterated and underlined by Pimax itself, has not led to anything good; The LCD screen has obvious limits including:
    a. Ghosting when moving head fast.
    b. The limit of 60 hz, by factory and not dependent on the use of the hdmi 1.4.
    What can we do then to force the Pimax to listen us and develop 4k at the same time and separately from 8k, correcting its limits? In my opinion, only create a critical mass able to make positive or negative advertising to its products. If the Pimax listened to us, we could be his “apostles.” If he did not do so, we could do a great negative publicity in all ways: by youtube writing our opinions in the channels of who reviews his products, on reddit, on his forum, and on others forums. At Pimax the choice.
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Man I totally agree. The first lesson in Market strategy is to make a decision on whether to focus on quality or price. Pimax hasnt really positioned themselves there. They, arguably, have the best display since it’s the only 4k hmd out there but als seem to focus on being the cheapest and attract people who can’t afford a vive or oculus.

They should make a decision. Focus on bringing the best quality, hire good developers, give good support and raise the price or focus on bringing the cheapest headset.

I for one could easily buy both oculus and vive but I chose pimax for the 4k screen. However the mess with their drivers put me off a lot and if they don’t improve I won’t buy again.

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Pimax fails to realize that there are more than few who can afford the competition but choose not to because these current & even potential consumers are after the best “true” resolution and currently Pimax are faltering in their one big +1.

Without their trump card of “4K” and various testimonials of image clarity, where are they left?

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If you take a 4k phone, disassemble it and keep only the screen, use an “arduino-like” card to handle it and put it in a vr headset, you will get Pimax 4K. It seems simple but in my opinion they had a brilliant and winning idea because they have created a hybrid. A HMD in half of two “worlds” (VR smartphones and VR headphones). Their effort to create a driver to handle this hybrid is admirable. But Pimax had to get to a better stability point BEFORE sell is 4K. Also, I think they are wrong about how to publicize their HMDs. I do not want a 4k screen but clear pictures, and Pimax can offer them. The 4K are their first product of this type. Before embarking on a pharaonic project like the 8K, for wich maybe there are neither computers nor games that fit, they should re-engage with their consumers and take care of what they already have. Otherwise, they might implode.

Sooooo … @PIMAX-Support are you guys considering bringing back the Steam renderer ? Or is this never going to happen ?

@Pimax-Support, likewise, are you guys ever going to comment on switching renderers? We’d like to have the 4k working to the best of its ability, not be lab rats for your 2x4k headset.

Seriously now, the Steam rendered should come back, perhaps its time to consider a 1.3x line for freepie/external tracking input, full control over headset sensors (disable/enable gyroscopes, recentering, etc) and other suggestions found all over the forums.

If you want your hardware to work at all and be attractive to buyers, make the software work or there is no point moving forward, really. Come on guys, its been months and your community shouldn’t be neglected on this matter any longer.

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I just did a poll, so let’s see how many people prefer v1.1.92: http://community.openmr.ai/t/poll-which-driver-version-are-you-on/2316/1