As promised, here are my thoughts/review about the Crystal, 1 week later.
TLDR: Final score 4.0/5 (with caveats).
PROS:
Best image quality avaliable:
- Amazing resolution, very sharp, finally able to discern things in the distance and notice a new world of details hidden before. In Alyx it’s like i could see a new layer of detail in EVERYTHING. The gloves are a world apart. The pistol have so many details engraved on it. Breathtaking and mesmerizing ! Our limiting factor is, once gain, GPU power.
- Local dimming with multiple options to select (currently on highlight), 80% of an OLED screen. Elite Dangerous is a blast.
- Very good vertical FOV (102 here) and acceptable PICO4 horizontal FOV (100).
- Very bright and colors have almost OLED saturation, a joy to play colorfull games like Pistol Whip etc.
- 120hz and 90hz working just fine. Our limiting factor is, once gain, GPU power.
- Very good lenses, with new options in the future (with caveats)
Best sound avaliable (with caveats):
- Index like hovering speakers !
- VERY HIGH volume ! Very good quality.
- Mic quality is awesome, everyone notices and praise it.
Confort, ergonomy, usability and quality of life:
- The HMD is heavy (just like the 8KX) but with much better fit, no problems for big heads and longer sessions, very confortable. (with caveats)
- The tension dial on the back works just fine and help secure it on our face
- Top strap is very confortable
- The DP breakout box is very well made and the cable is VERY secured.
- Optical cable is light, very long and works just fine
- Lots of USB ports on the HMD
- Comes with 2 batteries and one “housing” to charge it (with caveats)
- Batteries are QC 3.0 compatible and charge fast while on a compatible charger (i use an Orico USB 3.2 hub with a extra power port and works wonders, charge it very fast, never switched batteries again so far). (with caveats)
- Lots of facial covers, currently using the large “foreheaded” one.
Software:
- Pihome/tool/play much better than in the past. Software is in constant evolution. Currently using 1.14.04.01 version.
- As always, a plethora of options to choose. I’ve managed to solve the controllers not working in several games just by selection “use index like thumbsticks” or “use digital as analog” etc.
- Installed and worked on the first try.
- When you open the software they capture the audio settings you left and when you close it, Windows revert it to the original devices.
Controllers in the package (with caveats):
- Decent “Quest like” controllers with onboard batteries and USB-C charger.
- Just shake it to awake.
- Finger sensors on all buttons
Now, after all that heartwarming description, comes the…
CONS:
About the visuals and it’s “utilities”:
- VERY GPU demanding. Strictly 4090 territory.
- Didn’t test Motion smoothing
- Fixed Foveat Rendering is hit or miss, not a really con per se.
- In my unit, the IPD is stuck in 72 in the PiHome. Even after setting it to 69 and clicking settings, the motor “humms” but nothing happens. I don’t know if the lenses are moving but the software isn’t reporting the new position, but the feeling is that my IPD is wrong. Hopefully with the new firmware it can be solved ! (lets hope for the best)
- Local dimming is not perfect and depends of the application/game, not really a con, it’s all a compromise.
- Eye Tracking, DFR and IPD/auto IPD not avaliable. Makes me wonder if the image quality will be even higher even these work.
About the lenses:
- Althought the lenses are very good and the sweetspot very large (losing only to Panquake lenses), there’s severe chromatic aberration when moving away from the sweetspot, but is a cost benefit (compromise/consequence) of these lenses.
- Just like the chromatic aberration, barrel distortion becomes evident when out of the sweetspot.
- Still have to test the other lenses, (lets hope for the best).
- The on package fabric to clean the lesnes could be a bit bigger than a thumbnail LOL.
About sound:
- Depending of the volume, the speaker can rattle.
- The onboard DAC and the headset have independent volume levels, becoming a litle confusing.
- Sometimes i can perceive a latency/delay in the sound, specially gunshots.
About the Software:
- Lots of ill translated labels and options everywhere causes confusion (like the IPD settings that actually should be renamed to APPLY)
- The Device settings is detached from the main Pihome screen, making 2 screens to “alt tab” during the use. This could be only one window.
- Settings options that require SteamVR restart SHOULD BE INFORM when selecting them, not only describing it in the setting label.
- More suggestions that really a con per se. Easy to fix and reach “production” levels.
About the controllers:
- Feel a bit frail to be honest
- The grip buttons are weak and i constant drop grabed things in game. Have to focus in squeezing the buttons which is not ideal
- The tracking is average, the occlusion problems when near the HMD/face or when you tilt the bottoms up of the controller (like when you want to see the FpsVR screen), doing this will make the controller drift again endlessly.
- Lots of compatibility problems in games, but have options in the software to mitigate, not a con per se.
About usability and quality of life:
- The baterries are VERY HARD to insert/remove and fit, both in the HMD and in the charger. Seems like i’m going to break it.
- As i said before, not usable IPD, DFR or E.T in the HMD. IPD is a basal/organic feature, much needed !!
- Coming from the PICO4, the Crystal is a BOULDER LOL. Big and heavy, suscetible to position drift, but with the benefit of weight distribution.
- The on package charger works ok, increases the play time noticeably, but feels flimsy and struggle to charge the battery WHILE using the Crystal. My Orico can easily do this, but it’s another cable to hang.
- Buttons placement ! How thought it would be a good idea to place power button MILIMETERS away from the volume ones ? Althought to properly enable/disable poweron/shutdown you must press and hold the button, so it’s more an inconvenience than a proper con. But this can be enhanced !
- Still waiting access to the Beta, but no response so far @PimaxQuorra .
All things considered, a rocky solid 4/5 score with the possibility to reach 4.5 if the missing features are delivered ! A step above latter interactions from Pimax, for sure.
Bravo Pimax !
I apologize for any grammar and spelling errors and a hello to my fellow Pimaxians (@Heliosurge , @PimaxQuorra, @risa2000 etc)